Inspirational biographies never go out of style. Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made many important cultural and historical contributions to the United States and the world. Learn more about eight notable people who defied racism and made their mark in the arts, film, sports, and more, as we commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
 

Duke Kahanamoku (You Should Meet) by Laurie Calkhoven, illustrated by Stevie Lewis

Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku was called the "Human Fish" for his remarkable athletic skills. This slim book chronicles his eventful life from his early years in Honolulu to his swimming achievements at the 1912, 1920, and 1924 Summer Olympics to his work as the "father of modern surfing,"  educating people around the world about the ancient traditional sport.

Kahanamoku had a colorful post-Olympics career as well, working as a police officer and cultural ambassador. Young readers will gain a new understanding and appreciation for the Aloha State through Kahanamoku’s story and brief descriptions of Hawaiian history, culture, and popular Hawaiian language phrases.
 

Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen brought the dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge by Carrie Clickard, illustrated by Katy Wu

Chinese food may be as ubiquitous as apple pie in American food culture these days, but the public demand for dim sum, dandan noodles, and dumplings didn’t happen overnight.

This biography honors Joyce Chen, a 20th century culinary pioneer who promoted northern Chinese cuisine throughout the United States, first in the Boston area via her restaurant and adult cooking classes, and then across the country and world with her cookbook and PBS cooking show.

Chen’s story is told in lively, rhyming verse, which makes for an engaging read-out-loud activity. The bright, vivid illustrations will make the reader feel present for all of the events in Chen’s life, and the food illustrations and dumpling recipe will make the reader’s mouth water.
 

The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan by Christy Hale

Isamu Noguchi was an artist, world-renowned for his modernist sculptures, furniture, stage designs, public works, and parks—this picture book explores his childhood in Japan. While Noguchi experienced discrimination because of his biracial heritage—Japanese and Scottish-Irish American—his mother, Leonie Gilmour, encouraged her son’s growing artistic talent and interest in nature, culminating in one of his earliest works: the East-West House, a family home with Japanese and Western architectural elements, which he designed at just eight years of age. 

Hale tells Noguchi’s story with simple, evocative prose and colorful illustrations echoing traditional Japanese watercolors and prints. Older children who love the arts will be intrigued by the detailed Noguchi biography and photographs of the artist, his family, and his works.
 

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Lin Wang

Anna May Wong wasn’t supposed to be an actress. As a child, she worked in her family’s laundry business in LA's Chinatown, ironing clothes and making deliveries, but she rebelled. The daring girl would skip school to visit movie sets, eventually working her way up from performing as a film extra and in small roles during the 1910s and 1920s to becoming a movie star in Europe. Yoo’s biography charts all the hardships and racism Wong encountered within the film industry and her attempts to improve the portrayal of Asian Americans in film and beyond.  
 

Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee by Ken Mochizuki, illustrated by Dom Lee

Bruce Lee is remembered as the cool, iconic movie star who introduced the world to kung fu in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This biography pulls back the curtain on his youth during his time growing up in Hong Kong. It’s a jarring surprise to read about Lee’s transformation from a book-loving, ballroom-dancing kid into a hot-tempered street-brawling teen. The biography delves into young Lee’s struggles to control his anger and shows how martial arts played an important role in helping Lee develop self-composure and control.
 

Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Dom Lee

Growing up in southern California, all Sammy Lee ever wanted to do was go diving. As a kid, he was thrilled when the 1932 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, as he aspired to achieve athletic glory. But the odds were against Lee, the son of Korean immigrants. The local swimming pool was segregated, meaning Lee and his friends could only go on Wednesdays when the pool was open to people of color for "International Day." His father wanted his son to become a doctor; Lee, however, persevered to follow his dream.

This picture book chronicles Lee’s long, winding road to becoming a two-time Olympic gold medalist in 1948 and 1952. It also briefly touches on Lee’s remarkable life beyond the diving board, including his military service, and his medical and coaching career.  
 

Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, illustrated by Yutaka Houlette

Sometimes, an unjust law is meant to be broken and disobeyed. Fred Korematsu took a big risk as a young adult during World War II, when he defied Executive Order 9066, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s directive that forced 120,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes and relocate to prison camps in the desolate, remote parts of California, Arizona, Wyoming, Arkansas, Colorado, Utah, and Alaska.

The discriminatory order was based on the fear that Japanese Americans could be spies and it took a devastating physical, emotional, and financial toll when families were forced to give up all their belongings during relocation; people suffered in the prison camps and, in some cases, were killed while imprisoned or died due to the lack of, or poor, medical help.

Korematsu was arrested on May 30, 1942, in San Leandro, California, for refusing to go to the Tanforan Racetrack barracks. He bravely fought his case to the U.S. Supreme Court with help from lawyer Ernest Besig of the American Civil Liberties Union. While Korematsu lost, he and other Japanese Americans were ultimately vindicated nearly 40 years later, in 1983, when Korematsu’s case was re-opened and overturned after it was discovered that government officials lied about the existence of Japanese American spies.  

Atkins and Yogi’s book tells Korematsu’s life story from childhood to adult activism in alternating chapters of prose poetry and history lessons: about discrimination in America, the hardships Japanese Americans endured in the internment/prison camps and their struggles to rebuild their lives after imprisonment, and Korematsu’s long court fight for justice.

Older children and teens will be inspired by Korematsu’s civil rights work, and the book provides additional educational resources for young activists-in-training. 
 

Maya Lin: Thinking with Her Hands by Susan Rubin

Artist Maya Lin may be best-known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. while she was a college student at Yale University. Her creative contributions, however, go beyond memorials to include earth sculptures that evoke ocean waves, eco-inspired buildings, and art instillations.

Readers take a tour of Lin’s artistic evolution and works with this biography, divided into chapters devoted to an element or idea central to each project. Highlights include the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; the Langston Hughes Library and Riggio-Lynch Chapel in Clinton, Tennessee; and the Museum of the Chinese in America in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City.

The book fittingly closes with Lin’s final memorial, dedicated to planet Earth, entitled What is Missing? It's comprised of multiple artworks and an ongoing multimedia project that draws attention to the vanishing nature around the world by presenting videos, personal stories, and timelines on endangered species, changing habitats and conservation efforts. The ultimate goal of her final memorial is to "raise awareness of what we are losing" and show the public what they can do to help save the environment.