Asian Authors

Selected titles, for adults and teens, written by Asian-Canadian and Asian authors

Updated March 12, 2024
W
Winnipeg Public Library
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1

What strange paradise
El Akkad, Omar
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the widely acclaimed, bestselling author of American War--a beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. "Told from...

Also available in eBook, eAudiobook and Large Print formats.

Canadian author.

2

Chloe and the Kaishao boys
Coyiuto, Mae
Paper Book
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Loveboat, Taipei in this hilarious YA rom-com about a Chinese Filipina girl in Manila whose father sets her up on a marathon of arranged dates in hopes of convincing her to stay close to home for college. "A sweet and refreshing story...

Also available in eBook format.

3

Swimming back to Trout River : a novel
Feng, Linda Rui
Paper Book
A lyrical novel set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution that follows a father's quest to reunite his family before his precocious daughter's momentous birthday, which Garth Greenwell calls "one of the most beautiful debuts I've read in years." "A beautifully...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

4

Lesser known monsters of the 21st century
Fu, Kim
Paper Book
In the twelve unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible, Kafkaesque...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

5

The waiting
Gendry-Kim, Keum Suk
Paper Book
The story begins with a mother's confession...sisters permanently separated by a border during the Korean War Keum Suk Gendry-Kim was an adult when her mother revealed a family secret: She had been separated from her sister during the Korean War. It's not an uncommon story--the...

6

Kamila knows best
Heron, Farah
Paper Book
'This Emma-inspired friends-to-lovers romance has it all' Nisha Sharma Jane Austen's Emma goes Bollywood in this delightful retelling, perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory. Kamila's life...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

7

Sunshine nails : a novel
Nguyen, Mai
Paper Book
A Real Simple Must-Read Book of Summer 2023 "Mai Nguyen has proven herself to be a real standout." --Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author A tender, humorous, and page-turning debut about a Vietnamese Canadian family in Toronto who will do...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

8

Much ado about nada
Jalaluddin, Uzma
Paper Book
A sparkling second-chance romance inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion...   Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she's still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother's unsubtle...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

9

The last exiles : a novel
Shin, Ann
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE TRILLIUM AWARD An unforgettable saga inspired by true events, The Last Exiles is a searing portrait of a young couple in North Korea and their fight for love and freedom Jin and Suja meet and fall in love while studying at...

10

Well, that was unexpected
Sutanto, Jesse Q.
Paper Book
"A DELIGHTFUL, HILARIOUS, CAPTIVATING LOVE LETTER TO INDONESIA, AND COMING OF AGE IN A LARGE MEDDLESOME FAMILY, AND THE THRILL OF FINDING YOUR PERSON WHERE YOU LEAST EXPECT IT!" - ALI HAZELWOOD, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS Crazy Rich Asians meets To All the...
Also available in eBook format.

11

Cold
Tamaki, Mariko
Paper Book
A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. From award-winning author Mariko Tamaki comes Cold, a haunting YA novel about a shocking crime, told by a boy who died--and a girl who wants to know why. Who was Todd Mayer, and why don't any of his fellow students at...

Canadian author.

12

How to pronounce knife : stories
Thammavongsa, Souvankham
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE'Spellbinding' i'Breathtaking' Elle'Powerhouses of feeling and depth' Mary Gaitskill'Sharp and vital' Daisy JohnsonAn ex-boxer turned nail salon worker falls for a pair of immaculate hands; a mother and daughter...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

13

Em
Thúy, Kim
Paper Book
Emma-Jade and Louis are born into the havoc of the Vietnam War. Orphaned, saved and cared for by adults coping with the chaos of Saigon in free-fall, they become children of the Vietnamese diaspora. Through the linked destinies of characters connected by birth and destiny, the novel zigzags between...

Em, c'est le fil qui relie les ouvriers des plantations de caoutchouc et les femmes des salons de manucure aux orphelins de l'operation Babylift, qui a evacue des enfants de Saigon en 1975. Em, c'est celle qui aime.

Aussi disponible en formats numeriques.

Auteure canadienne.

14

Em
Thúy, Kim
Paper Book
Emma-Jade and Louis are born into the havoc of the Vietnam War. Orphaned, saved and cared for by adults coping with the chaos of Saigon in free-fall, they become children of the Vietnamese diaspora. Through the linked destinies of characters connected by birth and destiny, the novel zigzags between...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

15

Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE; THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE; THE STONEWALL BOOK AWARD (YA); THE PRINTZ HONOR _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

16

Iron widow
Zhao, Xiran Jay
Paper Book
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller! A USA Today bestseller! Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers. The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

17

We have always been here : a queer Muslim memoir
Habib, Samra
Paper Book
Samra Habib has spent most of her life searching for the safety to be herself. The men in her life wanted to police her, the women had only shown her the example of pious obedience, and her body was a problem to be solved. A triumphant memoir of forgiveness and family, both chosen and not, We Have...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

18

Messy roots : a graphic memoir of a Wuhanese American
Gao, Laura
Paper Book
"Messy Roots is a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt, and deeply engaging story of their journey to find themself--as an American, as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, as a queer person, and as a Wuhanese American in the middle of a pandemic."--Malaka Gharib, author of I Was Their American...

19

The foghorn echoes
Ramadan, Ahmad Danny
Paper Book
A devastating novel about broken relationships, the promises we're unable to keep and living with the ghosts of your past.

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

20

Home body
Kaur, Rupi
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey and the sun and her flowers comes her greatly anticipated third collection of poetry.  rupi kaur constantly embraces growth, and in home body, she walks readers...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

21

Sigh, gone : a misfit's memoir of great books, punk rock, and the fight to fit in
Tran, Phuc
Paper Book
For anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran...
Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

22

Two trees make a forest : on memory, migration and Taiwan
Lee, Jessica J.
Paper Book

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

23

On Earth we're briefly gorgeous a novel
Vuong, Ocean
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller * Nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction * Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century ...
Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

24

On Earth we're briefly gorgeous a novel
Vuong, Ocean
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller * Nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction * Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century ...

Un fils ecrit une lettre a sa mere analphabète. Il y evoque la schizophrenie de sa grand-mere traumatisee par les bombes au Vietnam, les coups violents de sa mere, son homosexualite mais aussi le pouvoir redempteur de l'ecriture.

Aussi disponible en format numerique et large vision.

25

Welcome home : a guide to building a home for your soul
Zebian, Najwa
Paper Book
From the celebrated poet, speaker, and educator comes a powerful blueprint for healing by building a home within yourself. In her debut book of inspiration, poet Najwa Zebian shares her revolutionary concept of home - the place of safety where you can embrace your...

Canadian author.

26

A sky of paper stars
Yi, Susie
Paper Book
A Sky of Paper Stars is a heartrending middle-grade graphic novel by Susie Yi about a girl's ill-fated wish to fit in, perfect for readers of Stargazing and Pashmina. All Yuna wants is to belong. She wants to go to sleepovers, have a smart...

Also available in eBook format.

27

Finding Junie Kim
Oh, Ellen
Paper Book
For fans of Inside Out and Back Again and Amina's Voice comes a breathtaking story of family, hope, and survival from Ellen Oh, cofounder of We Need Diverse Books. When Junie Kim is faced with middle school racism, she learns of her grandparents' extraordinary...

Also available in eBook format.

28

Our little kitchen
Tamaki, Jillian
Paper Book
Tie on your apron! Roll up your sleeves! Pans are out, oven is hot, the kitchen's all ready! Where do we start? In this lively, rousing picture book from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki, a crew of resourceful neighbors come together to prepare a meal for their...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

29

My day with Gong Gong
Yee, Sennah
Paper Book
A day in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when a bored little girl makes a connection with her grandpa.   May isn't having fun on her trip through Chinatown with her grandfather. Gong Gong doesn't speak much English, and May can't understand Chinese. She's hungry, and...

Canadian author.

30

Chinese celebrations for children : festivals, holidays and traditions
Nunes, Susan Miho
Paper Book
**A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection** **Winner of the 2023 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD in the Chinese Culture Activity Books category from Creative Child Magazine** Families, feasts and fireworks--Chinese Celebrations for Children showcases the rich...

Also available in eBook format.

31

Queen of physics : how Wu Chien Shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom
Robeson, Teresa
Paper Book
Meet Wu Chien Shiung, famous physicist who overcame prejudice to prove that she could be anything she wanted. "Wu Chien Shiung's story is remarkable--and so is the way this book does it justice." --Booklist (Starred review)

32

Magic ramen : the story of Momofuku Ando
Wang, Andrea
Paper Book
World War II was over, but in Japan, lines for a simple bowl of ramen noodles wound down the sidewalk. What Momofuku Ando did next would change food forever. Andrea Wang, author of Watercress (a Newberry honor book and winner of the Caldecott Medal), tells the true story behind the...

33

Crying in H Mart : a memoir
Zauner, Michelle
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast, an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American--"in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself" (NPR). * CELEBRATING...

Also available in eBook, and eAudiobook formats, and as a Book Club Kit.


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