"I'll Be Thinking About This Book For A Long Time": 21 "Couldn't Put Down" Books By AAPI Authors That Bookworms 100% Recommend Reading
Reading and centering diverse stories are important — not only because they help us learn through others' perspectives but also because some of us see pieces of ourselves represented in such stories. As we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, BuzzFeed staff members shared the books written by AAPI and API authors that they absolutely loved and still think about to this day. Here are the books we 100% recommend checking out:
1.Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Inspired by Chinese mythology, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is about a girl named Xingyin who grew up on the moon because her mother was sentenced there for stealing the Celestial Emperor's elixir of immortality. Xingyin's existence was supposed to be a secret, but she is forced to flee when her magic flares and brings the Celestial Empress to the moon to investigate. In an attempt to free her mom from exile, Xingyin journeys to the Celestial Kingdom and faces challenges she never thought she would.
This book is set in a vibrant and compelling world full of whimsy and magic. It's beautifully written, and I just LOVE a story in which the main character's unflinching determination is centered on their immense love for a family member.
—Dannica Ramirez
2.A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
A meandering detective tale, Murakami introduces readers to an ultra-lax (slacker?) narrator and his strange hunt for a sheep with a star-shaped birthmark, all with the help of his girlfriend and her unusually perceptive ears. It’s weird, wacky, and a load of fun, stretching from Tokyo to Hokkaido. This is the perfect pitch if you’ve never read Murakami before.
—Kevin Cortez
3.Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface is about June Hayward, a white woman who impulsively decides to claim the novel of Athena Liu as her own after Athena suddenly passes away. The novel is about the underrated contributions of Chinese laborers during WW1, so June decides to rebrand under the name Juniper Song — with an ethnically ambiguous author photo to match. June tries to keep her secret under wraps, but how far is she willing to go?
Yellowface is a satirical story that takes you on a wild ride. I love a book that makes you question (or hate!) the main character.
—Bea Benares
4.Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
This cozy and hilarious mystery book is about a Filipina character named Lila who moves back home after a breakup and finds herself trying to save the failing restaurant of one of her aunts. But when her ex-boyfriend ends up dead, and Lila becomes the primary suspect, she then faces the challenge of clearing her name — but not without any help. With her group of aunties, her bestie, and her dog named Longanisa, this book is funny, wholesome, and has some descriptions of food that literally made my stomach growl.
—Dannica Ramirez
5.The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The first of an epic fantasy trilogy, this South Asian-influenced novel pulls you in with its gorgeous prose, but the morally gray women and rich worldbuilding will keep you hooked. Complex and compelling, this sapphic romance stayed with me long after I finished reading. The third book comes out in November, and I can’t wait!
—Morgan Sloss
6.On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
I don't usually reach for memoirs, but On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous mixes fiction and memoir in the form of an epistolary novel. Written as a letter to his illiterate immigrant mother, the main character — who only refers to himself by his nickname, Little Dog — is a Vietnamese American boy who depicts his complicated life growing up. Touching on themes of sexuality, substance abuse, mental illness, and class, this book is incredibly honest and intimate, and Ocean Vuong's prose is absolutely gorgeous. One quote from the book especially stuck with me: "They say every snowflake is different — but the blizzard, it covers us all the same."
—Dannica Ramirez
7.Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
Yolk centers around two estranged sisters, Jayne and June, who end up living together after their individual lives unexpectedly take a turn for the worse. With nothing in common, the sisters find themselves having to awaken the longstanding conflicts and buried conversations that caused them to become estranged in the first place.
The dialogue is so funny, and the will they/won't they romance was a fun page-turner. But what really elevates the book for me are the moments between the two sisters and how the main character navigates her identity, considering her familial circumstances.
—Kat Maglunob
8.Horse Barbie by Geena Rocero
Horse Barbie is a captivating memoir that explores the trans and immigrant experience. I love the cultural and historical anecdotes the author added to weave her Filipino culture into her story.
—Bea Benares
9.The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
I like all of Helen's work, but The Heart Principle was the first I read, so it has a special place in my heart. The Heart Principle follows a violinist dealing with burnout and a family crisis. It's a romance, but fair warning: It deals with a lot of heavy subject matter amid the journey to a HEA. The characters are wonderful and give much-needed representation for autistic women, who are typically diagnosed later in life.
—Natasha Jokic
10.Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
Cartoonist Tomine has a knack for creating unlikeable characters you care about, and Killing and Dying might be his opus. This book collects six short stories about ordinary people and introduces the real-world weight of each character, delving into issues of identity, grief, sports, and love. Its realism is drawn with such passion and care. Each story holds this distinct emptiness that feels so profound that when the tale’s over, you’ll think about it for weeks.
—Kevin Cortez
11.Free Food For Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Free Food for Millionaires follows Casey Han and her life after graduating from an Ivy League school. This book depicts the Korean-American experience in New York City and explores themes of love, betrayal, success, and the pursuit of happiness.
Most people know her for Pachinko, but Min Jin Lee's writing is just as good in this novel and still explores issues of class, race, and the American Dream in a more modern setting.
—Kat Maglunob
12.Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Crying in H Mart is a memoir by Michelle Zauner, who openly shares the battle and grief of losing her mother to cancer and the sense of loss she felt over her half-Korean identity that followed. Aside from the mouth-watering Korean food descriptions, this book was particularly special to me because it voiced thoughts and experiences of being biracial that I could relate to.
—Brianna McFadden
13.Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
If you liked Yellowface, this one was a trip, too. It's a satire that interrogates how we've been trying to push forward conversations about representation and how unhelpful the infighting in academia can be. I found myself actively needing to take breaks — that's how cringey some of the scenes were because they felt too real.
—Kat Maglunob
14.A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A Little Life is a lengthy fiction novel that follows the lives of Jude and his friend group from their 20s to their middle-aged years. The main focus is on Jude, and as the book goes on, we learn about the dark and extreme terrors he experienced in his childhood and how his trauma continues to affect him into adulthood.
I'm not going to lie — the book is heavy and filled with grief, sorrow, and misery. Before reading, I thought, "What could possibly happen in this book that has people sobbing on BookTok?" I won't give anything away, but whatever you're thinking, what really happens in the book is probably worse. If you do think about picking it up, just be aware of the trigger warnings!
All that said, I'll be thinking about A Little Life for a very long time.
—Dannica Ramirez
15.Pachinko by Min Jee Lee
Pachinko is a historical fiction novel that follows a Korean family who immigrates from Japanese-occupied Korea to Japan, where they face more discrimination, racism, and hardship over multiple generations. This book made me think of my own family's immigration story from Korea to America and the brave sacrifices they made in pursuit of a better life. What I liked most about this book is that it covers a dark period of Korean history under Japanese rule, which is important for everyone to remember and acknowledge.
—Brianna McFadden
16.Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
An enemies-to-lovers story, Lunar Love is a charming tale of a woman trying to preserve her family's Chinese zodiac matchmaking service against competition from the new tech bro in town. Bonus points for all the wonderful descriptions of desserts.
—Natasha Jokic
17.Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki
Originally published in Japan in 1973 before being translated into English in 2011, Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths is a brutally honest and important autobiographical World War II graphic novel. The book recounts Muziki’s time as a 21-year-old in Rabaul, a city on New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea, where he depicts his experience with losing comrades, engaging in combat, and losing his own arm. At times, the artwork is cartoonishly crude, but its abrupt bouts of seriousness hit best when Mizuki illustrates life-like drawings of explosions, island beauty, danger, and death. I’m not typically a war reader, but I truly think this is an important novel.
—Kevin Cortez
18.Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
A YA novel inspired by Pacific Islander mythology? Yes, please! This book weaves together so many of my favorite things — a strong female protagonist, dragons, unique magic, and some much-needed PI rep — all set against a beautiful world.
—Morgan Sloss
19.Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
Intimacies is a beautiful, slow, and unfurling novel about a young Asian American woman working as a translator for The Hague. While she translates the details of crimes committed by notorious criminals, she similarly works to understand the inner lives and emotions of the people around her. It’s a short, engrossing story about language, love, and the intimacies of everyday life.
—Kat Maglunob
20.Every Drop is a Man's Nightmare by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto
I don’t usually read short stories, but I was blown away by this collection. Steeped in Native Hawaiian lore and culture, these stories tackle everything from burgeoning sexuality to the colonization of the islands, all with biting prose that demanded my attention. A haunting yet spellbinding read!
—Morgan Sloss
21.Lastly: This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
This Woven Kingdom draws inspiration from Persian mythology and is about a girl named Alizeh, the lost heir of the Jinn — an ancient race of people made by fire, forced to live as second-class citizens. An orphan, Alizeh hides her abilities in plain sight and works as a servant for wealthy families, waiting for her opportunity to reclaim her throne and lead her people to freedom. But when she finds herself attracted to the crown prince of the nation, Kamran, things take a turn, and Alizeh is faced with new challenges.
This book was so fun to read, and I loved all the characters and the different settings. I found myself really rooting for Alizeh, and I'm pretty sure I stayed up until, like, 3 a.m. finishing the book because I needed to know what happened!
—Dannica Ramirez
BRB, adding all of these books to my TBR list! If you've read any of the books on this list, what do you think of them? What's a book by an API author that you'd recommend? Let us know down in the comments!
Check out more API-centered content by exploring how BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Of course, the content doesn't end after May. Follow BuzzFeed’s A*Pop on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to keep up with our latest API content year-round.
