Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is observed in the United States during the month of May. We take this time to reflect and celebrate the culture, history, and contributions AANHPIs have made to enrich our shared heritage and future.
We hope you enjoy this sampling of books by or about Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders:
Not Your China Doll : the wild and shimmering life of Anna May Wong by Katie Gee Salisbury
Set against the glittering backdrop of Los Angeles during the gin-soaked Jazz Age and the rise of Hollywood, this debut book celebrates Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star, to bring an unsung heroine to light and reclaim her place in cinema history.
Editor’s Note: I can’t resist a good fiction/non-fiction pairing!
The Brightest Star : a novel by Gail Tsukiyama
Arriving in Hollywood to become an actress, Anna May Wong discovers her beauty and talent aren’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles and, over the years, fights to win lead roles, accept risqué parts, and keep her illicit love affairs hidden-even as she finds global stardom.
A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao
A young Indian police sergeant in 1914 is sent on assignment in Fiji as punishment for a humiliating mistake where he investigates the kidnapping of a sugarcane plantation worker and confronts the brutal realities of racism and indentured working conditions.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
The author describes her experiences as a young Vietnamese immigrant, highlighting her family’s move from their war-torn home to the United States in graphic novel format.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
When seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero learns his Filipino cousin and former best friend, Jun, was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, he flies to the Philippines to learn more.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai ; translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Down a quiet Kyoto backstreet, “food detectives” Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the proprietors of the Kamogawa Diner, through ingenious investigations, recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories, which hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness.
Sea People : the puzzle of Polynesia by Christina Thompson
Explores the origins of the Polynesian people, attempting to answer the questions about who founded and settled these remote Pacific islands in an era before writing or metal tools.
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