Written in collaboration with youth librarians Christy Lau, Chatham Square Library; Crystal Chen, Woodstock Library; and Susen Shi, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.

For some New Yorkers, Chinatown is the place to get authentic “cheap” food and unfamiliar snacks—a place where they can gawk at busy sidewalk markets and experience a vibrant culture without really leaving the comforts of their city. But to many people of the global Chinese diaspora, however, Chinatown is something more, its liminality defined by symbols of a nostalgic, imagined homeland and a fraught, racist history. Whatever the experience, Chinatown is an embedded and important part of the Chinese diasporic memory, but not the only topic worth considering.

“Today's Asian immigrant journeys are fluid, multidirectional, and global. Similarly, identities are not tied to one place, but to many places at once." ― Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America

Below is a small collection of contemporary titles and authors that encompasses a wide range of narratives and genres spanning the global Chinese diaspora experience.* The list begins in Chinatown but ends in many places, showing the “fluid, multidirectional” identities that continue to thrive and flourish.

Adult Books

American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods by Bonnie Tsui

Through interviews and personal observations, Tsui delves into the history of Chinatowns in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Las Vegas to show how these communities have grown and evolved over the decades with the ebbs and flows of racism, changing economies, successive generations of immigration, and gentrification. While this award-winning 2009 book may seem a bit dated, the memories within remain poignant, especially given the financial and racial profiling impact of COVID-19 on many Chinatowns and Chinese American communities.

 

 

Chinatowns of New York City by Wendy Wan-Yin Tan

The origins of Manhattan's Chinatown go back to 1847 when the Cantonese merchant ship Kee Ying visited New York Harbor and some of the 35 crew members stayed behind. The presence of Chinese and Chinese Americans in New York City has dramatically expanded in subsequent decades. Learn the history of various Chinatowns in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens and see how the neighborhoods and streetscapes have transformed over time.

 

 

 

The Chinese in America: A Narrative History by Iris Chang（有中文版)

In bestselling author Iris Chang’s final, extensively researched book, she chronicles more than 150 years of the Chinese American diaspora history from the first waves of immigration during the California Gold Rush to subsequent generations all the way to the 1990s and early 2000s. Her book explains the various circumstances that lead people to leave China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and the mixed circumstances and receptions they found in the United States.

 

 

 

Crossfire: A Litany for Survival by Staceyann Chin

Spoken-word poet Staceyann Chin’s fiery poetry collection tackles race, gender, and sexuality with raw, unflinching honesty.

 

 

 

 

 

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

Those looking for a thought-provoking examination of what it truly means to be human will enjoy Ted Chiang's second collection of short stories. Brilliantly moving and well-crafted, Chiang transports readers to different worlds and tackles deep philosophical questions within, all the while, changing the way readers see themselves and the world around them.

 

 

 

Ghosts of Gold Mountain by Gordon M. Chang

Gordon Chang gives voice to the Chinese that built the Transcontinental Railroad, documenting the travails they faced from dangerous conditions to racist retaliation to becoming a forgotten footnote in American history. The "Railroad Chinese" are remembered and given life in this well-researched text that won the 2020 APALA Literature Award and 2020 CALA Best Book Award for nonfiction.

 

 

 

Gloria by Kerry Young

Written in Jamaican Patois, Gloria follows a young girl fleeing to Kingston after an act of violence. Gloria finds a home in a "house of ill repute" and builds a life entwined with Pao, a Chinatown racketeer. A stand-alone sequel to Pao.

 

 

 

 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Relegated to bit parts like Generic Asian Man, Disgraced Son, and Background Oriental Making a Weird Face, actor Willis Wu strives to reach the only kind of success opened to him in Hollywood: the role of Kung Fu Guy.

 

 

 

 

The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee

This comprehensive history documents how Asians and Asian Americans have transformed and shaped America, while facing racial discrimination, exclusion laws, and (for Japanese Americans) incarceration camps. Lee tracks the shift of American perception of Asian Americans, from "despised minority" to "model minority," and details the continued complexity of the Asian American experience.

 

 

 

Oculus: Poems by Sally Wen Mao

Oculus is a sharp collection of voyeuristic and morbidly vivid poems written through an Asian American woman’s lens with technology at the heart of it all. It’s beautifully complex and moving, always confronting the harsh gaze Asian Americans are subjected to.

 

 

 

The Unpassing: A Novel by Chia-Chia Lin

Ten-year-old Gavin falls into a coma after contracting meningitis and awakens to find his family grieving the passing of his little sister, Ruby, from the same illness. Seen through Gavin's eyes, this is a quietly compelling story about alienation, grief, and belonging.

 

 

 

 

We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang 

Jeff Chang's collection of essays tackles a range of topics including cultural equity, student protest, Ferguson, and Asian American identity. The book concludes with the essay "Making Lemonade," an investigation of Beyoncé's Lemonade album as a metaphor for transformative justice in our society.

 

 

 

 

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen

Playful, humorous, and tender, Chen Chen's poetry debut is a welcome addition to contemporary Asian American, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ narratives.

 

 

 

 

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

Spanning three generations of women, Wild Swans documents the family history of Jung Chang and illuminates life during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. Although originally published in 1991, this vivid historical account retains its cultural and political resonance.

 

 

 

 

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston（有中文版)

This 1976 autobiographical collection of stories by California-raised Kingston weaves Chinese folktales, family memories and the legend of Fa Mulan into a classic feminist literary work.

 

 

 

 

The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi

Yanyi’s powerful poems carve out spaces and fill them with moments of quiet beauty. Readers new to poetry will appreciate Yanyi’s gentle and gorgeous style.

 

 

 

 

 

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl’s Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom

Through essays and poems, writer and social worker Kai Cheng Thom examines the gray areas of the social justice and #MeToo movements, mental health, and the racial and class divisions within the LGBTQ2 community.

 

 

 

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang

Against the backdrop of the American Gold Rush, newly orphaned siblings Lucy and Sam set off to bury their father—and their past—while trying to find their way to a new future. Zhang's debut is a fresh take on the classic western adventure story, integrating Chinese symbolism and elements of magical realism.

 

 

 

Young Adult Books

American Panda by Gloria Chao

Mei is in her first year at MIT and on track to become a doctor as per her parents’ lifelong dreams. The thing is, she can’t stand the sight of blood, or her biology lectures, but she doesn’t know how to approach her parents without disappointing them.

 

 

 

 

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

After her mother’s suicide, Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents in the hopes of learning more about her mother’s past and the secrets she left behind.

 

 

 

 

 

Bitter Melon by Cara Chow

Frances never imagined that her life goals wouldn’t include becoming a doctor. When she accidentally enrolls in a speech class at her school, she starts to rethink what her future could look like.

 

 

 

 

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Jo Kuan is a maid by day and the anonymous writer for an advice column, “Dear Miss Sweetie,” by night. When the column focuses on the politics of gender and race, not everyone in Atlanta is happy with this change.

 

 

 

 

Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen

After returning from a trip, Viola develops an intense allergy to sunlight, forcing her to rethink how to live a normal teen life. When a romance slowly turns serious and Viola makes risky decisions, she must decide how to find a way to live her life truthfully despite her photosensitivity.

 

 

 

 

Money Boy by Paul Yee

Ray Liu is struggling. He’s struggling with his father’s expectations, he’s struggling with the English language, and he’s struggling with making friends. When his father discovers his internet browser history, Ray finds himself without a home, living on the streets of Toronto, and making tough decisions to survive.

 

 

 

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

As the ordinary daughter in a family of two superheroes and a successful sister, Jessica Tran is trying to find her place in life even if that means interning at a company owned by supervillains. It doesn’t hurt that her longtime crush happens to work there as well.

 

 

 

 

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

A low Alto 2 singing voice is not going to stop Jordan Sun from joining an a cappella group, even if it means donning a disguise to join the prestigious Sharpshooters, Kensington’s elite all-male a cappella octet.

 

 

 

 

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang

In 1946, Lan-Shin (Roberta) Lee and her family move out of Chinatown to central Metropolis and attempt to fit in with the neighbors. But when the Klan begins harassing the Lees, Roberta teams up with new friends to help Superman take down the Klan in this smart, action-packed comic book adventure.

 

 

 

 

Warcross by Marie Lu

Hacker Emika Chen becomes an overnight sensation after glitching herself into the opening game of the International Warcross Championships. Instead of being arrested, she is tasked to spy on the upcoming Warcross tournament and to root out potential security problems. What she finds may have significant consequences for the entire world.

 

 

 

Children's Books

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang

The only thing Amy Wu wants to do today is to make the perfect bao just like her parents and her grandmother. It’s time consuming and filled with a lot of trial and error, but Amy’s got determination and a clever idea up her sleeve.

 

Cilla Lee-Jenkins by Susan Tan

A charming young reader series featuring zany Cilla Lee-Jenkins, who is half-Chinese and half-white. Follow Cilla as she tackles growing up multiracial, changes in her family, and her journey growing as a writer and reader.

 

 

 

 

The Dragon Warriorby Katie Zhao

Inspired by Chinese mythology and set in various Chinatowns, twelve-year-old Faryn Liu finds herself on a quest to find her father and prove that she is the legendary Heaven Breaker. Armed with a powerful sword and a goddess by her side, this is an empowering middle grade novel for kids of the diaspora.

 

 

 

 

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

This notable historical novel follows nine-year-old Shadow Moon as he leaves China and struggles to adapt to a new life in San Francisco with his estranged father, Windrider, and others. This family of laundry workers navigate various hardships and setbacks—including the massive 1906 earthquake—while still holding onto their dream of building a flying machine.

 

 

 

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Mia and her Chinese immigrant family manage a California motel but are treated unfairly by the owner. This empowering middle grade novel is filled with tough lessons about the world we live in, with themes centered on racism, poverty, and exploitation. Will Mia be able to fight for what is right?

 

 

 

 

One Hug by Katrina Moore

How many ways are there to show love? A sweet, rhyming picture book about a family preparing for their long-awaited relatives from afar.

 

 

Paper Son: the Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist by Julie Leung

Nine-year-old Wong Geng Yeo becomes a “paper son”—a Chinese immigrant with an assumed identity. This powerful picture book biography captures the trials and opportunities that transformed Wong Geng Yeo into Tyrus Wong, the animator responsible for the iconic Bambi landscapes.

Stargazing by Jen Wang

Christine Hong becomes best friends with Moon Lin, a girl who Christine perceives is "not Asian"  and the complete opposite of her in almost every way. Showcasing the diversity of the Chinese American experience, this refreshing graphic novel will resonate with readers feeling out of place in their own community.

 

 

 

* Note: For the purposes of this blog post, we took an expansive view of the Chinese diaspora and defined it based on the shared ethnic ancestry of those outside mainland China, but we recognize that the full complexity of the diaspora is beyond the scope of this article.  

For more reading recommendations, check out these blog posts:

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Recommendation: 'Asian Americans' Documentary on PBS by Arthur Ling>
• Chinese American Food: Stories of Odds and Ends by Raymond Pun
• Growing Up Chinese-American: Books for Young Readers by Sue Yee

Additional NYPL resources:

• Chatham Square Library’s Chinese Heritage Collection: a repository of Chinese and English language reference materials on Chinese history and literature, with emphasis on the Chinese experience in the United States. Please note that the materials in this collection are for reference only and must remain at the branch.
• The New York Public Library Community Oral History Project’s Chinatown Legacy Project
• Seward Park Library’s Lower East Side Heritage Collection
   

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you'd recommend. And for more recommendations, check out our Staff Picks browse tool!