Read your way through Asian Pacific American Month
Seven top picks from Asian and Pacific Islander authors
You might have seen that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month, and possibly come across the #AsianReadathon taking place now. If you’re wondering which book to start with, here are my personal recommendations from authors of Asian and Pacific Islander culture or heritage!
‘The School for Good and Evil’ series by Soman Chainani
Each book in this subversive and socially relevant fantasy series is full of unforgettable characters, belly laughs and thought-provoking questions. What we soon learn at this school is that Good and Evil aren’t quite so clear after all… Admittedly, I went into the first book lured by the lovely cover and was promptly clobbered over the head with how much I loved it. I can always count on these books to make my jaw drop from plot twists and sides hurt from laughing. This series by the Indian-American and openly gay Chainani is one of my all-time favourites and great for everyone, from children to adults!
‘What We Deserve’ by Alyssa Nohar
The debut novel by Fijian-Guyanese indie author Alyssa Nohar is an own-voices, coming-of-age novel about Fijian-Canadian teen Amaya Bhatt, whose struggles with social anxiety and generalised anxiety disorder resonated deeply with me. It’s a book about love: familial, platonic, with a splash of romance, and how the act of trying itself is just as important as whether one succeeds or not. This hopeful story is full of lovable, diverse people — including an aromantic character, who are often underrepresented in media — and I almost didn’t want the book to be over.
‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ trilogy by Jenny Han
You may have heard of sweet Lara Jean and her faux(?)-beau Peter K from the recent Netflix films, based on the books of the same name by the Korean-American author, Jenny Han. I adored these hilarious, heartfelt rom-com contemporaries and found Lara Jean intensely relatable — we share so many traits and our relationship with our sister(s) are very similar. It does the ‘fake-dating’ trope so well — look no further for a realistic romance to warm your heart, break your heart, and then put it all back together with a cherry on top.
‘The Super Secret Book’ by Tian En
Singaporean author Tian En brings us a fun, superhero and gadget-filled story set in the fictional Diamond City, inspired by Singapore itself — I loved recognising the little nods to the Lion City and Asian culture (like bubble tea!). This indie, middle-grade novel exudes comic-book appeal, with our teen crimefighting unit — known as ‘The Super Secret’ — facing off against both supervillains and an unexpected moral crossroads. It was one of my favourite reads in April, and I’m glad to hear a sequel is already in the works!
‘Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil’ by Mary Fan
This paranormal, dystopian YA fantasy by Asian-American indie author Mary Fan offers a refreshingly realistic take on the ‘Chosen One’ trope, and showcases a vivid range of action sequences and supernatural monsters. The spooky atmosphere of this post-apocalyptic USA crawling with fearsome beasts made me nostalgic for the Teen Wolf TV show, one of my old favourites. With intriguing characters, lurking questions and a protagonist with heaps of potential, I look forward to Flynn Nightsider’s next instalment.
‘Warcross’ duology by Marie Lu
Set mostly in Tokyo, these books by Chinese-American author Marie Lu centre around the ‘Warcross Championships’, a fully immersive action-adventure VR game played by teams of elite gamers — an amazing concept that I honestly could see developing for real in my lifetime. This duology features not one, but two charismatic Asian leads with fascinating backstories, and I loved the sci-fi portrayal of a Tokyo lit up with VR overlays. As a team sports lover, the gaming scenes were so much fun to read, and I enjoyed the ethics discussed around AI and technology. Pick this up for a futuristic, bingeable read!
‘Girls of Paper and Fire’ by Natasha Ngan
There is so much to love about this feminist, own-voices YA fantasy by Chinese-Malaysian-British author Natasha Ngan. The glorious diversity of Asian cultures portrayed, the way the ‘Girls’ (concubines of the Demon King) survive and reclaim their agency in a dark and often brutal situation… My personal favourite was the budding sapphic relationship between protagonists Lei and Wren, simultaneously soft and searing, with certain moments that literally made me buzz all over with the truth of it. The secondary characters are fascinating too, and I really need to hurry up and read the sequel soon.
If you do pick up any of these books, I’d love to know what you think. I’m also always open to recommendations, so feel free to share what books you’ve been enjoying for Asian Pacific American Heritage month!
