Asian Authors

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

Updated April 22, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.

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

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...

3

Serena Singh flips the script
Lalli, Sonya
Paper Book
Serena is smart, confident, and just got a kick-ass new job at a top advertising firm. When her younger sister gets married in a big, traditional wedding, Serena knows she does not need a husband or children to make her own dreams come true, despite what her constantly nagging mother thinks. But...

Canadian author

4

Kamila knows best
Heron, Farah
Paper Book
This slow burn romance featuring a hilarious puppy prom and delightful matchmaking schemes is "a fun, lighthearted binge from page one." (USA Today)   Kamila's life might not be perfect, but, whew, it's close. She lives a life of comfort, filled with her elaborate Bollywood...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

How to pronounce knife : stories
Thammavongsa, Souvankham
Paper Book
A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN Open Book Award, and winner of the 2020 Giller Prize, this revelatory story collection honors characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, even as they do the necessary "grunt work of the world....

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

9

Em
Thúy, Kim
Paper Book
A novel of the emotional intricacies of trauma and exile, from the author of international bestselling Ru Finalist of the New Academy Prize in Literature Finalist Scotiabank Giller Prize Winner du Prix du Gran Public au salon du livre de Montreal Winner of...

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.

10

Em
Thúy, Kim
Paper Book
A novel of the emotional intricacies of trauma and exile, from the author of international bestselling Ru Finalist of the New Academy Prize in Literature Finalist Scotiabank Giller Prize Winner du Prix du Gran Public au salon du livre de Montreal Winner of...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

11

We two alone : stories
Wang, Jack
Paper Book
Praised as "utterly remarkable" and "deeply resonant" by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Viet Thanh Nguyen and Robert Olen Butler, a bold and brilliant debut collection, in the vein of The Refugees, which dramatizes the Chinese diaspora across the globe over the past hundred years. Set on...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

12

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.

13

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.

14

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.

15

Home body
Kaur, Rupi
Paper Book
Watch rupi kaur live now on Prime Video. 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...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

16

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.

17

We were dreamers : an immigrant superhero origin story
Liu, Simu
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The star of Marvel's first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

18

My name is Saajin Singh
Brar, Kuljinder Kaur
Paper Book
A debut picture book that explores the importance of pronouncing names properly and celebrates cultural identity. Saajin loves his name--he loves it so much that he sees it spelled out in the world around him in his snacks, in the sky and sometimes he even sings it aloud. On his...

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.

19

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)

20

A song for China : how my father wrote Yellow River cantata
Zhang, Ange
Paper Book
Published in celebration of the famous Yellow River Cantata's 80th anniversary, this is the riveting history of how a young Chinese author and passionate militant fought using art to create a socially just China during the period of the struggle against the Japanese and during World War II...

Canadian author.

21

The space between here & now
Suk, Sarah
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and You've Reached Sam, this gripping, atmospheric YA novel follows a teen with a mysterious condition that transports her to the past when she smells certain scents linked to specific memories. Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has...

Also available in eBook and eAudiobook formats.

Canadian author.

22

The words we share
Wong, Jack
Ebook

Also available in eBook format.

Canadian author.


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.