Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

“Heart of Fire is a revelatory, evocative, deeply moving book.” —Washington Post

“Amazing . . . a memoir I really loved.” —Secretary Hillary Clinton, “You and Me Both” podcast

“A beautiful book.” —Trevor Noah, The Daily Show

The intimate and inspiring life story of Mazie Hirono, the first Asian-American woman and the only immigrant serving in the... Read more »

“The funniest, most poignant novel of the year.” —Vogue

“Disorientation does what great comedies and satires are supposed to do: make you laugh while forcing you to ponder the uncomfortable implications of every punchline.” —The Washington Post

A Taiwanese American woman’s coming-of-consciousness ignites eye-opening revelations and chaos on a... Read more »

If you enjoyed Mariam Sharma Hits the Road, then you’ll love A Place for Us.

“A Place For Us By Fatima Farheen Mirza is a truly powerful story about family relationships and how the strength of culture and religious beliefs can unite as well as tear families apart. Beautifully written from different family members’ perspectives, Mizra presents all the sides of the various stories that make up the formation of this unforgettable Indian Muslim family. Haunting and realistic. Likewise, Mariam Sharma Hits the Road by Sheba Karim wrestles with the choices the younger generation must make to reconcile the beliefs and desires of their parents with their own individual desires and personalities. Both both novels explore the growth of the individual and western choices in contrast to Muslim traditional beliefs. Both are thoughtful and provocative.”

Phyllis, Wellesley Books

From the acclaimed author of We Ride Upon Sticks comes a luminous novel that moves across a windswept Mongolia, as estranged twin brothers make a journey of duty, conflict, and renewed understanding.

Tasked with finding the reincarnation of a great lama—a spiritual teacher who may have been born anywhere in the vast Mongolian landscape—the young... Read more »

Whereabouts

“The latest story from Jhumpa Lahiri is told gently, quietly. It’s about a woman, told in her own voice—filled with everyday commonalities that explain little and yet reveal much. The words are lovely, sad, sometimes hopeful, but often disappointed. The author has shared with us a vision of life lived by another and yet there’s something about her that is so familiar. 'Could she be me?' some will ask. 'Am I, too, that private—known only to myself?' Whether or not you follow the author’s work, you’ll treasure this small offering to life, to unknown love, to memory. It’s one to read over again many times. I know I will.”

Linda, Auntie's Bookstore

Interior Chinatown

“We all make choices throughout our lives, choosing different paths to follow, different roles to play. But who selects the options we choose from? Interior Chinatown is like a rapier taken to stereotypes that inhabit society's attitudes towards Asian Americans. The main character, Willis Wu, is a minor actor in an ongoing cop drama who wants to be more than a generic Asian male in the background, maybe even someday becoming "Kung Fu Guy". The novel bounces back and forth between the script Wu is inhabiting and an interior monologue . And one of the strengths of this book, for the reader, is how thin the line sometimes feels between these stereotypical roles that Willis is acting, and the ridiculousness of the particular situation. Interior Chinatown is a brilliant novel, one that challenged this reader in the best possible ways”

Martin, Green Apple Books

The Chosen and the Beautiful

“What would you give up to have it all? Magical and queer as hell, Jordan Baker takes readers through Jazz Age New York as her snark, rage, and feelings for Daisy keep us turning pages until early morning. Like one of Gatsby’s cursed parties, this book was one I wanted to never end.”

Abby Rice, The Briar Patch

Exhalation

“WOW. My first experience with Ted Chiang absolutely blew me out of the water. Each story left me with wide eyes and a racing mind, running to my husband to read a passage so we could both be knocked over with wonder. Exhalation filled me with so many questions about our collective past, present, and future, I’ll be coming back to this book again and again trying to find the answers.”

Kasey Kane, Country Bookshelf

Time Is a Mother

“Ocean Vuong comes home in his second full-length collection, exploring grief, violence, masculinity and queer life in America. Whether shoveling snow, reversing time, or losing his mother, Vuong will crack you open and heal you.”

Owen Elphick, Main Point Books

Sharks in the Time of Saviors

“Night Marchers, gods, goddesses, and the dead all walk Hawaii with the Flores family, if only they can stop struggling to survive long enough to see them. At seven years old, Nainoa falls into the Pacific only to be brought back to his mother in the mouth of a shark, unharmed and now burdened with the rumor of legend. Noa struggles to understand his gift and what he is supposed to do with it, and each of his family members grapples with their role as well. Every character is imbued with the truths of family and the magic of legend and you will not close this book unchanged. Beautiful and a must read! The readers on Libro.fm grant entrance in to this world with an authenticity difficult to obtain otherwise.”

Linda, Cellar Door Books