The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by Laurence Yep

1.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yep, Laurence.  2006.  THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES: THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906.  New York: HarperCollins.  ISBN  0060275243

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Yep's historical fiction novel presents a story about the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the fires that persisted in its aftermath.  He begins with events that occurred on Tuesday, April 17, 1906, the eve of the Earthquake, and chronicles the next seventy-two hours of the city's chaos and destruction.  Multiple viewpoints of the city's destruction are provided by the story's two main characters-  eight-year old American Henry Travis and nine-year old Chinese immigrant, Chin.  As the two young boys fight to survive the ensuing fires in their different neighborhoods, they each begin to realize that heroes can be found among ordinary people.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Yep blends the story of the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 with that of fictional characters, eight-year old Henry Travis and nine-year old Chin.  Although both boys come from very different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, they embody many of the characteristics, attitudes, and interests that many of today's youth share.  For example, Henry, a banker's son, and Chin, the houseboy's son, share a love of action and adventure, and enjoy reading comic books that detail the action-packed adventures of cowboys and heroes.  Both are also anxious to enjoy their new toys and books; Henry desperately wants to try out his new pair of skates at a carnival while Chin wants to quickly rush home and read his latest comic book.  Young readers will be able to identify with these characters because they, too, may share in the boys' interest and can relate to the excitement of delving into a new interest.  To make his characters believable, Yep has them participate in daily activities similar to ones today's young readers also partake in.  For example, Henry must complete a drawing for his art class while Chin must help his father with household chores and duties.  By recreating the patterns of daily life, young readers can relate to these characters that seem just like them.  

The story's setting unfolds in two geographic locations in the city of San Francisco- near Sacramento Street, which is the Travis family's affluent city neighborhood, and Chinatown, where Chin and his father, Ah Sing, live.  The story develops through the alternating views of Henry and Chin.  Yep titles each short chapter with detailed entries such as "5:12 A.M., Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Chin and Ah Sing's tenement, Chinatown" and "5:20 A.M., Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Travis household, Sacramento Street area."  This not only provides readers with an accurate timeline of the events as they unfold, but also allows them to understand whose perspective the story is being told through.  

By including authentic places, such as Telegraph Hill and Golden Gate Park, the story grows out of the book's characters and their authentic reactions as they try to reach safety.  The events that occur in the aftermath of the earthquake are vividly described.  Through Chin's account, Chinatown "looks like a broken set of toy blocks.  Some buildings tilt threateningly... More smoke rises from warehouse in the east... Shocked people wander around Chinatown."  From Henry's account, readers learn that Sacramento Street "has split open.  The cable-car tracks have been twisted into strange shapes like shining wire.  Some houses tilt at odd angles...The pipes under the street have broken.  Water gushes out like a fountain."  Both boys describe the state of shock neighbors and citizens experience as well as the families' efforts to desperately salvage what is left of their homes.  It is through these accurate and detailed descriptions that readers begin to understand the extent of destruction and damage that occurred during the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.  

To further aid young readers in accurately understanding of the events that occurred, Yep includes scientific details about earthquakes and tectonic plates in terms they can understand.  For example, he writes that the "two plates shove each other like two wrestlers... the Pacific Plate grinds against the North American Plate.  It rubs harder than it ever has.  The two plates slip and twist.  Dirt and rock stir and tumble."  To describe the immensity of the earthquake's strength, he writes "It is as if more than 18 million sticks of dynamite explode beneath them."  By describing these events in terms young readers can understand, Yep not only strengthens the credibility of the story's setting and plot, but also helps them picture what it was like to live through such a powerful earthquake.

The book heavily emphasizes the timeless idea of ordinary citizens stepping into the roles of heroes.  Throughout the novel, both Henry and Chin see their fathers as ordinary, simple men.  While Henry says "I'm never going to be like my father.  All he does is add up numbers all day in that old bank," Chin describes his father as kind and hardworking, but "he is no hero.  No one wants to read about peeling potatoes and washing dishes."  However, the boys' perceptions of their fathers drastically change after their fathers rescue them from falling debris, and work to save the lives of total strangers.  They now hold their fathers in high regard, with Chin even describing "he isn't dull at all.  He should have his own book like Marshal Earp...He was wrong to think his father wasn't a hero."  The love of family is also evident in the story as both families work together to save each other from the clutches of the impending fires.

Yep uses Chinese cultural elements to add his own personal touch to the story and to give readers an authentic presentation of the different types of communities that lived in San Francisco during the early twentieth century.  Chinese names are used throughout the story as well as mention of traditional Chinese objects, such as mahjong tiles, which are game pieces, and woks, which are bowl-shaped pans used for cooking.  Readers also learn about the Earth Dragon, a Chinese mythical creature that lies below the surface of the Earth.  Chin's neighbor, Ah Quon, describes that when this fabled dragon is angry, it violently shakes the city from its back in the form of a destructive earthquake.  To emphasize this creature and the title of the book, a black Chinese dragon symbol is placed at the beginning of each new chapter.  Yep also weaves the elements of the Chinese culture in his description of the catastrophic conditions in Chinatown, citing that the "twisted cable-car tracks look like the strokes of a mysterious, dreadful word."  A footnote at the bottom of the page lets readers know that "Chinese words are characters based on pictures.  Strokes make up each character."  

The afterword includes additional factual information, such as the total number of lives lost in the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the overall cost of damage to the city.  Although Yep notes several  plot details  that are based on facts, such as a panicked bull shot in the city streets by a police officer and an Italian man holding up a picture of Saint Francis towards the city, he does not provide the sources where the stories originated from.  He does, however, provide a "Selected Reading" list  which includes titles of newspaper articles, books, and internet websites readers may wish to peruse for further reading.  As an added bonus, several black and white photographs are included to allow readers to visually see the destruction caused by the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Although THE EARTH DRAGON AWAKES is a short historical novel, I believe Yep should have devoted more time to developing the personalities of both Henry and Chin as well as the relationships with their families and community.  This would have added more depth to the characters and personalized the story more for young readers.  Despite this flaw, Yep is still able to present a thrilling and satisfying historical novel that depicts the events of the San Francisco Fire of 1906 in a manner children will comprehend and enjoy.

4. REVIEWS

BOOKLIST:  "Told in the present tense, the narration provides a 'you are there' sense of immediacy and will appeal to readers who enjoy action-packed survival stories"

KIRKUS: "Yep intersperses the fiction of Henry and Chin's experiences with short chapters of facts about the earthquake and subsequent fire.....Simple sentence structure and the use of present tense throughout make this a very accessible introduction. With little character development, the focus is on the what rather than the who. Still, this is solid historical fiction full of details about the times and backed up with an afterword explaining the author's connection and suggesting sources for further reading. It is notable especially for the attention paid to the experience of San Francisco's Chinese immigrants, and a good choice for reluctant readers."

5.  ACTIVITIES

-Have students read other historical fiction books that incorporate the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906:

Krensky, Stephen.  LIZZIE NEWTON AND THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE.  ISBN  0761339442

Kudlinski, Kathleen.  EARTHQUAKE! : A STORY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE.  ISBN 0140363904

Tarshis, Lauren.  I SURVIVED #5: I SURVIVED THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE, 1906.  ISBN  0545206995

-Have students do research on the science behind earthquakes:

Branley, Franklyn.  EARTHQUAKES.  ISBN  0064451887

Simon, Seymour.  EARTHQUAKES.  ISBN 0060877154

 -Have students learn more about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 by exploring several websites (provided by Dr. Sylvia Vardell):

U.S. Geological Survey
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1906/18april/index.php

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
http://www.sfmuseum.org/1906/06.html

Accounts of eyewitnesses at “History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived it” (The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake)
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/sfeq.htm