American Son, A "Coming of Age" story

A Bildungsroman highlights a protagonist’s development and journey to maturity. American Son by Brian Ascalon Roley is clearly an example of such a novel.
One component is that “some form of loss or discontent must jar him or her at an early stage away from the home or family setting”. In the novel, Gabe is beaten by his brother, Tomas, which spurs him to steal Tomas’ car and dog. He then runs away to Northern California to escape his family and his brother's negative influence. However, he eventually falls into Tomas’ way of life - gangs and violence, a life he previously tried to avoid.
Throughout the novel, his “process of maturing is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist's needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social order”. Surrounded by a predominantly white society, the "unbending social order", Gabe struggles with his identity and his mother’s expectations of him. Being half Caucasian and half Filipino, Gabe therefore faces many expectations from different sources - American society and his Filipino mother, Ika. Initially a shy, good , and obedient son, he resorts to violence.
The major conflict is an internal conflict of “self vs. society or individuality vs. conformity”. He proves how hard the American immigrant experience is. Gabe is young, troubled, and vulnerable, suffering from alienation and confusion, in a harsh society he can’t understand. He is disconnected with his roots and unable to fit into the American society in which he lives.
The theme of exile and escape (another component of a Bildungsroman novel) is also present in American Son in various ways. His physical escape which propels him on his journey to “coming of age”. Also his attempt to internally escape his true identity and ethnicity displays the theme of escape. He also tries to escape his brother’s way of life but fails.
In a Bildungsroman novel, "eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist". In American Son, the drive to pursue the American dream of prosperity and success becomes manifest in Gabe through his gang membership and violence.
Therefore, because American Son contains many features of a "coming of age" novel, it can be classified as a Bildungsroman novel.