Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month—a time to honor the rich history, vibrant cultures, and enduring contributions of these diverse communities. This book list invites you to explore stories by AANHPI authors helping to shape the landscape of modern fiction.

Updated May 5, 2026
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My? documents : a novel
Nguyen, Kevin
Paper Book
The paths of four family members diverge drastically when the U.S. government begins detaining Vietnamese Americans, in this "rich, gripping novel that lands squarely as a mirror of our contemporary moral squalor" (Los Angeles Times). "Comically macabre . . . Nguyen is a...
Superfan : a novel
Zhang, Jenny Tinghui
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A New York Times Book Review MOST ANTICIPATED Book "Between the Taylor Swift effect, BTS fever, and the rise (and rise) of Heated Rivalry, fandoms are having a moment--making it the PERFECT TIME to dig into Zhang's alternately...
Daughters of Shandong
Chung, Eve J.
Paper Book
A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters' harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story An Instant USA Today Bestseller, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick,...
Tehrangeles : a novel
Khakpour, Porochista
Paper Book
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR BY VOGUE, HARPER'S BAZAAR, W MAGAZINE, AND VANITY FAIR! *  MEET THE MILANIS. FAST-FOOD HEIRESSES, L.A. ROYALTY, AND YOUR NEWEST REALITY TV OBSESSION * "Think the Kardashians meet Little Women and Crazy Rich Asians...An...
The Complex
Mahajan, Karan
Paper Book
A New York Times Editors' Choice * A New Yorker Best Book of the Year So Far * A Most Anticipated Book of 2026: The Washington Post, Vulture, Lit Hub, The Millions, Chicago Review of Books "A sweeping tale of political machinations,...
Blackmail and bibingka
Manansala, Mia P.
Paper Book
When her long-lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can't be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo. It's Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for...
Martyr!
Akbar, Kaveh
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A TIME MUST-READ BOOK OF THE YEAR * A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and...
Homeland elegies : a novel
Akhtar, Ayad
Paper Book
This "profound and provocative" work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Disgraced and American Dervish followsan immigrant father and his son as they search for belonging--in post-Trump America, and with each other (Kirkus Reviews). "Passionate, disturbing,...
The original daughter : a novel
Wei, Jemimah
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD * ONE OF ELLE'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR In this dazzling debut, Jemimah Wei explores the formation and dissolution of family bonds in a story of ambition and sisterhood in turn-of-the...
Every drop is a man's nightmare : stories
Kakimoto, Megan Kamalei
Paper Book
USA Today Bestseller A Debutiful "Best Debuts of the Year" "Rich and wise, humming with confidence." -New York Times Book Review "A knockout. Eleven knockouts. One KO for every story."-Elizabeth McCracken "Every Drop Is a Man...
The color of air : a novel /
Tsukiyama, Gail,
Paper Book
PARADE's Best Books to Read this Summer "A rich historical novel that illustrates why connection is more important and more vital than ever." -New York Times bestselling author Lisa See Daniel Abe, a young doctor in Chicago, is finally coming back to Hawai'i. He...
The leavers : a novel
Ko, Lisa
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE 2017 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION Named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, Bustle, and Electric Literature "There was a time I would have called Lisa Ko's novel...
The emperor of gladness : a novel
Vuong, Ocean
Paper Book
The instant New York Times bestseller * Oprah's Book Club Pick * Named a Best Book of 2025 by TIME, The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, USA Today, NPR, People, Christian Science Monitor, Scientific American, and Kirkus Reviews *...
A tale for the time being
Ozeki, Ruth L.
Paper Book
A brilliant, unforgettable novel from bestselling author Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness Finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award "A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and...
How to commit a postcolonial murder : a novel
McConigley, Nina Swamidoss
Paper Book
A bold, inventive, and fiercely original debut novel that begins with an uncle dead and his tween niece's private confession to the reader--she and her sister killed him, and they blame the British. "I have been waiting for Nina McConigley's debut novel for years and it's even better...
I leave it up to you : a novel
Chong, Jinwoo
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of Flux comes "an endearing novel about second chances" (The Washington Post), with wise insights into love, family, and the art of sushi. "Wise and poignant [with] mouthwatering descriptions of food . . . I Leave It Up to You...
Our beautiful boys : a novel
Pandya, Sameer
Paper Book
When the star players on a high school football team are accused of violence by another student, their secrets--and the secrets of their parents--threaten to shatter their entire community in a gripping novel of race, class, and privilege from the author of Members Only. ...
Boring Asian Female
Xu, Canwen
Paper Book
"Thank you for your interest in our school, but we regret to inform you that..." you're not special. You're too average. You're too boring. Well, in that case, she'll have to show them just how interesting she can be. Elizabeth Zhang is well aware of her...
Real Americans : a novel
Khong, Rachel
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * READ WITH JENNA'S MAY BOOK CLUB PICK * From the award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family and asks: What makes us...
The Midnight Taxi
Gunasekera, Yosha
Siriwathi Perera doesn't quite know where she's going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don't do much to make up for the...
The art of prophecy : a novel
Chu, Wesley
Paper Book
A "superb fantasy saga" (Helene Wecker) of martial arts and magic, about what happens when a prophesied hero is not the chosen one after all--but has to work with a band of unlikely allies to save the kingdom anyway, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The...
Drop dead
Chu, Lily
Paper Book
One mysterious mansion. Two rival journalists. Three weeks to uncover the story-and love-of a lifetime. Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn't mind being called "Lady Death." It suits the ice queen persona she's cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine...
Yellowface : a novel
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "Hard to put down, harder to forget." -- Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who...
Julie Chan is dead : a novel
Zhang, Liann
Paper Book
INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER One of NPR's Books We Love for 2025 2026 Libby Book Awards Best Thriller For fans of Bunny and Yellowface, this razor-sharp debut thriller blends biting satire with chilling suspense, as a young woman...
The Plans I Have for You: A Novel
Sanders, Lai
Paper Book
Lai Sanders's debut novel is a timely, razor-sharp thriller exploring race and privilege, perfect for fans of R. F. Kuang. One of Publishers Weekly's Most Anticipated Thrillers of 2026 "A strangely dark, seductive debut novel." --Kirkus Reviews<...
Immaculate conception : a novel
Huang, Ling Ling
Paper Book
"A superb work of fiction."--New York Times Book Review What if you could enter the mind of the person you love the most? Enka meets Mathilde in art school and is instantly drawn to her. Mathilde makes art that feels truly original, and Enka--trying hard to...
The rivals
Pek, Jane
Paper Book
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S 10 BEST MYSTERY NOVELS OF 2024 * A witty and thought-provoking mystery that reimagines the spy story to explore the nature of relationships in a digital age: the follow-up to Jane Pek's "thoroughly modern twist on classic detective fiction," The Verifiers (...
Goddess complex : a novel
Sathian, Sanjena
Paper Book
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker and Library Journal * Jezebel's May Book Club Pick "Inventive . . . astute . . . sharp and unexpected . . . Haunting and hilarious, Goddess Complex...
Your driver is waiting : a novel
Guns, Priya
Paper Book
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Autostraddle, Shondaland, Booklist * In this electrifyingly fierce and funny social satire--inspired by the iconic 1970s film Taxi Driver--a ride share driver is barely holding it together on the hunt for love, dignity, and financial security....
The great reclamation
Heng, Rachel
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE AND THE JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY TIME, TOWN & COUNTRY, KIRKUS, ELECTRIC LITERATURE AND BOOKPAGE! "Stunning.....
Interior Chinatown
Yu, Charles
Paper Book
NOW A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * "A shattering and darkly comic send-up of racial stereotyping in Hollywood" (Vanity Fair) and a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we...
The lowland : a novel
Lahiri, Jhumpa.
Paper Book
National Book Award Finalist Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of The Namesake comes an extraordinary new novel, set in both India and America, that expands the scope and range of one of our most...
The bandit queens : a novel
Shroff, Parini
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful--until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands--in this razor-sharp debut.
When I'm gone, look for me in the East
Barry, Quan
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of We Ride Upon Sticks comes a luminous novel that moves across a windswept Mongolia, as estranged twin brothers make a journey of duty, conflict, and renewed understanding. "A dazzling achievement...The rhythms are more like prayer than prose,...
Sea change
Chung, Gina
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK * An enchanting novel about Ro, a woman tossed overboard by heartbreak and loss, who has to find her way back to stable shores with the help of a giant Pacific octopus at the mall aquarium where she works. "Immersively beautiful.... A...
The covenant of water : a novel
Verghese, Abraham
Paper Book
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in...
Afterparties : stories
So, Anthony Veasna
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE'S JOHN LEONARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST BOOK  WINNER OF THE FERRO-GRUMLEY AWARD FOR LGBTQ FICTION Named a Best Book of the Year by: New York Times * NPR * Washington Post * LA Times * Kirkus Reviews...
How much of these hills is gold
Zhang, C Pam
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES  NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2020  LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE...
To paradise
Yanagihara, Hanya
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * From the award-winning, best-selling author of the classic A Little Life--a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.
Exhalation
Chiang, Ted
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories--two published for the very first time--all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and Others ...
The fox wife : a novel
Choo, Yangsze
Paper Book
Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . . Manchuria, 1908. In the last years of the dying...
Daughters of the Sun and Moon
See, Lisa
Paper Book
From beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, the story of three Chinese women whose unexpected friendship helps them survive and, despite the odds, thrive, in the turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles. In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty,...
Shanghailanders
Min, Juli
Paper Book
Longlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction * Time 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 * The New York Times Editors' Choice "A thrilling, futuristic family drama that captures the joys, disappointments, and inside jokes of one Shanghai family...
Pachinko
Lee, Min Jin
Paper Book
One of the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century In this New York Times bestseller, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan-the inspiration for the television series on...
Out of Mesopotamia
Abdoh, Salar
Paper Book
Saleh is a middle-aged Iranian journalist who moonlights as a writer for one of Iran's most popular TV shows but cannot keep himself away from the front lines in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. There, the fight against the Islamic State is a proxy war, an existential battle, a declaration of faith, and...
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Tan, Sue Lynn
Paper Book
The acclaimed national and international bestseller "Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish."--Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series "An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its...
Counterfeit : a novel
Chen, Kirstin
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read--but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the...
Dial A for Aunties
Sutanto, Jesse Q.
Paper Book
"Sutanto brilliantly infuses comedy and culture into the unpredictable rom-com/murder mystery mashup as Meddy navigates familial duty, possible arrest and a groomzilla. I laughed out loud and you will too."--USA Today (four-star review) "A hilarious, heartfelt...
The fortunes of jaded women : a novel
Huynh, Carolyn
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK A WASHINGTON POST BEST FEEL-GOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR For fans of Amy Tan, KJ Dell'Antonia, and Kevin Kwan, this "sharp, smart, and gloriously extra" (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, author of The Last Story of Mina Lee)...
A burning
Majumdar, Megha
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK! * A "gripping thriller with compassionate social commentary"  (USA Today) about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise--to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies--and find...

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