Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The month of May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month, or AAPI month. This is a time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout our country. For us at the Library, that means sharing some of our picks for AAPI own-voice authors and literature, both new and old.

Find the whole set in the Library catalog

Want even more suggestions or context? Check out NYTimes Magazine’s “Best Books About Asian-American Identity.”

Kids

• “Awesome Asian Americans” by Philip Amara
• “Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” by Joanna Ho

• “Myths and Legends of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands”
• “Stand Up, Yumi Chung!” by Jessica Kim

• “Front Desk” by Kelly Yang
• “Stargazing” by Jen Wang

• “The Serpent’s Secret” by Sayantani DasGupta
• “Red, White, and Whole” by Rajani LaRocca

• “Amina’s Voice” by Hena Khan
• “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” by Grace Lin

Teens

• “When We Were Infinite” by Kelly Loy Gilbert
• “When Dimple Met Rishi” by Sandhya Menon

• “Pashmina” by Nidhi Channani
• “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang

• “Love, Hate, and Other Filters” by Samira Ahmed
• “American Panda” by Gloria Chao

Adults

• “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki
• “Homeland Elegies” by Ayad Ahktar

• “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri
• “We Too Sing America” by Deepa Iyer

• “In the Country: Stories” by Mia Alvar
• “I Was Their American Dream” by Malaka Gharib

• “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner
• “The Expatriates” by Janice Y.K. Lee

• “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei
• “Minor Feelings” by Cathy Hong