Cicada

Like the stories in Tan’s Tales from the Inner City, this fable stars a creature who interacts with human society but stands apart from it—or, in Cicada’s case, is excluded from it with stiff-necked contempt. Cicada is a loyal company employee, and Tan paints with deliberate strokes the rumpled folds of the insect’s suit, his clip-on identification badge, and the back of his green head in a gray office cubicle. “Seventeen year. No promotion./ Human resources say cicada not human./ Need no resources./ Tok Tok Tok!” Viewers see only Cicada’s human supervisor’s back; he can’t even be bothered to turn around to look at his employee. Bullied by his colleagues and not allowed to use the staff bathroom, Cicada suffers indignity after indignity: “Cicada no afford rent./ Live in office wall space./ Company pretend not know./ Tok Tok Tok!” But Cicada has a secret, and what looks like a terrifying end as he steps to the edge of the corporate building’s roof becomes a different, lushly illustrated fate. Cicada’s narration suggests, coincidentally or not, that of an Asian immigrant, and Tan’s story could be regarded as one that holds out the hope of liberation for every mistreated foreign laborer. Ages 12–up. [em](Jan.) [/em]