Lunar New Year is often the most common time of year to celebrate Asian traditions. However, it’s not simply about wearing red and receiving “lucky” money, but rather about understanding and learning about the customs that these actions honor.
What better way to educate yourself and appreciate Asian culture than by reading books? Fiction or nonfiction, fantasy or memoir, unlock a deeper understanding of the history and heritage that these seven books delve into.
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa Lee
This historical fiction novel details the beauty and the horror of growing up as a girl in 19th-century China. It explores the complex, lifelong bond of the protagonist Lily and her best friend, Snow Flower: how they came to love each other in their childhood and how their lives spiraled into disarray. The illustrative story of their lives intertwined with old Chinese traditions, such as foot-binding, arranged marriage and the secret women’s language of nu shu, immerses the reader into the joys and tragedies of Lily’s life. Showcasing the painful trials that women endured in order to survive, there is no doubt the beauty and heartbreak of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will bring you to tears.
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
This fantasy novel retells the classic Korean folktale, The Tale of Shim Cheong, in a refreshing new light. The story follows Mina, a young woman who sacrificed herself to the Sea God in order to save her brother, where she then finds herself in the mystical Spirit Realm facing mythical creatures, spirits, demons and gods. To save her homeland from life-threatening flooding, storms and brutal bloodshed, Mina takes it upon herself and her new magical friends to wake up the Sea God. The story is tied back to well-known Korean legends and mythology with an empowering, yet romantic spin.
- Whiter: Asian American Women on Skin Color and Colorism edited by Nikki Khanna
Whiter is a collection of memoirs by Asian-American women from a variety of ethnicities: Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, Cambodian, mixed white or black and many more. They detail their personal experiences with colorism, which has been deeply integrated into both American and Asian cultures for centuries. Whiter offers insight into how women from diverse backgrounds battle with and heal from harsh beauty standards that promote light-skin privilege and anti-blackness through plastic surgery and skin-whitening creams. In this assortment of intimate candid essays, the female authors come together to challenge colorism, racism and sexism and feel a sense of pride in their identities as Asian women.
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Another heartfelt memoir, Crying in H Mart was written by the lead singer of Japanese Breakfast, an indie-pop band. She lyrically writes about the painful memory of losing her mother to cancer and growing up as a Korean-American. Through vivid descriptions of Korean recipes and traditions passed down by her mother, Zauner conveys her complex family dynamic as she expresses her Korean identity and the grief of her mother’s death to craft a touching, tear-jerking narrative.
- The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina
Based on a true story, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World also displays the complexity of grief and how it’s experienced. After the real-life event of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, over 22,000 people were found dead or declared missing, and thousands more were injured and forced to evacuate. In an effort to process their grief, people from all over the world come to the Wind-Phone, a phone booth that carries the voices of the deceased, so that they can talk with their lost loved ones. The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World centers around the fictional character, Yui, who grieves her young daughter and mother after the tsunami. However, she gradually heals as she finds new friends — and family — who have also lost someone close to them. Set in modern Japan, the novel explores the different, unseen aspects of mourning that portrays death in a bittersweet light.
- The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino-Americans Break the Rules of Race by Anthony Christian Ocampo
An essential for Filipino-Americans, The Latinos of Asia recounts the history of how Filipinos became classified as Asian in the U.S. and how they became leading figures in the Asian American Movement. Despite being classified as Asian in America, Filipino culture, language, names and religion are more similar to Latino culture due to Spanish colonialism, causing identity confusion and ethnic disconnect for second-generation Filipinos. The Latinos of Asia offers the factual chronicles that created the large Filipino population in the U.S. and embraces Filipino-American identities and experiences with pride.
- The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Authored and illustrated by Thi Bui, the graphic novel is a memoir about how Bui’s parents escaped from the Vietnam War in the 1970s and came to the U.S. as refugees. This Vietnamese-American story revolves around the sacrifices her parents made to give their children a better life, the lasting effect of war on their family and immigration. The beautiful art, along with poetic writing, spotlights the intimacy that Bui shares about the significance of family and home.
Whether you love heart-tugging romantic fantasy, tear-jerking tragedies or deep profound biographies, there is an array of Asian-American novels for everyone. Celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse by swooning, laughing, crying or enlightening yourself with media that embrace Asian culture.
