World Languages
Book Recommendations in Celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
"Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a rich heritage thousands of years old and have both shaped the history of the United States and had their lives dramatically influenced by moments in its history." -asianpacificheritage.gov
It's Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate, we're sharing a list of fiction and nonfiction titles by and about people of Asian-Pacific ancestry. There are choices for adults, young adults and children with a variety of formats and themes of interest, including extraordinary life stories, struggles, and strengths of remarkable people.
For Adults
The Bollywood Bride by Dev Sonal
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
This Booker Prize-winning novel intertwines four lives borne in an abandoned Italian villa at the end of World War II: a nurse obsessed with caring for her last surviving patient, a thief trying to reimagine herself with his mutilated hands; an Indian sapper searching for hidden bombs in a dangerous landscape; and the enigmatic, nameless English patient with terrible burns and painful memories.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
A young English woman of Hindu descent decides to abandon family traditions and take up a teaching position to teach creative writing for Punjab widows at the Southall social center, but the students' stories reveal long-silent secrets that can weigh on the rest of the community.
Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki
The author explores the minimalist principle, shares his personal experiences and offers tips to transform the reader's living space with the essential elements that promise a better lifestyle.
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
After breaking an engagement, Ruth finds out that going back to live with her parents may not have been a bad decision.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García
The world's longest-living people in a Japanese village reveal their best-kept secret and the key to a happier and longer life based on the ikigai concept of 'a reason for living.'
Interpreter of Maladies: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Indo-American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner presents a collection of nine emotional stories set in India and the United States starring a series of characters who cross a variety of borders in search of happiness.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
In early 1948, two young female divers from the South Korean island of Jeju, a world heritage site, face a series of extraordinary events, including World War II, the Korean War, and other historical and natural forces that threaten to destroy a half-century friendship bond and reveal tragic events hidden for decades.
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination by Ranpo Edogawa
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
This first book in the series tells the story of a prestigious portraitist, confused and dejected in the midst of a relationship crisis, who decides to leave Tokyo and wanders to northern Japan, where a friend offers to let him settle in a small isolated house in the forest. There he unwraps an artifact with a mysterious message that envelops him in a strange world full of indecipherable signs and unanswered questions.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Nam-Joo Cho
Kim Ji-young is an ordinary young Korean woman with a common name who goes unnoticed among women of her age, until she becomes the echo of her mother, a missing friend, and other women.
Meta Human: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential by Deepak Chopra
Renowed author Chopra reveals the secrets of channeling unconconcious experiences to help expand our limitations and transform the body, mind and spirit.
The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
At Nakano's Japanese thrift store, everything is full of secrets from items to staff and customers, but Hitomi, the young woman who works at the registry, has fallen in love with Takeo, her reserved co-worker and is looking for advice from Masayo, the sister of her employer.
Second Chance: For Your Money, Your Life and Our World by Robert T. Kiyosaki
The prominent writer reveals economic and educational factors that affect our finances and explains how to use modern tools and insights to pave a road to your financial future.
Stages of Meditation: The Buddhist Classic on Training the Mind by the Dalai Lama; root text by Kamalashila; translated by Venerable Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, and Jeremy Russell
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: Finding Calm and Inner Wisdom Amid the Demands of Daily Life by Haemin Sunim; translated by Chi-Young Kim and Haemin Sunim; artwork by Youngcheol Lee
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
In this Hugo Award-winning novel that captivated great personalities, when humans send signals into space as part of a military project to try to establish contact with aliens, an alien race in danger of extinction captures the signal and sees the opportunity to plan an invasion of earth.
For Young Adults and Children
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This contemporary classic tells the moving story of two parents and two children, and how a twelve-year-old youth risks a long friendship and faces great dangers to demonstrate his manhood and courage.
The Magical Language of Others: A Memoir by E.J. Koh
"After living in America for over a decade, Eun Ji's parents return to Korea for work, leaving fifteen-year-old Eun Ji and her brother behind in the family's new California home. Overnight, Eun Ji finds herself in a world made strange in her mother's absence. Her mother writes letters over the years seeking forgiveness and love-letters Eun Ji cannot understand until she finds them years later hidden in a box"—provided by the publisher
Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
Alex is only eleven years old but dreams of flying into space and on his spectacular journey he will meet a series of characters that will help him face the truth about his father's disappearance, and discover that although his family is not perfect, they will always be willing to offer their support.
Soundless by Richelle Mead
"A fantasy adventure steeped in Chinese folklore about a teenage girl named Fei. When her village is suddenly in danger, Fei finds herself on a journey from the peak of her jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever"—provided by the publisher
For Young Children
Spring is Here = Llegó la primavera by Tarō Gomi
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