Five Awesome Books by Asian-American Women, I Think You Might Like

May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. For those of us who live in a world of books, that means we turn our attention to reading, celebrating and uplifting AAPI authors during the month of May. Does that mean we only read AAPI authors in May? Of course not, May is just when we give our AAPI author friends extra shine.

The thing is, although I read widely, I wouldn’t say I have any expertise in the AAPI experience, nor have I deeply studied the works of AAPI authors. Therefore, what I would like to share are five of my favorite AAPI authors and why, so that I can give them the flowers they deserve, and perhaps, convince more people to read their work. I figure, if you like some of my other book suggestions, you might like some of these too.

Celeste Ng - The Writer Who Knows Drama

If you love books that are steeped in reality, but overflow with drama and impossible situations, then you will love Celeste Ng’s work as much as I do. Ng has written three novels, but is probably most known for her second book, Little Fires Everywhere. Why? Not only because the book is freakishly good, but also because it was turned into a TV series starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon.

Personally, I am currently reading Ng’s latest book, Our Missing Hearts. I was hooked from page one. The story takes place in a near future world where Asian-Americans and librarians are considered dangerous and un-American. Even though the story is supposed to be in the future/an alternate reality, there are familiar traces of conservative politics and book banning that are already in play today. In the book, a young, Chinese-American boy is looking for his mother who abandoned the family three years prior, but she also might be the government’s most wanted for her radical poetry. Stay tuned to the blog for a full review when I finish reading the book.

Erin Entrada Kelly for the Middle-Grade Read You Need In Your Life

This may be a cheat, because I know Erin Entrada Kelly personally, and I think she is a delightful human, in addition to being a spectacular and imaginative writer. Erin writes books for middle grade and early readers and has seriously won every possible award and honor for her books, including the Newberry Medal for her book Hello, Universe. The thing about Erin’s books is that she is never resting on a single story idea, every new book explores a different topic or time period, always with diverse characters and exciting plots. And recently, Erin added the title of illustrator to her bag of tricks and is now illustrating some of her own titles. Who is that talented? Apparently Erin Entrada Kelly is.

Fun fact, Kelly recently announced that she is dipping her toe into the YA space with her next book, so she is moving on up …in ages on the pages. Erin is also very active on social media, so follow her on Instagram if you want to see what is going on in her literary life.

Johanna Ho for Picture Books that Celebrate Asian Americans

I had the pleasure of interviewing Johanna Ho on my podcast before she left her job as an educator to write full time. That was more than three years ago, and since then Ho was been on a wild ride of publishing success. From picture books to YA fiction, she is using children’s literature to continue her work as both activist and educator.

Ho’s breakout picture book that I interviewed her about is called Eyes that Kiss in the Corners and it’s about a little Asian-American girl who loves her eyes. Since then, Ho has written eight other books including the just released, We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America. It is gorgeous. I suggest anyone looking for books for young people that celebrate the Asian-American experience, check out Johanna Ho’s work.

Ilyon Woo Brings History to Life

Ilyon Woo won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for this incredible book.

Ilyon Woo is a Korean-American nonfiction writer, who has written two critically-acclaimed books that unearth incredible stories from America’s past. Her first book, The Great Divorce, is about a 19th century white woman who sues her husband for custody of their children, after he “kidnaps” them and forces them to live in the deeply conservative Shaker community.

Her second book, Master, Slave, Husband Wife, is about William and Ellen Craft, an enslaved couple who escaped to freedom after disguising themselves as a white man (Ellen) and his slave (William). Woo’s gift is her ability to turn historical facts into real-life stories that read like fiction. Personally, I am waiting for Woo to tackle fiction because I am sure it would be brilliant.

And this just in, Ilyon Woo won a 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Master Slave, Husband Wife in the category of biography, so now the whole world knows how brilliant she is. Congratulations to Ilyon! (P.S. You can hear my recent interview with Woo on the Reed, Write, & Create podcast.)

Mira Jacob - Made Me Love Graphic Memoir

Mira Jacob’s 2019 memoir, Good Talk, made me reverse course on my anti-graphic memoir stance.

I really didn’t think I liked graphic memoirs until I read Good Talk and seriously enjoyed it. I loved both the story and the illustrations, and Jacob did both. Good Talk is about the author’s experience as an Indian American mom raising a biracial child with white in-laws in the age of Donald Trumpism. It’s riveting stuff. And even though it is in graphic form, it is still full of depth and insight into some very complicated issues. But also, it’s quite funny.

If you’re not into graphic memoir, Jacob has also written a novel and is currently working on a new novel, a juicy, murder mystery about a “white-passing” Indian actress. It sounds like my kind of book. Stay tuned to Mira Jacob’s Instagram page for updates.

R.O. Kwon is My Honorable Mention

True confession, I have not read R.O. Kwon’s first novel, Incendiaries, but after reading a riveting profile and preview about her new book, Exhibit, which will be released this month, I’m confident she will be added to my list of AAPI authors I love. The profile I read was in Poets & Writers magazine and they describe Exhibit, like this: “In her second novel, R.O. Kwon explores what happens when a creative woman lets go of her inhibitions - and faces her own fears in the process.” I will let you know when I get my hands on this one.

In the meantime, keep reading diverse books.