Asian and Pacific Islander communities

Updated October 11, 2023
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Arsenic and adobo
Manansala, Mia P.
A RUSA Award-winning novel! The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical...
The poppy war
Kuang, R. F.
"I have no doubt this will end up being the best fantasy debut of the year [...] I have absolutely no doubt that [Kuang's] name will be up there with the likes of Robin Hobb and N.K. Jemisin." -- Booknest A Library Journal, Paste Magazine, Vulture, BookBub, and ENTROPY Best...
Paper son : the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong, immigrant and artist
Leung, Julie
Winner of the American Library Association's 2021 Asian/Pacific American Award for Best Picture Book! An inspiring picture-book biography of animator Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American immigrant responsible for bringing Disney's Bambi to life. Before he became...
When you trap a tiger
Keller, Tae
WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL . NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the...
Eyes that kiss in the corners
Ho, Joanna
A New York Times Bestseller and #1 Indie Bestseller · A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year · A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021 · Included in NPR's 2021 Books We Love List · Featured in Forbes, Oprah Daily, The Cut, and Book Riot · Golden Poppy Book Award...
The name jar
Choi, Yangsook
The new kid in school needs a new name! Or does she? Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what about when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious that American kids will like her. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of...
Chloe's Lunar New Year
LaMotte, Lily
Lily LaMotte, brilliant author of the graphic novel Measuring Up, an ALA Top Ten, has written her debut picture book about a special Lunar New Year feast. Perfect for fans of Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin and I Am Golden by Eva Chen. "Themes of love and family...
It began with a page : how Gyo Fujikawa drew the way
Maclear, Kyo
* 4 Starred Reviews * * An Indie Next List Pick * "Playful, bold, and, much like its subject, full of grace." --Jillian Tamaki, Caldecott Honor winner for This One Summer "It Began with a Page tells [Gyo Fujikawa's] story beautifully, in picture-book form."...
The Wangs vs. the world
Chang, Jade
The Wangs vs. the World is an outrageously funny tale about a wealthy Chinese-American family that "loses it all, then takes a healing, uproarious road trip across the United States" (Entertainment Weekly). Their spectacular fall from riches to rags...
Fauja Singh keeps going : the true story of the oldest person to ever run a marathon
Singh, Simran Jeet
The true story of Fauja Singh, who broke world records to become the first one hundred-year-old to run a marathon, shares valuable lessons on the source of his grit, determination to overcome obstacles, and commitment to positive representation of the Sikh community. Every...
Gold diggers
Sathian, Sanjena
One of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2021 * One of NPR's Best Books of 2021 * New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * Long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize "Dizzyingly original, fiercely funny, deeply wise." --Celeste Ng, #1...
The tea girl of Hummingbird Lane : a novel
See, Lisa
A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple. Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. There is ritual...
Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Winner of the National Book Award A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch....
Front desk
Yang, Kelly
Four starred reviews and over ten best-of-year lists!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their neighbors in these pages." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewWinner of the Asian / Pacific American Award for Children's Literature!* "Many readers will recognize themselves or their...
The Joy Luck Club
Tan, Amy
"The Joy Luck Club is one of my favorite books. From the moment I first started reading it, I knew it was going to be incredible. For me, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime reading experiences that you cherish forever. It inspired me as a writer and still remains hugely...
Maizy Chen's last chance
Yee, Lisa
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD . Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family's Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family. Welcome to the Golden Palace! Maizy has never been to Last Chance,...
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet : a novel
Ford, Jamie.
"Sentimental, heartfelt....the exploration of Henry's changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don't...
The boy who tried to shrink his name
Parappukkaran, Sandhya
Perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name and Your Name Is a Song, author Sandhya Parappukkaranand illustrator Michelle Pereira'spicture book The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Nameencourages readers to take up space and support each other...
The verifiers
Pek, Jane
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERY BOOKS OF THE YEAR * Introducing Claudia Lin: a sharp-witted amateur sleuth for the 21st century. This debut novel follows Claudia as she verifies people's online lives, and lies, for a dating detective agency in New York City. Until...
Prairie lotus
Park, Linda Sue
Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered novel about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father's shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian...
Stargazing
Wang, Jen
Stargazing is a heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel in the spirit of Frizzy and Mexikid, from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Jen Wang. Moon is everything Christine isn't. She's confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they...
Year of the tiger : an activist's life
Wong, Alice
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . ONE OF USA TODAY'S MUST-READ BOOKS . This groundbreaking memoir offers a glimpse into an activist's journey to finding and cultivating community and the continued fight for disability justice, from the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project ...
The downstairs girl
Lee, Stacey
A Reese's Book Club YA Pick and New York Times Bestseller   From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.
The very secret society of irregular witches
Mandanna, Sangu
Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, and is used to keeping her head down with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos 'pretending' to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously. But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and...
Drawn together
Lê, Minh
The recipient of six starred reviews and the APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature!   Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Smithsonian, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Booklist, the...
The best we could do : an illustrated memoir
Bui, Thi
National bestseller ABA Indies Introduce Winter / Spring 2017 Selection Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Spring 2017 Selection An intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam, from debut author Thi Bui. ...
Interior Chinatown
Yu, Charles
SOON TO BE 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...
In limbo
Lee, Deborah
A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story--and a coming home story--set between a New Jersey suburb and Seoul, South Korea. Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she's felt her otherness.
Permanent record
Choi, Mary H. K.
A New York Times bestseller An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of 2019 From the New York Times bestselling author of Emergency Contact, which Rainbow Rowell called "smart and funny," comes an unforgettable...
Family style : memories of an American from Vietnam
Pham, Thien
A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy's search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do! Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the...
The magic fish
Nguyen, Trung Le
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by New York Public Library . Kirkus Reviews . Booklist . Publishers Weekly In this gorgeous debut graphic novel, fairy tales are the only way one boy can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But how will he find the...
The family Chao : a novel
Chang, Lan Samantha
The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant's delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and...
Why not me?
Kaling, Mindy
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and creator of The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever comes a hilarious collection of essays about her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement...
Hula : a novel
Hakes, Jasmin 'Iolani
Named a Best Book of the Summer by Harper's Bazaar and ELLE * Audiofile Magazine Earphones Award Winner "Stunning . . . An intricately built novel that spans decades, moving in and out of a collective voice, while also telling Hi'i's deeply personal and devastating story...
A big mooncake for Little Star
Lin, Grace
When Little Star's mother bakes a delicious-looking mooncake, she leaves it in the night sky to cool. But it looks so tasty that Little Star can't wait, and every night she must take a little nibble of the perfectly round confection until instead of a glowing, round cookie, there is only a...
Superman smashes the Klan : the graphic novel
Yang, Gene Luen
Harvey Award winner for Best Children or Young Adult Book! The year is 1946. Teenagers Roberta and Tommy Lee just moved with their parents from Chinatown to the center of Metropolis, home to the famous hero, Superman. Tommy makes friends quickly, while Roberta pines for home....
What my bones know : a memoir of healing from complex trauma
Foo, Stephanie
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life "Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal....
The school for good mothers : a novel
Chan, Jessamine
Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize Selected as One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2022! In...
House of Sticks: A Memoir
Tran, Lý
New York City Book Awards Hornblower Award Winner One of Vogue and NPR's Best Books of the Year This beautifully written "masterclass in memoir" (Elle) recounts a young girl's journey from war-torn Vietnam to Queens, New York, "showcas...
Skinship : stories
Choi, Yoon
WINNER OF THE PEN/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE * LONGLISTED FOR THE STORY PRIZE * The breathtaking debut of an important new voice--centered on a constellation of Korean American families "To encounter these achingly truthful, beautiful stories of newcomer Americans is like gazing...
The ocean calls : a haenyeo mermaid story
Cho, Tina M.
A breathtaking picture book featuring a Korean girl and her haenyeo (free diving) grandmother about intergenerational bonds, finding courage in the face of fear, and connecting with our natural world. Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast...
We were dreamers : an immigrant superhero origin story
Liu, Simu
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...
Chlorine : a novel
Song, Jade
In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts...
The bandit queens : a novel
Shroff, Parini
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.
The many colors of Harpreet Singh
Kelkar, Supriya
Harpreet Singh has a different color for every mood and occasion, from happy sunny yellow to courageous red. He especially takes care with his patka--his turban--making sure it always matches his outfit. But when Harpreet's mom finds a new job in a snowy city and they have to move,...
Love in the library
Tokuda-Hall, Maggie
"A powerful must-read."--Booklist (starred review) Set in an incarceration camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak. To fall in love is already a...
Finally seen
Yang, Kelly
From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes a "involving, realistic" (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel about a young girl who leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, and learns about family, friendship, and the...
Crying in H Mart : a memoir
Zauner, Michelle
#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...
Parachute kids
Tang, Betty C.
**National Book Award Longlist Title** **Asian/Pacific American Award Honor Book** This funny, fast-paced, and heartrending story about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants is perfect for fans of New Kid and Front Desk....
Pachinko
Lee, Min Jin
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN OF THE YEAR * NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 *A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DAYTON...
The stand-up groomsman
Lau, Jackie
A bridesmaid and groomsman put their differences aside to get their friends down the aisle in this opposites-attract steamy romantic comedy. They say to never meet your heroes, but when Vivian Liao's roommate gets engaged to her favorite actor's costar, she has no choice but to...
Portrait of a thief : a novel
Li, Grace D.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize Named a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022 Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by *Marie Claire* *...
Stay true : a memoir
Hsu, Hua
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A gripping memoir on friendship, grief, the search for self, and the solace that can be found through art, by the New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu "This book is exquisite and excruciating and I will be...
Cook real Hawai i
Simeon, Sheldon
The story of Hawaiian cooking, by a two-time Top Chef finalist and Fan Favorite, through 100 recipes that embody the beautiful cross-cultural exchange of the islands. ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR- The New Yorker . ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE...
Afterparties : stories
So, Anthony Veasna
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...
Hungry ghost
Ying, Victoria
A beautiful and heart-wrenching young adult graphic novel takes a look at eating disorders, family dynamics, and ultimately, a journey to self-love. Valerie Chu is quiet, studious, and above all, thin. No one, not even her best friend Jordan, knows that she has been binging and...
My aunt is a monster
Yee, Reimena
Curses! Adventures! And drama! Oh my! Safia might not be able to see the world, but that doesn't mean she can't experience it to the fullest as she finds herself on her very first adventure! This is a contemporary fantasy middle-grade graphic novel about discovering what you are truly capable of....
Monstress. Volume one, Awakening
Liu, Marjorie M.
2018 Eisner Award winner, BestWriter 2018 Eisner Award winner, BestPainter/Multimedia Artist 2018 EisnerAward winner, Best Continuing Series ...

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