The book community all around the world is going all out to support Asian authors, especially in a special month dedicated to celebrate and commemorate our very identity. Big online personalities within the book community are hosting “readathons” and challenges to get more readers into supporting novels that spark a light on Asian experiences, cultures, and even entirely make-believe worlds by authors of Asian decent. This includes the #AsianReadathon, #StanAsianAuthors challenge, and #ARMYdathon (yes, that’s a BTS-themed readathon that has prompts dedicated to Asian books).
Each initiative aims to spread awareness on books by authors from our side of the planet, which are often not as marketed as their white counterparts. This is to make publishing and distributing companies take notice of the fact that Asian books are just as marketable, profitable, and eligible for the same success as other mass-marketed books.
So if you’re looking to diversify your bookshelves with some Asian-authored books, here’s a list to get you started:
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
THE POPPY WAR by R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War trilogy has been getting all the buzz lately as the third and final book was released in November 2020, but the hype’s still as strong as ever as more and more first-time readers join in on the fun (…or is it the pain?) that the series brings. Dubbed as the best fantasy debut of 2018, Chinese-American author R.F. Kuang creates an epic historical military fantasy rooted in humanity, friendship, and the atrocities of war.
The first book follows Rin, a peasant girl who makes it to the country’s most prestigious military school where she’s ruthlessly taught combat, strategy, shamanism, and more, in order to become soldiers of the empire one day. However, tensions rise as people believe a Third Poppy War to be in the midst, leaving Rin’s class as the first to possibly graduate into a full-fledged war. With Rin’s shamanism powers mysteriously growing stronger, and enemies from all sides continue to threaten her and her classmates’ lives, she’s pushed to make decisions that might just win them the war, but cost her humanity.
THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO by K.S. Villoso
The Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series also just recently concluded with Book 3, and fans are gushing over their favorite badass queen and the rest of its powerful cast. Villoso, a Filipino author born in Albay, Philippines, has successfully entered the global fantasy genre with an epic fantasy series that’s unlike any other in today’s market.
The first book, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, follows a queen hated by her people as she attempts to stop a ruin she created herself. Years after her coronation, she seeks out a possible ally across the sea, only to be attacked with an assassination attempt that leaves her in an island all alone, with no one to trust except her own desperate desire to go back home. There, she’s faced with the responsibility of uniting her people against something she’s struggling to survive herself.
NON-FICTION
MINOR FEELINGS: AN ASIAN AMERICAN RECKONING by Cathy Park Hong
Cathy Park Hong shares essays on Minor Feelings, detailing her experience on racial identity as a second generation immigrant of Korean decent. The memoir examines her relationship with America since she was born, and how the country’s perpetuation of Asian stereotypes formed her outlook on who she, her family, and the rest of her friends are in today’s world. An excerpt from the synopsis reads: “This book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship in a search to both uncover and speak the truth.”
DEAR AMERICA: NOTES OF AN UNDOCUMENTED CITIZEN by Jose Antonio Vargas
There’s a label that Filipinos call OFWs who overstay their welcome in foreign countries, the most common destination being America: TNT or Tago Nang Tago (loosely translated to someone who is constantly in hiding). Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’ memoir tackles this phenomenon in a deeply personal and real way, documenting his experiences of homelessness, lying to the government and friends, and constantly being wary of who and where he is. He says in a blurb that “this is a book about what it means to not have a home.”
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
A PHO LOVE STORY by Loan Le
Just imagine, what would happen if Romeo and Juliet were Vietnamese-Americans, and running rival, family-owned, pho restaurants? A Pho Love Story is a fun new release this year that depicts the strong ties of family in Asian cultures, our deep connections with food, and what happens when two teens form an unlikely friendship (turned relationship) in the midst of it all. If you’re looking for a light read to balance out the harsh realities of our non-fiction selection, this one’s a great romantic comedy that’s wholeheartedly proud to be Asian in today’s world.
THE HENNA WARS by Adiba Jaigirdar
The Henna Wars is a beautiful debut novel by Bangladesh-born author Adiba Jaigirdar that follows a coming-of-age story set in a Muslim household where the protagonist is a teen girl who just came out as lesbian to her parents. As she faces her family’s disapproval, she’s also confronted by her blooming feelings for her childhood friend. The story takes off as both girls decide to run their businesses for a school competition, where one chooses to do henna to uplift her culture, and the other chooses it despite of cultural appropriation. This one’s also a real fun sapphic romance centered around the themes of identity, family, and owning up to one’s heritage.
These are just six books to hundreds and thousands of Asian-authored books out there, and we haven’t even scratched the surface. If any of these pique your interest, or it just got you excited to read more Asian books, we implore you to do a quick search online as well to find the titles perfect for you! Support our own authors by diversifying your libraries, and just by celebrating Asian culture, talent, and our overall identity.