Asian/AAPI Representation in Literature📚

Written by Genevie Hong and edited by Bianca Kamath

In recent years, Asian/AAPI representation is gaining more importance, and books written by Asian American/AAPI authors are gaining more notoriety, with some examples being, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han or Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan; both of which have been transformed into successful movies and have initiated the discussion for more Asian/APPI representation on screen.

According to the LA Times, contemporary English-language Hollywood film with an all- Crazy Rich Asians made history by being the “first to finding love Asian cast since “The Joy Luck Club” 25 years ago. There are so many wonderful biographies, novels, comics, memoirs, etc. written by Asian/AAPI authors that don’t get the recognition they deserve. From tales of hardship and acceptance and being a role model for fellow Asian/AAPI Americans (either fictional or nonfictional), these books realistically depict what it’s like to be an Asian living in America.

Winter is nearing and what better way to enjoy it than by cozying up by the fireplace with hot cocoa and a nice book. Here are some amazing books written by Asian/AAPI authors that will hopefully provide a new perspective or be something that you can relate to. Through books, we can experience each other’s struggles and get a deeper and broader understanding of different people, cultures, and the world.

Books:

1. Nam Moi: A young girl’s story of her family’s escape from Vietnam by Charlene Lin Ung

Born in Saigon during the Vietnam War, Nam Moi and her family constantly dealt with the harsh communist rule and were among the 1.6 million refugees escaping the cruel regime of communist Vietnam during the Vietnam war. In order to ensure a better life for his family, her father makes the decision to move his family from Vietnam to the U.S. Using all his life savings, he gets his family on a cargo ship to America, the land of the free. Written by Nam Moi herself, (otherwise known as Charlene Lin Ung) this incredible biography describes her family’s brave escape from Vietnam in search of a better life. Like many immigrants, she experienced the hardships of moving to a new country such as learning a new language, assimilating to a new culture, working multiple jobs to earn money, and getting an education.

2. Minor Feelings: An Asian-American reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

Written by remarkable poet and essayist, Cathy Park Hong, Minor Feelings is a book composed of seven essays that delve into topics such as racial consciousness in America, based on Hong’s experiences. Growing up as a Korean-American Hong has struggled with depression and has always felt conscious of the stereotype that Asian Americans have in society. In her book, she proposes an idea called “minor feelings”, a feeling you get when you believe the stereotypes and lies that society conventionalizes about your own racial identity. She explores issues such as race, white supremacy, and gender issues in American culture and critiques them from a different perspective. Asians are not “math-crunching middle managers”. With her book, Hong hopes to bring an end to “white innocence” by expressing her own experiences with racism through literature.

3. Dear Girls: Intimate tales, untold secrets, & advice for living your best life by Ali Wong

Written by renowned actress and comedian, Ali Wong, and also expresses her gratitude to her parents for their sacrifices, tolerance, and unconditional love. If you are in need of a good laugh, Dear Girls is a book composed of a series of hilarious and profound letters addressed to her two daughters; who are not allowed to read it until they are twenty-one. Her book answers her most asked questions such as what it’s like to be an Asian American woman in entertainment to how she balances her family and career. Her book also covers her hit Netflix comedy special Dear Girls is hysterical, insanely funny, and really something else! Baby Cobra and Hard-Knock Wife which describes “how to know if a Chinese restaurant is legit or how to trap a man, etc.” Ali Wong also talks about reconnecting with her Asian roots, comedy stories, her wild stories about growing up in San Francisco,

4. Ornamentalism by Anne Anlin Cheng

Ornamentalism provides a unique perspective about Asiatic femininity in Western culture. focusing on the social and thoughtful conflation between the “oriental” and the “ornamental, Oriental or orientalism is essentially how the West perceives the East. And how human beings are regarded as objects, while ornamentation refers to turning an object into a human being. This book challenges our outlook of racialized womanliness by permitting us to conceptualize race and sexual orientation without being exclusively under obligation to tissue or skin.

5. Good Talk: A memoir in conversations by Mira Jacob

Good Talk is a memoir of discussions with the author, Mira Jacob, and her six-year-old half-Jewish, half-Indian son. Growing up as interracial in America has made her son question his identity and belonging. His bewildering questions result in candid, heartfelt, and difficult conversations that touch upon race, love, family, politics. While also answering her son’s questions, Mira Jacob also reflects on her own past experiences growing up South Indian American in Arizona. Invigorating and enlightening, Mira Jacob creates an open and comfortable space for seemingly unapproachable and uncomfortable conversations that we often don’t openly talk about in society.

Here are some more books which you may like:

Novels:

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Huynh

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Biographies/Memoirs:

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley

Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? by Mindy Kaling

Graphic Novels:

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Sources:

Cover Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

1. Cheng, Anne Anlin. “Ornamentalism.” Google Books, Oxford University Press, 2018, books.google.com/books/about/Ornamentalism.html?id=N2J7DwAAQBAJ.
2. Hong, Cathy Park. “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 25 Feb. 2020, www.goodreads.com/book/show/52845775-minor-feelings.
3. Jacob, Mira. “Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 26 Mar. 2019, www.goodreads.com/book/show/36700347-good-talk.
4. Ung, Charlene. “Nam Moi: A Young Girl’s Story of Her Family’s Escape from Vietnam by Charlene Lin Ung.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 20 Mar. 2015, www.goodreads.com/book/show/25211214-nam-moi.
5. Wong, Ali. “Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 15 Oct. 2019, www.goodreads.com/book/show/44600621-dear-girls?ac=1.
6. Yee, Katie. “25 Books by Asian-American and Pacific Islander Writers to Read Right Now.” Book Marks, 28 May 2020, bookmarks.reviews/25-books-by-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-writers-to-read-right-now/.