The authors, a ninth-grade teacher in a Special Education English class (Cheryl) and a teacher educator (Bucky), know of each other's work through a mutual interest in graphic novels. This article describes what happened in Cheryl's class when her students read "American Born Chinese" and discussed that text in a blog with its author, Gene Luen Yang. The message of the story--the age-old adage to "be yourself"--remains as true and powerful as ever. In a world where students feel pressured to do the complete opposite, it is inspiring to have a text that communicates this idea in a way students will appreciate and enjoy. The text and the blog helped these adolescents consider their own identities in an inviting social space, sharing that space with a generous author with whom they could personally connect. This built motivation and sense of self. It was an authentic writing task that provided social interaction beyond physical walls, and it helped challenge compartmentalizing preconceptions of identity. (Contains 4 figures and 2 notes.) ["Navigating through Social Norms, Negotiating Place: How "American Born Chinese" Motivates Struggling Learners" was written with James Bucky Carter.]