Preamble
A few days ago, I read a post at The Brown Bookshelf titled “Standing Strong Together“. This post features African American authors saluting Asian American authors and illustrators. They ask readers to “Please show your support by sharing their work, speaking up against discrimination and spreading love”. The Brown Bookshelf is just one example of the book community encouraging support of Asian American creators, as Asian Americans experience increased racism stoked by false rhetoric around the pandemic. That’s why I’ve decided to focus my TTT list this week on Asia American and Asian Canadian authors whose works I’ve enjoyed but don’t often boost.
The List
- Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom by Booki Vivat (Chinese American)
- Middle grade
- Contemporary
- Hybrid novel
- Explores anxiety about middle school in a humorous way
- The Last Cherry Blossom by Kathleen Burkinshaw (Japanese American)
- Middle grade
- Historical
- Growing up in Japan during WWII and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
- Throwaway Daughter by Ting-xing Ye (Chinese Canadian)
- Middle grade
- Historical/contemporary (multiple narrators)
- A Chinese girl adopted into a Canadian family in 1981 decides to learn more about her heritage after seeing the Tiananmen Square Massacre on television
- I first read this book for class when I was in grade seven. I chose to reread it during my undergrad for my final paper in a class called “Women and Chinese Culture”. The story, published in 2003, held up surprisingly well.
- The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan (Taiwanese American)
- Young adult
- Contemporary fabulism
- Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time after her mother dies by suicide
- Told primarily through recalled or magically induced memories
- Just finished this one a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t for me, but it is pretty unique in the field of YA lit.
- The Conjoined by Jen Sookfong-Lee (Chinese Canadian)
- Adult
- Family drama/mystery
- After her mother’s funeral, a social worker finds bodies of two children her family fostered years ago in a freezer
- Challenges myth of ‘social heroism’
- Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner (Cambodian American)
- Adult
- Contemporary/historical (characters recount the past)
- Teera returns to Cambodia for the first time since escaping as a child refugee. She connects with a temple musician who promises to tell her about what happened to her father, who disappeared in a Khmer Rouge prison.
- Addresses questions of suffering, atnonement, and forgiveness
Further Reading
I would like to quickly shout out a few other middle grade books by Asian American authors that I love and mention frequently: Front Desk by Kelly Yang (Chinese American), When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (Chinese American), Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh (Korean American), and A Wish in the Dark by Chiristina Soontornvat (Thai American).
For more recommendations of Asian and Asian American literature, check out theses lists :
- Asian Readathon takes place in May. Check out their master list of recommendations.
- The Brown Bookshelf shouts out various Asian American authors and illustrators
- 16 East Asian Picture Book Illustrators @ Literacious
- 40 East Asian Middle Grade Authors @ Literacious
- 36 East Asian Young Adult Authors @ Literacious
- 37 Asian YA Novels to Read ASAP @ Afoma Umesi
What are your favourite books by Asian American or Asian Canadian authors that you wish got more attention? Link your TTT post in the comments for me to check out!
I love this list and I’m saving it to reference again in the future.
My TTT .
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy one or two of these books in the future 🙂
Great topic! I’ve read FRONT DESK, but that’s all off your list. Some of my favorite Asian-American authors are: Stacey Lee, Vivien Chien, Lisa See, and Gail Tsukiyama.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Thank-you Susan! Front Desk is such a stand out read. Some of the authors you mention are new to me; I’ll have to check out Gail Tsukiyama.
The only one on this list I’ve read is The Astonishing Color of After, and I LOVED it! Can’t wait for her next book.
This has given me quite a few books to add to my TBR, and I can’t decide whether to thank you or curse you. xD Music of the Ghosts sounds fantastic, and I definitely need to check out Spirit Hunters and Wish in the Dark. I think this post is wonderful, and I love how bloggers are supporting minority authors!
Here’s my TTT post.
The Astonishing Color of After was such a unique read! Even though I wasn’t totally into it, I will also keep an eye out for Pan’s next book.
Whether you curse or thank me, I’m so happy to hear you’ve discovered some new titles from this list, haha. Spirit Hunters is one of my personal favourites – a truly creepy ghost story. Thanks for stopping by!
Great topic! Front Desk looks like a fun one. I love MG novels.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
Thanks for stopping by, Lauren! Middle grade novels are a favourite of mine as well. Front Desk is definitely a stand out title.
I love this list! The first book that popped into my head was The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake, which I loved.
Thank-you so much Naomi! I’ll check that out.
Great topic, Jenna! The only book on your list that I’m familiar with is the Astonishing Color of After, which I own but haven’t read yet. Thanks so much for this list!
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for reading. I hope you can enjoy one or two of these titles 🙂
I loved this post! Thanks for sharing these books and authors with us.
The Astonishing Color of After has been on my TBR for far too long. I really need to find the time to read it. Hope you are staying healthy and safe <3
Yes, it’s an interesting read! Thank-you~
Front Desk has been recced to me so often.! Other than that I’ve only heard of The Astonishing Color of After and it sounds so good!
I’m glad I was able to share some lesser known titles! 🙂 Front Desk is a great book middle grade title – technically historical fiction but lots of contemporary relevance. A sequel comes out in September.