As we process the recent horrific hate crimes against the Asian American community in Georgia, it’s important to remember to educate ourselves on diverse perspectives. I personally think that one of the best ways to learn about any given community is through reading, especially fiction. You might think that nonfiction might paint a more accurate picture, but I actually think the opposite is true. Huffington Post article “Your Anti-Racism Reading List Isn’t Complete Without Fiction About Black People” explains how reading fiction actually creates greater empathy in readers than nonfiction. Here are some of my favorite Asian fiction writers to add to your to-read list ASAP.
- Celeste Ng
-
The heart wrenching stories of everyday life featured in Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You are completely amazing. Her writing style makes her books addicting. When you’re done reading her books, check out the Hulu series for Little Fires, on which she served as a producer.
- Jhumpa Lahiri
-
Lahiri has written multiple bestselling books that all center around Indian and Indian-American narratives. I love her collection of short stories called Unaccustomed Earth, and her novel The Namesake. They both transported me to a culture different than my own.
- Kevin Kwan
-
If you haven’t already seen Crazy Rich Asians, you’ve probably at least heard about it. Even if you have, the book series is definitely still worth the read. They are the perfect light and fun read if you are craving some Gossip Girl vibes.
- Jenny Han
-
Another fantastic author whose book became a popular movie, Han is an expert at YA fiction. You can’t go wrong with the classic To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, but don’t miss Shug (a book that I heavily related to as a middle schooler) and The Summer I Turned Pretty series.
- Julie Otsuka
-
When the Emperor Was Divine is one of my favorite books that I read in high school English class. Japanese internment camps during WWII are a topic that is not covered nearly as much as it should be in our history curriculums, and this book is a heartbreaking but important first-person perspective of that time.
- Rupi Kaur
-
We’ve all seen her simple illustrated poetry on Instagram, but picking up one of Kaur’s poetry books is totally worth it. Her debut Milk and Honey and more recent The Sun and Her Flowers are full of beautiful and relatable poems about issues that every young woman deals with.
Check out these talented authors’ books at your library or local bookstore! You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll learn a lot along the way.