Shadow of the Dragon: A Young Adult Novel About a Vietnamese American Teen Fighting White Supremacy and Saving His Cousin from a Gang

by Sherry Garland

Sixteen-year-old Danny Vo is enmeshed in two worlds—his Houston high school and his Vietnamese home life. He’s finally caught the eye of beautiful blond Tiffany Marie, only to find out that her brother is a white supremacist. And his life gets even more complicated when his cousin Sang Le comes to live with Danny’s family after spending years in a reeducation camp in Vietnam. Failing school and unable to get a job, Sang Le joins a Vietnamese gang—and Danny is determined to help his cousin escape before it’s too late.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Teen

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Sherry Garland is the award-winning author of 30 books for children, teens and adults.

Reviews

[Marjolein · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read!
Danny (his real name is Duong but he changed it to a more American name so he won't get nasty questions and comments from everyone)
is a Vietnamese boy who lives with his parents, troublemaking sister Kim and grandmother Ba in the Vietnamese community in Texas.
Danny has a lot of responsibilities, as he is the oldest son in the family. The apartments is always crowded with family and Danny hasn't much time and privacy for himself. He sometimes even hasn't time for his homework and to meet with his best friend Calvin.

His cousing Sang Le comes to live with them. Sang Le has spent the last years in a refugee camp in Hong Kong, after he spent most of his live in a reeducation camp in Vietnam. While Danny hasn't trouble adjusting to the American way of life, Sang Le has.
He has trouble at school and with learning English. And he gets in touch with Cobra, the dangerous Vietnamese gang that hangs around in the backstreets of the neighborhood.

Danny is dating Tiffany Marie, a girl from his school, but rumours are that Tiffany's brother Frank is a skinhead with racist actions against Vietnamese people in particular, and soon enough these rumours seem to be true, and Danny and Sang Le's life's are in danger.
Recently I have read Song of the Buffalo boy, also by author Sherry Garland. That was one of the best books I have read for sure, as books related to Vietnam are one of my most favorite books. But this books was just...amazing!It was so good. wow! The book just give an amazing look in the life of the Vietnamese community in the United States and a look in the Vietnamese family traditions. Danny is just an amazing boy to read about and it was just sometimes sad how he has to deal with al the things that came on his way. I was just speechless about the dramatic end. If you just ask me wich book I really, REALLY could recommend to you, then it would be without a doubt Shadow of the dragon, in a combination pack with Song of the buffalo boy. I truly hope we can expect more books about Vietnamese themes by Sherry Garland.

[☀️Carden☀️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: racism, supremacy, violence, mentions of war and brutality, mentions of suicide and gang rape, slight bullying (main character gets a beating)

This is legit one of my favorite books now.

It has every thing you could want: relatable characters, a great protagonist, smooth dialogue, and just the right amount of everything.

I like female main characters in YA, and most books I come across don’t really have any male protagonists in YA. But this, oh this was refreshing. I loved Danny so much. He’s relatable and funny. He makes mistakes, but he always cares for his family and tries his best to be a good son.

The Vietnamese culture in here is vibrant and the author took their time to know about it. Chinese New Years is represented so accurately, and the war is also there. Certain foods and dialect are on point.

The main plot involves Danny and his cousin going around. His cousin tries to get used to America and Danny goes through some understandable teen agnst: school, crushes, family, stress, driving, and dating.

I loved this book. Glad to have it on my shelf.

[Photina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photina Haumschilt
Multicultural

Danny Vo is a teenage boy living in Texas with his family. At the age of 5 his family came to America as refugees from Vietnam after the Vietnam war has ended. Ten years later Danny has adapted to life in America. He has grown up to be a typical American teenager but he is still expected to act as if they are in Vietnam. When his cousin, Shang Le, is released from a re-education camp in Vietnam and comes to live with his family Danny's life changes forever.

The author guides you through the different lives of Danny and Shang Le seen through Danny's eyes. Prejudice, family obligations versus personal wants, and cultural traditions were just some of the themes throughout the book. You see the way one event can affect different people, even if they didn't have anything to do with it.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because my husband uses it in his ESL classes and he wanted to discuss it with me. I can see why it would be a fitting choice for ESL students, covering themes of clashing cultures, prejudice, and generational gaps. It's simply written, a touch melodramatic, but that's probably appropriate for how a teenager would view the world. It was also heartbreaking, and even knowing what was coming (I had graded enough tests on the book for my husband's classes) it was still painful to read the inevitable turn of events. All in all, the book had a compassionate tone that I appreciated, and I think most teen readers would appreciate it as well.

[Eric Herr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that Emily was reading for school and as she was telling me about the story I decided to read it for myself. It tells about a recently immigrated Vietnamese family living in Houston, Texas and the challenge of the primary character, Danny Vo, in wanting to be more "American" while retaining the traditions that are important to the his parents and grandmother.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. Though it is a bit dated, I think my students will be able to draw parallels to current events and the experience of being an immigrant in America today.

[Steph (fallintosteph) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in High School and fell in love, but I should re-read soon.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

What a pleasant surprise! Review to come on this one!

Edit: 03/03/13

I was not expecting to like Shadow of the Dragon as much as I did. The plot sounded somewhat generic, but I knew I needed to suck it up and read it for my job or else I wasn't going to be helpful to the student in need.

I officially understand why this novel is popular amongst ESL teachers. It deals with characters coming from Vietnam coming to America and attempting to try and live a life of normalcy, only to be bullied and battered by white supremacists and those that feel that without English, one cannot be capable of doing any job. Danny has lived in America long enough to accept and deal with these conflicts, to the point where he is a lot more Americanized than most. When his cousin comes from Vietnam, Danny attempts to rationalize the two countries, only to struggle at who's fault.

What I loved about this book is its simplicity. This book is a very easy read, the characters are very fleshed out, and the conflicts though predictable, are resolved in ways that suit the needs of the story. In fact, all the conflicts feel like a domino effect where once they've fallen, they all start to move and time is running out. I also adored all the metaphors about dragons as being creatures who follow you about and only when you've defeated your inner demon do they release.

Sang Le, Danny's cousin, reminds me a lot of the students I teach on a weekly basis -- afraid to practice their language skills due to embarrassment or fear of failure. Sang Le doesn't even try to befriend those who are non-Vietnamese because it gives him a sense of comfort -- like he belongs, yet, living in the state of Texas, it's those who are non-Asian that are holding all the jobs. It's then that Sang Le turns to a life of crime with a Vietnamese gang, and it's obvious what his fate becomes the moment he starts.

While this story is horribly predictable, it's a solid, easy read, with very emotional moments that will make you think about how cruel our world can truly be. This is a book I'd highly recommend to those teaching ESL or for those who are interested in YA texts dealing with issues of racism. There's definitely a lot to like here.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com

Danny Vo and his family immigrated from Vietnam to the United States when he was a toddler. He remembers very little about his life and the hardships his family faced in the Communist nation. Life in the United States has been difficult, but rewarding and worthwhile.

Now, Danny's cousin, Sang Le, is finally joining them in Texas. Sang Le has faced extreme suffering; being sent to a re-education camp in Vietnam, and finally escaping to China. Sang Le wants to show his family how grateful he is for what they have done. He starts bringing home huge amounts of cash. Danny knows exactly who Sang Le is working for - Cobra, the leader of a Vietnamese gang.

Danny's influence over his cousin is strong, but is it too late for Sang Le to break his ties to Cobra?

SHADOW OF THE DRAGON is a novel with heart. Danny and Sang Le are well-written characters. The reader will feel sympathetic towards both boys. Danny's struggles are not unlike those of any typical teenager. He argues with his family, attempts to keep his grades up, and is constantly fighting for the attention of a beautiful young lady. Sang Le's issues go deeper. He joins a gang to be a part of something; it feels familiar to him. This is his biggest mistake.

This is a hard-hitting novel that definitely packs a punch. Pick this one up....you won't be disappointed.

[David Luong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason I chose to read this book is that after reading the blurb, I admire the fact that this story reflects a similar background as to when my relatives faced hardship after moving to the U.S. from Vietnam.

This book was about a young, Vietnamese-born child, who left for the U.S. with his family for freedom because the Cold War took place around that time, and Communism strongly influenced Vietnam. In the U.S., he attended high school, where he was bullied by his classmates. For instance, they contradicted him from the rest of the class, and used discrimination as well as racial terms that made him feel embarrassed. Still, he remained brave as he comes of age throughout the book. The most reminiscent moment was when he eventually became the head of his class: acing his grades and making his best performances. Astonished, those who used to tease him stayed away from him, and he has become more safe. The story ends by mentioning how he felt about his change in life, and that he hopes to pursue his interest towards his future career in a free country.

[Sherry Ou Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books talks about the life of Danny. His cousin, Sang Le, is staying at his parent's home. It is only through his cousin that he truly learns what the characteristics of a dragon really is: loyalty, honesty and integrity. This book was definitely a pleasure to read. In many ways, i can relate to Danny because it does feel like I live in two different worlds at times. One in at school where I speak English and one is at home where I speak Chinese to my parents. This book gave me a lot of emotions throughout each chapter. At some parts, I wanted to scream at Sang Le to stop hanging out with the dangerous gangs, one at part I cried along with Danny as I heard about what happened to Sang Le and then at this one last moment I was so angry at Tiffany, the girl that Danny likes. I recommend this book to the readers who wants a taste of Vietnamese culture.

[Kong]

I think this is a really awesome book it kinda talking about histroy of danny life, and it kinda hard for him to go out with a white girl because he a vitnam. the most things i like about this book is that it have love,hate,sad and happy things in it. the sadest part is that he cousin Sang le dead at the really end of this book that i sadest part of all because sang le is a really nice person he care about his family and he respect other people and one really sad things about this book is that when Danny and Tiffany was dating but her brother won't let them because he is a vietnam. the reason why her brother won't let Tiffany to date Danny is was because of the vietnam war. Tiffany dad went to the vietnam war and when he got back he going crazy then he left the family and never came back.

[Danielle M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never heard of this book until now, but it addressed adolescent topics in a great story-line. I chose this book because I wanted to read a story about a teen-age boy. I also wanted to read this because it addressed multicultural topics. I would recommend this book to teens who deal with gangs, teens who are immigrants or teens who have friends from other countries, and teens who have experienced bullying.

In schools, this book would be great for a discussion on multiculturalism. It would also work in social studies or history class to introduce the idea of gangs, violence, and how wars on a larger-scale start. I could see this book being used in literature circles as well.

Drugs-some
Sex-some
R&R-some
Language-some
Violence-yes

[Luis A · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read!
This book talks about Danny’s life. His cousin, Sang Le, is finally coming to America to live with Danny’s family after spending most of his life in a reeducation camp in Vietnam. While Danny has fit in with his American friends, Sang Le has a tough time adapting to his new life. He barely speaks English, is finally his classes, and can’t get a job. So Danny is happy when Sang Le finally makes a friend in a fellow Vietnamese refugee. Thing start looking up for Danny, too he lands a date with the girl of hid dreams, Tiffany Marie. But then he finds out that Sang Le’s new friend is the leader of a violent Vietnamese gang.

[Jasmine Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish more people knew about this book. I wish I could replace all of the Teen dystopian/romance novels with this book. Sherry Garland has woven a tale about which you may know nothing, but after reading your eyes will be opened. It is impossible to tell which genre this would be in, for that would be categorizing and degrading such an unputdownable and spellbinding book. I cannot even compare it to any other book; just believe me, you will not be disappointed.

[Chelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me so mad- I cannot stand even the incling of racism, it's just disgusting- but the way the author writes it is very powerfully, and accurately done. The MC is great and the way he handles his cousin (who gets into serious trouble) makes the reader sympathize and go through their own fretting about his well-being. I cried while reading this book. It was very powerful.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josh recommended :)

This will be great for classes. It has a male protagonist, easy read, nothing terribly controversial, and moves along fairly quickly. I like that it really addresses the inadvertent stereotyping that white Americans often engage in and specifically how it makes people feel.

[Student Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book started out slow which I didn't like. When I got closer to the 200th page the book started to stray away from telling backstories, and started to get a lot more interesting. Overall this book was good, and I would recommend it to teenagers 13 to 15 years old.

[Brian Prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great. The main character, Danny, faced so much in this book just because of him and his family being Vietnamese. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about gangs, love, and family because this book includes it all.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adolescent lit. book, but it very well written with a good story. It's very pertinent to ESL students and those who feel compassion toward that population.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad book with an unexpected ending. Sherry Garland was my favorite author growing up and I really liked this book, even though The Silent Storm is still my favorite book of hers

[Kerstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great young adult story exploring the challenges teenage immigrants face.

[Karthikr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excelent. The author wrote this book in a way that makes you so in the book that you can't put it down.

[Vanesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am pleasantly surprised.

[Mandy O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one.
I like the characters, the pacing, and the sad ending.
An easy, thoughtful read.

[b.bao · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book last year for esl and the teacher thought that haha, a kid so distanced towards his own culture could make these kids like him right ? NO. HE IS SO LUKEWARM ABOUT EVERYSINGLE EVENT. The fact that the author is white and writing about another culture that she is not apart of is already iffy to me (even though i am well aware that she stay and knew a viet family really well). But there amount of mistakes that she makes about viet culture is astounding to me. There's one page where "the nuoc cham sauce" literally translates to the sauce sauce. The amount of times where the viet family does something that is considered "traditional" and "honoring" their roots is never heard of or done in Vietnam, the times where the author just busts out random Viet words that adds nothing to the story or the time where Sang Le does something bizarre like bringing a whole ass branch of apricot blossom through security...?? (at this point write fantasy). Oh right, can't forget about the random nazi kid in the neighborhood.

This is just another part of me nitpicking, but one part it said Sang Le was in the middle of the country, then transported to the further south to a re-education camp where he then....escapes to China...? by running through the whole length of the country ?

If you were a Vietnamese kid that was born abroad and never stepped a foot inside Vietnam, you would eat this book up. I, however, was born an raised in Vietnam and the first 20 pages the author took a jab at my hometown so I didn't had that much fun of an experience. But I would not recommend this book to anyone that's trying to learn about Vietnamese culture, please just go and watch some guy's youtube video about his trip there, it would be more educational than this.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1993, but it could just as easily have been published in 2020. I loved the story which is about a teenage Vietnamese American student living in Houston. It does a great job of describing a typical teenager (school, girls, and work concerns) and the Vietnamese culture and home life. This book also describes two hate crimes, which are hard to read.

And yes, I'm going to spoil this book. The first hate crime is when the main character gets beat up by his white girlfriend's skinhead brother and his friends. The main character does not report this crime to the police. Instead, he's so concerned about getting back with his girlfriend, that he does nothing. Then, the next hate crime is the same people beating to death his Vietnamese cousin. Understandably, he blames them but also blames the white girlfriend because she saw her brother talking to his cousin. Yes, maybe she could have done something to prevent what happened. However, he could have reported them to the police in the first place. But instead, he blames her for not calling the police. So yeah, I enjoyed the story, but the hate crimes were definitely hard to read.

[Mahogany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was really good because of all the main events and turns in the story. The book is very interesting because it is about a young teenage Vietnamese boy named Danny who gets to date the girl of his dreams but his cousin comes and starts getting in trouble while he's in America. When Danny finds out what his cousin has been doing he tries to help him but he also has to avoid the many people who are trying to keep him from helping his cousin. There is many turns and events in the story that make it interesting to read and it also teaches a lesson the the reader about how others see the world differently. There is much more to read in this book and its very emotional in certain parts of the book which makes you want to read even more. Therefore I think Shadow of the Dragon deserves 5 stars because it is a very good book.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book and grabs the readers attention. Like I wanted to read more and more past my group but I couldn't. I really like how the author describes emotions and the settings. I like how Danny makes us believe Cobra is the real enemy when he is not the main problem. I like how all the character contribute towards the main character. I like the family, like how they are always helping out family and forgiving. In closing this is a really great book to read that keeps you hooked.

[Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was an overall good book. It talks about real deep stuff on racism, bullying and more. But the main thing that made this book good was the cliffhangers. And I dont mean the ones that make you mad, but the ones that get you to read more. It is based around the main character, Danny Vo, and has some minor characters such as Sang Lee (cousin) and ba (grandmother). Towards the end of the book one character is in danger and soon something unfortunate happens. But if you want to see how this is a good book, i suggest to go read it yourself.