In May, the U.S. celebrates Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. According to asianpacificheritage.gov/, the month is one for “paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.”
In honor of this special occasion, pick up a book (or 10) written by an AANHPI writer and enjoy!
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram: Clinically-depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it is their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, who changes his life.
Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad: When their family’s Songbird Inn on dreamy, drizzly Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest is named the Most Romantic Inn in America, the Singh sisters each question their own idea of love and who they are meant to be with.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: When Lily realizes she has feelings for a girl in her math class, it threatens Lily's oldest friendships and even her father's citizenship status and eventually, Lily must decide if owning her truth is worth everything she has ever known.
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.
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le: High school seniors Bàao and Linh, whose feuding families own competing Vietnamese restaurants, conceal their budding romance, as well as Linh's desire to become an artist.
She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran: Seventeen-year-old bisexual Jade Nguyen is spending the summer in Vietnam at the French colonial house her estranged father is fixing up as a vacation rental, but unbeknownst to her family, the house and its ghosts have other plans.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar: When Nishat, an Irish girl of Bengali heritage, sees her old friend Flâavia again, she feels attracted, but when they both enter a school contest as henna artists, their feelings for each other become more complicated.
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He: In a near future when life is harsh outside of Earth's last unpolluted place, Cee tries to leave an abandoned island while her sister, STEM prodigy Kasey, seeks escape from the science and home she once trusted.
This Place is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian: Victims of a hate crime, the estranged Flanagan sisters reunite in their small Midwestern town, where tensions are running high, and navigate an unexpected summer during which an explosive secret threatens to tear them apart forever.
XOXO by Axie Oh: Jenny never had much time for boys, Kpop, or really anything besides her dream of being a professional cellist. But when she finds herself falling for a Kpop idol, she has to decide whether their love is worth the risk.
Want even more book recommendations? Check out our other booklists!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
Post a Comment
While BPL encourages an open forum, posts and comments are moderated by library staff. BPL reserves the right, within its sole discretion, not to post and to remove submissions or comments that are unlawful or violate this policy. While comments will not be edited by BPL personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates our comment policy.
eNews Signup
Get the latest updates from BPL and be the first to know about new programs, author talks, exciting events and opportunities to support your local library.