May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so I’m recommending some amazing Asian-American authors!
It’s important to note that this is no way meant to be an exhaustive list. As a Chinese-American, I’ve read a disproportionate number of books from my own heritage because I’m drawn to those stories, even though they’re obviously in no way representative of the entire Asian-American community. The “Asian-American” label also encompasses South and Southeast Asians, whose experiences and voices are often overlooked when we talk about “Asians.” And of course, there’s definitely a need for greater intersectionality within Asian-American literature. These are just some of the books that I personally have loved; you can find more recommendations here!
Another note: this list focuses on Asian-American writers because I’ve heard that some Pacific Islanders feel that being lumped in with Asian-Americans actually erases the PI community, and would prefer a separate space.
1. Ted Chiang, Stories of Your Life and Others
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I picked up this science fiction short story collection because the title story was the basis for the wonderful movie Arrival, and it blew me away just as much as the film. Every single story in this book is brilliant and thought-provoking.
2. Yiyun Li (Kinder Than Solitude, The Vagrants)
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Yiyun Li is actually a professor at UC Davis, but I fell in love with her work before I even knew she taught here. In addition to two novels, she’s published two brilliant short story collections; her most recent release, Dear Friend, from My Life I write to You in Your Life, is a quietly insightful memoir.
3. Stacey Lee (Under a Painted Sky, Outrun the Moon, The Secret of a Heart Note)
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Stacey Lee also happens to be an Aggie, in this case an alumna of UCD Law School! She writes beautiful historical fiction about early Chinese-American history; Outrun the Moon is my favorite, but her newest book, a sweet romance about a teenage love witch, is also magical.
4. S. Jae-Jones, Wintersong
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If you like darkly romantic fantasy like Twilight or The Phantom of the Opera, check out S. Jae-Jones’ seductive Wintersong, in which a female composer in 19th-century Bavaria goes underground to save her sister from the Goblin King and discovers her own creative and sexual awakening – but at what cost? (This book is inspired by Germanic folklore, but Jae-Jones is of Korean descent.)
5. Yangsze Choo, The Ghost Bride
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… Or try The Ghost Bride, another historical fantasy set in colonial Malaysia that will appeal to fans of both Jane Austen-esque period romances and the paranormal. The book is based on a real custom called “ghost marriages,” in which one or both parties involved are actually dead, as well as the fascinatingly bizarre legends about the Chinese afterlife.
6. Charmaine Craig, Miss Burma
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I haven’t read Miss Burma yet but I’m very excited for it because my family immigrated from Myanmar, and I’m always interested in badass women’s history. Miss Burma is a fictionalized account inspired by the author’s own mother, Louisa Benson Craig, a member of the Karen minority group who was Myanmar’s first beauty queen and then an iconic rebel leader.
7. Julie C. Dao, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
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Alright, so this one doesn’t come out until October, but I was very lucky to win an advanced copy in a giveaway, and I urge you to pick it up when it hits shelves! Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a gorgeous re-imagining of the evil queen from Snow White, set in a dark and magical Chinese-inspired fantasy world. It’s beautifully written, bloody, and the origin story of a villainess!
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