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Asian Pacific American Heritage month is an opportunity to celebrate Asian Pacific culture and, most importantly, the individuals who share their rich heritage with all of us. Theres very little thats more celebratory than reading a book authored by an Asian writer, and no greater an opportunity to expand your library and discover writers that you may not be so familiar with.
There are tons of Asian writers and authors whose written works are imbued with their culture and identities, or have brought to forefront vital conversations about racism.
Were personally excited to read Hannah Mitchells fictional thriller about one womans nail-biting quest to find her missing husband; a Black Mirror-esque dark comedy about a man who works as a rent-a-stranger; and Hawon Jungs smash success novel Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, which has been called healing fiction. Find these titles and more in the list ahead to indulge in not just this month, but all year-round.
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"Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" by Hwang Bo-Reum
Described as healing fiction, by Hwang Bo-Reums publishers, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is a cozy novel that experienced huge success in Korea and was recently translated into English in 2022. Yeongju made all the choices expected of her by her family and society. Shes educated, got married and had a career. But then when her marriage unraveled and her demanding job led to burnout, she decided to take a risk and do something she always wanted to do: open an independent bookstore in Seoul, Korea. Books are like a homecoming for Yeongju, a sanctuary from past trauma and a way to find herself again. And its not just the books that are Yeonjus new companions either. Her bookstore is full of eclectic employees and customers that will play a big role in beginning her new life.
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Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang
Our nameless protagonist is paid to be a Rental Stranger via an app where he pretends to be many different people for various clients throughout New York City, and afterward, hes rated on his performance. The app allows users to find someone for just about any and all of their personal needs, from pretend fiancs to additional funeral attendants. Our protagonist prides himself on his ability to play these characters convincingly and without attachment. One of his long-time clients is a mother named Mai who hired the Stranger to pretend to be the father of her daughter Lily. Except when another client possibly threatens his long-term role with Lily, he finds himself suddenly realizing just how attached he has actually become to her. He now has to reconcile with the ways his own past and personal history with abandonment have shaped the person he is today. Kat Tangs inventive debut novel perfectly captures what it feels like to be lonely and searching for human connection in our modern life of parasocial relationships and contractual experiences.
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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Set in a not so distant future in London, a civil servant is offered a handsome salary for her role in a newly created government agency. Shes assigned to work in a time-traveling ministry that gathers what they call expats throughout history (both alive and not so alive) to determine whether or not time travel is physically achievable and what potential risks it poses. The civil servants role is to be a sort of guide or bridge for time travelers, and shes tasked with none other than the expat Commander Graham Gore, a Victorian polar explorer who is said to have perished in 1845 during an Arctic expedition. But the very alive Commander is presently pulled into modern living with his assigned bridge, a woman that is not married, lives alone and even uses things like Spotify. Graham is baffled by the new time period, but he is an explorer at heart, so he quickly adapts to his latest adventure. And in the process, the pair go from co-workers and roommates to falling deeply in love, which is precisely what a time-traveler and a bridge should not do.
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Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian by Julia Lee
Julia Lees Biting the Hand is an astute and deeply felt memoir dealing with issues of whiteness, race and growing up Asian in America. Lee, who is a Korean American scholar and an associate professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, is also the daughter of Korean immigrant parents who grew up during the Los Angeles riots in the 90s. Lee begins her memoir with one of the professors cracking a joke about dogs being eaten in Asian countries one of the many microaggressions and instances of racism that the author has had to contend with throughout her life, especially in a post-pandemic world. From there, she traces various historical and personal stories where white supremacy has either been overtly exercised or bubbling beneath the surface. Lee instigates insightful dialogue, asking readers to consider what it is truly like to be Asian in America, what it means to be an ally and how to restructure such a divisive world.
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"Excavations" by Hannah Michell
When Saes husband, an engineer named Jae, goes missing following the devastating collapse of the Aspiration Tower in South Koreas capital of Seoul, she becomes determined to find out what happened to him. Sae was once a journalist and a former activist protesting against the government and elite class. Although the Aspiration Tower is a fictional skyscraper, the author, who was living in Seoul at the time, pulled from the real tragedy of the Sampoong department store collapse in 1995. Hannah Michell deftly shows the ways that Sae must navigate her various roles as a mother, wife and a truth-seeker while on the gripping hunt to find Jae. Throughout her journey she encounters corrupt businessmen, dubious government contractors, and comes face-to-face with the reality of her own loyalties to her husband. Michell asks many questions of the reader in this lively fictional thriller, the most salient of which is how love impacts your integrity and beliefs.
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Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
Mai Corlands Five Broken Blades is a heart pounding romance-adventure set in a world inspired by Korean historical legend and told from the perspective of six different characters. A cruel spymaster gathers a group of the five best blades, in the country to set them on the deadly task of assassinating the cruel God King Joon. The gang of misfits includes Sora, a poison maiden; the noble Tiyung whose royal lineage to God King Joon complicates his role to say the least; the hitman Royo with a haunted past; a particularly talented thief named Aeri; and the disgraced prince Euyn. Each of the five assassins have been chosen for their various skills and though united in their determination to demolish an oppressive monarch, they dont necessarily work well together. We learn that each of the blades have their own separate reasons for agreeing to carry out this deadly gamble, and what it would mean for themselves and for the future of their country. And if theyre all liars, who's to say where their loyalties truly lie?
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Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
In Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patels imaginative and lush prose brings to life the ancient tale of Ganga, the Hindu goddess of forgiveness and purification. In Patels reimagining of this epic religious text, Ganga has a mortal son who is the product of a curse that rendered her briefly mortal. She was wed in her mortal form to King Shantanu and became a queen, though never intended to remain in her mortal form and had always hoped to break her curse. What Ganga didnt realize was that breaking the curse would mean her infant son, Prince Devavrata, would not go with her nor that he would carry the effects of the curse with him as he grew older. And when its Devavratas turn to inherit the throne, he refuses, instigating a series of events that will end in a disastrous war.
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"Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement And What It Means For Women's Rights Worldwide" by Hawon Jung
A commanding and passionate debut, this work of non-fiction explores South Koreas past and current feminist movement, and is written by Hawon Jung, a former Seoul correspondent for the Agence France-Presse news agency, and a present journalist whose bylines include coverage of the #MeToo movement at home and abroad. Pulling from recent headlines as well as substantial historical reporting, Jung details her countrys long standing relationship with patriarchy and the ways the government has attempted to subjugate and control women for years through policies like the decadeslong abortion ban. The author and journalist interviewed activists across the world, to highlight the universal issues and threats experienced by women, and the efforts they have made to push for social change. Flowers of Fire shows the strength and tenacity of women in the trenches and past who fought for feminism, but also informs and provides hopeful stories and reports of victories to move forward.
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