Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month May 2021 Booklist compiled by: Ms. Lewis-Lockhart, Head Librarian

In addition to the on-campus library spotlight on AAPI authors, here’s even more works by AAPI writers for young adults. Most of these books were published in the last few years, but there are some classics mixed in as well. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite below. If you find something you like, don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing [email protected]. Happy Reading!

Books featured on Instagram for AAPI Heritage Month... No-No Boy by John Okada No-No Boy is called a classic of Asian American literature for good reason. When it was written in 1957, a decade after WWII, it was one of the first books to feature a distinctly Japanese-American perspective. While the world may not have been ready for it then, in the 1970s, a new generation embraced the work, and it has been at the heart of Asian-American literature ever since. The story tells the story of Ichiro Yamada, a so-called no-no boy, a Japanese American who answered “no” twice to the US War Department’s government questionnaire asking whether he would serve in the armed forces and swear unqualified allegiance to the country that had his family in an internment camp. Subsequently, he was jailed for two years. He comes back to a world where he does not know his place. This character-driven book shows a nuanced portrayal of multiple perspectives of Japanese Americans following the war.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng This mystery novel centers around a Chinese-American family in 1970s small-town Ohio. When Lydia, the beloved daughter of Marilyn and James Lee, is found dead in a local lake, the family is thrown into chaos. Part suspense, part exploration of gender, race, identity, and alienation, part emotionally complex portrayal of a tight-knit but troubled family, this book is a precisely written, evocative, page-turner.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami Considered one of Murakami’s masterpieces, this magical realism novel is a detective story, first about a missing cat and then about a missing wife. It is also about finding and navigating through a spiritual world that is underneath Tokyo, the effects of war on the Japanese consciousness, philosophy, and the number of bald men at the train station. The dreamlike quality of the narrative draws the reader in and takes them on a fascinating and unexpected journey.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi This is a critically-acclaimed graphic novel in which Satrapi recounts her life growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution and then the war with Iraq. She weaves her own rich family history with that of her country. Both heartbreaking and inspiring, this comic has laugh-out-loud funny moments and can move a reader to tears. This book is important, beautifully written, and beautifully illustrated. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen A man of two faces and two minds. This is how the anonymous narrator of The Sympathizer describes himself. He is a man of dualities. He has a French father and Vietnamse mother. Vietnamese raised but American educated. He’s a North Vietnamese spy who has become trusted by the South Vietnamese army. In the US, he is an immigrant who ends up playing many roles, including movie consultant and academic. The novel is both tragic and comedic and at times absurd. Nguyen uses biting wit to provide social commentary on war, identity, and media. Pulitzer Prize Winner, 2016.

A Step From Heaven by An Na This book follows the perspective of a girl named Young Ju from the age of four when she is an optimistic child until early adulthood when she has become a hardened young woman. The journey takes her and her family from a small fishing village in Korea to the United States. America turned out to not be the paradise Young Ju imagined. A tear-jerking novel about familial hardship, immigration, and growing up.

If you like romantic comedies, you might enjoy:

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon When self-proclaimed nerd Sunny Dae finds himself crushing on cool and confident Cirrus Soh, he finds himself lying about being in a band to impress her. At first he’s just dressing the part, but as he leans into his new “rockstar” persona he finds himself popular for the first time in his life. What will happen when his lies start to catch up with him? Check out this fun rom-com about a fake band and maybe real love.

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood Attractive, but not especially bright, Danyal Jilani is an aspiring chef with a father who doesn’t approve of his future career choice and a crush on a girl whose family doesn’t think he is arranged-marriage material for their perfect daughter. He decided to enter his school’s Renaissance Man academic competition to prove he’s smarter than everyone thinks. He recruits the school’s resident smart girl, Bisma, to help him train. She’s not his type and she seems immune to his good looks. But the more time they spend together, Danyal finds that maybe love is closer than he realized.

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee A fun, body-positive romcom set in the world of K-Pop. All her life Skye Shin has been told that fat girls shouldn’t dance or call attention to themselves, but she won’t let detractors stop her from competing in an international reality competition looking for the next K-pop star. Can Skye survive the drama, media scrutiny, and surprises in the world of reality TV and become the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star? Looking for realism? You should try:

Parachutes by Kelly Yang Parachutes: teens whose wealthy parents drop them off to live in the United States while their parents remain in Asia. Claire never thought she’d be one. Then, she begins sharing a home with Dani, the daughter of a single mother who rents rooms to parachutes. Despite being polar opposites, the girls have more in common than they think as they navigate wealth, friendship, and trauma. The book’s drama and intrigue is similar to Gossip Girl while also being a modern immigrant story that examines pressing social issues in a compelling and thoughtful way.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram “Darius Kellner doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough in America or Iran.” Darius has never felt connected to his Persian heritage, but when he takes a trip to Iran he starts to learn more about his family, his culture, and himself than he ever knew. Darius finds a new best friend in a neighbor in Iran, who teaches him about soccer and Persian identity. It’s a beautiful story of friendship, mental health, and learning it’s okay to not be okay.

Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali Zayneb is the only Muslim in her class, and she isn’t afraid to stand up to her teacher when he makes hateful comments about Muslims. But when her suspension also gets her friends in trouble, she decides to spend spring break in Qatar and practice being “nicer.” While his father and sister are grieving his mother, Adam plays the role of strong and reliable son. In reality, he’s stopped going to school and is keeping his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis from them. The only place Adam and Zayneb can be honest is in their journals. But, then they meet and everything changes. Told from both characters' point of view with alternating journal entries.

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman Written entirely in verse, this book tells the story of Veda, an Indian dance prodigy. She’s heartbroken when she has an accident that results in a below-the-knee amputation. But even with her new disability, she refuses to give up, even if that means she has to start learning how to dance again from scratch. With beautiful lyricism, A Time to Dance is all about art, spirituality, and resilience.

Language of the Geckos and Other Stories by Gary Pak This multicultural short story collection offers us the diverse perspectives and internal lives of a group of Native Hawaiians and Asian Hawaiian characters who are both connected and unconnected. The characters deal with failed dreams, aging, and the haunted past of both Hawaii and the many places the characters hail from. Plenty of Hawaii Creole in the dialogue. This title is filled with emotionally complex characters and beautiful symbolism. If you like historical fiction, you might like:

The Downstairs Girl by Stacy Lee (Founding member of We Need Diverse Books) In the post-Reconstruction-era South, 17-year-old Jo Kuan has a secret. By day, she’s a maid to one of the wealthiest families in Atlanta, but in her off time she’s Miss Sweetie the anonymous author of a popular advice column for the genteel Southern lady. She wants to use her new platform for good, but when she challenges society’s idea of race and gender, critics become desperate to uncover her secret identity. A mysterious letter has Jo question her own identity as she sets off on a journey to discover her past and her family who abandoned her as a baby. But this journey has brought her to the attention of one of the most dangerous criminals in Atlanta. Will she find the answers she’s looking for? Will she stay in the shadows or step into the light?

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani In 1947, India became free from British rule and split into two countries — Pakistan and India — with tensions rising between Hindus and Muslims. Nisha, who is half-Muslim and half-Hindu, doesn’t know where her place is in this new world. Her family, now refugees, have to find a place that’s safe, even if that means travelling this dangerous terrain on foot. Nisha begins writing letters to the mother she lost as a baby. Follow Veda’s journey as she searches for home, identity, and hope in her letters to the mother she never knew.

If nonfiction is what you’re looking for, you might enjoy:

Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner This short but brilliant book of poetry presents the daily life, traditions, and strong cultural roots of the Marshall Islands. Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner gives verses about colonialism, forced migration, and climate change as she writes about bringing justice to her homeland. This is the first book of poetry by a Marshallese author.

They Called Us Enemy - by George Takei, Justin Esinger, and Steven Scott In this graphic novel, actor George Takei (famed for his portrayal of Sulu on Star Trek: The Original Series) recounts his family’s forced imprisonment in an internment camp following World War II. Takei’s poignant story about living life behind barbed wire, legalized racism, and what it means to be American is a heart wrenching narrative that sheds light on a part of American history too often glossed over.

Almost American Girl - by Robin Ha In this graphic novel memoir, Korean-born Robin recounts being a teenager who learns that her vacation to Huntsville, Alabama, is a permanent move when her mother decides to remarry. Suddenly, she is in a new school where she doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t have any friends, and the culture feels terminal. She struggles to connect with her new stepfamily and feels distant from her mother. But, when her mother enrolls her in a comic drawing class a new world is opened up to her. Looking for a science fiction or fantasy fix? You might like:

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee In a Bay Area town not unlike our own, Genie Lo is an excellent student and athlete hoping to get into Harvard. But when the Bay is attacked by demons from Chinese folklore, Genie has a lot more on her plate than test scores. A strange transfer student, Quentin, turns out to be the mythological Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and he says it’s up to her to save the entire Bay Area by summoning the power inside of her.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen Tiến is looking for the right words. The right words to speak to his parents who struggle with English. The right words to explain to his family and friends the secret about himself he’s been too afraid to speak. He finds comfort in books at his local library and begins to try to navigate his life through fairy tales. With beautiful illustrations, this story explores different ways to connect and communicate and the importance of living your truth.

I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi What would you do if the world was ending in seven days? That’s exactly what three teenagers are grappling with after an alien planet called Alma sends a message to the Earth saying they will be destroying it because of humanity’s bad behavior. Truant Jesse already feels like life is one bad thing after another. Cate is scrabbling to find the father she never knew before it’s too late. Adeem is struggling to forgive his sister who abandoned him while he still has the chance. They find their worlds colliding right before the world’s apparent end.

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He A sci-fi thriller and an absolute page turner. Cee has lived on an abandoned island for three years with no memory of how she got there or who she used to be. She only knows she has a sister, Kay, on the other side of the ocean that she needs to to get back to.

A world away, Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city, a bubble with strict rules, that provides citizens with clean air and water as climate change has made the outside world dangerous due to natural disasters. Residents spend much of their days in stasis pods performing activities virtually. Her extroverted sister, Celia, hated this new lifestyle and went off to sea. That was three months ago. Although Kasey knows her sister must be dead, she still has to be sure and investigate herself. She retraces Celia’s steps to face her sister — and her own secrets.

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap A collection of 13 short stories all based on Filipino folklore, some fantasy, some sci-fi, some horror, and even some romance. Ghosts, witches, magical girls, private school, and urban legends — Yap gives us a little bit of everything. This volume is weird, fun, provocative, gritty, and touching all at once. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Elise Oh and Elise Chapman This impressive anthology of bestselling Asian authors give us their takes on classic East and South Asian folklore and mythology. A mix of sci-fi and fantasy, these writers weave tales of girls turning into birds, leading the dead to the afterlife, and a mountain who loses her heart. The stories include a summary of the original myth and writers explain why they chose to adapt it.

Are you a Marvel fan? Then you should check out:

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn Evie Tanaka is the personal assistant of Aveda Jupiter, San Francisco’s favorite demon-fighting superheroine. She spends her days dealing with her boss and figuring out how to get demon blood out of leather pants. When Aveda sprains her ankle, she has Evie pose as her for one night. That’s when Evie’s secret is revealed: she too has super powers. Suddenly, Evie’s in the spotlight and with new threats on the horizon, she may have to become a superheroine herself.

Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology edited by Jeff Yang, Keith Chow, Parry Shen, and Jerry Ma In this anthology, the leading Asian American comic artists contribute 26 original stories all about Asian American superheroes. Get read for action, satire, history, and grace in this fun and thought-provoking collection.