100 Books to Read for AAPIHM

Published by Esther Fung, May 1, 2024


Reading books by authors from all different backgrounds and communities is something we encourage year-round at Pango. However, this Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite books written by Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors. From works from established writers like Min Jin Lee and Arundhati Roy to stars in the making like Roshani Chokshi and Charles Yu, every reader will find something to add to their reading list here.

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho

Fantasy

Unlock the magic within you with these fantasy books by Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors. Join a group of bandits and warrior monks in a world that blends martial arts with magic in The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho and set out to save books with a high school student and a mysterious talking cat in The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. Want to change the world? Win battles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun, lead revolutions in R. F. Kuang's Babel, and witness the birth of a nation in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children.

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Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park

Romance

Get ready to fall in love with our staff-curated collection of romances from Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander writers. Enjoy a mix of fantasy and romance with The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, in which a young witch in England finds her found family, or get a Jane Austen remix with Sonali Dev's retelling, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. Enemies-to-lovers fans will love Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park, while those who prefer the fake dating trope will be obsessed with Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron.

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Historical fiction

Explore various Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors' perspectives on history with these excellent historical fiction novels. Follow the women in a Hawaiian-Chinese family from the 19th century to present day in Song of the Exile by Kiana Davenport, traverse across oceans from Taiwan to California in Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan, and uncover the truth behind the death of a Malaysian family's grandmother in Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan. Whether you're traveling around the world or unlocking new perspectives on events you thought you already knew, these historical fictions will thrill anyone who loves immersive stories with nuanced characters.

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Mysteries and thrillers

Ready for books that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Read the post-Vietnam War thriller, The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen before you watch the adaptation, find out who set those trains on fire in A Burning by Megha Majumdar, and run a purse knockoff operation in Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen.


Prefer cozy mysteries instead? We've got you covered. Jesse Q. Sutanto's Dial A For Aunties will have you laughing out of your seat as you follow the main character and her aunties' attempts to cover up an accidental murder, and Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala will have you craving Filipino dishes as you race to find out whodunnit.

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Science fiction and dystopian literature

Explore other worlds and alternative realities with these science fiction selections. Meet a time travel technician searching for his father in the meta science fiction novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu, or explore robot companions who challenge our perception of love in Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.


For dystopian literature, try the heartbreaking The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan, which explores the double standards mothers face. We also recommend The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, which takes place on an island full of inhabitants who are slowly losing their memories.

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General fiction

If you're a fan of literary fiction, we can't recommend Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata enough. It follows a young Japanese woman who loves her job at the local convenience store and is perfectly content with her life, despite everyone else's criticisms. Love magical realism? You'll be obsessed with The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh, which traces three generations of a Vietnamese-American family who can only give birth to daughters. Looking for short stories? This is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila is a gritty collection of short stories about what living in Hawaii is really like. Want retellings? Dive into Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, which retells the story of Antigone but with a British-Pakistani family in the 21st century.

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Young adult

Check out these amazing young adult books by Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors! For fantasy lovers, we recommend The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, which centers around the female heir of the Maori tribe in Whangara, New Zealand with the power to talk to whales. Looking for graphic novels? We loved The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, in which a Vietnamese-American teenager attempts to come out to his parents despite the cultural and linguistic barriers. Can't get enough of superhero stories? Try a fresh twist on the narrative with Not Your Sidekick, in which a daughter of superheroes gets an internship for her parents' nemeses.

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Middle grade

Stock up on some great middle grade books for the younger readers in your life or the child in you! We absolutely loved the Studio Ghibli feel of Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe, which revolves around a young witch with only a "pinch of magic," as well as the magically wondrous Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi, which is part of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Get lost in Hena Khan's More to the Story, which is a loose retelling of the classic Little Women, and embrace childhood wonder in the charming Stargazing by Jen Wang. Whether you're buying for another reader or yourself, these middle grade books are sure to please.

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Nonfiction

Even if you're a fiction reader, these nonfiction reads will have you engrossed like a novel. See the world from the eyes of Jose Antonio Vargas, who didn't even know he was undocumented until he was a teenager in Dear America: Notes from an Undocumented Citizen. Read about Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai in her bestselling memoir, I Am Malala. And explore memoirs in the form of graphic novels with The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. Want a celebrity memoir? Try They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. Looking for history books? We recommend the excellent nonfiction book, The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee.

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