May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month and we’ve reached out to some of our favorite AAPI bookish influencers to ask for book recs written by AAPI authors. Check out some of these amazing recommendations, give our friends a follow, and don’t forget to read and celebrate AAPI folks and their amazing stories all year long!
Danielle | @dogmombookworm
“I’m a Korean adoptee living in Philly with my pup Maxi. If you live in Philly, you might see me around the city holding up books against murals trying to get bookstagram photos 🙂 I love literary fiction and memoir with a focus on women authors of color.
One book that is going down as one of the best books I’ve read this year and best of all times is the latest memoir by Nicole Chung, A Living Remedy. It is so deeply moving and emotional and Chung’s writing always feels so clear and precise, but raw with emotion. An absolute must read.”
Maya | @maya.reads, @mnmbooks
“Hi!! My name is Maya (she/her) and I am a booktoker (@maya.reads) and bookstagrammer (@mnmbooks) from Atlanta, Georgia that loves promoting South Asian books! Since I was a kid, I’ve loved going to my local library and searching the stacks for a good book (or 20) to take home. Some of my favorite genres are romance and fantasy. Outside of reading, I love to swim, go on walks, and attend concerts.
To anyone looking for an incredible coming of age story, I highly recommend TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo. This is such an amazing book with a great balance of laugh out loud hilarious scenes and serious conversations about beauty standards. Not to mention the academic rivals to lovers romance! Once you start this, it’ll be impossible to put down.”
Cal | @low_keybookish
“Hi my name is Cal, and I’m a Korean American bookstagrammer. Born in the U.S., I’ve lived on both coasts, the Midwest, and in the South! I love exploring and supporting indie bookstores, public libraries, and Little Free Libraries. I predominantly read and review BIPOC and/or queer authors and translated books.
I’d recommend Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong because I have a lot of connections to the story, and I think reading is personal! The book is a love story to Los Angeles Koreatown, where I spent many years of my life. It also honors activists who have and continue to build interracial coalitions, which can be absolutely messy, contradictory, but necessary for racial justice work”
Seema | @diversifyyourshelf
“I’m Seema! I’m an Indian-American literary influencer and disability advocate! My goal is to foster a love of reading and encourage folks to seek out more books by women, BIPOC, disabled/chronically ill writers, and authors from the LGBTQIA+ community. I also freely share my experiences as a chronically ill woman, offering advice, support, and solidarity. If you follow me, you’ll also see some origami, tap dancing, accessible fitness, thrifted fashion, and plenty of reminders to hydrate!
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff is a new favorite! It follows an Indian woman who did not kill her husband, despite what everyone thinks. Everything is fine until the other women in her community ask for help killing their no-good spouses as well. Shroff manages to take kind of a silly concept and completely ground it in reality. It’s sharp and witty and fun but also delves into a lot of serious issues, exploring friendship and patriarchy and romance and abuse and independence and trauma and loyalty and poverty and commitment and caste and colorism and race and religious discrimination and community and corruption and tradition. It’s a really fun one that will still make you think.”
Hannah | @yoon.reads
“I’m a Korean Canadian American freelance photographer living in Philadelphia that has been on bookstagram for 2.5 years. I’m a big mood reader that loves to do buddy reads with friends I’ve met through bookstagram. I love historical fiction, books about mental health and motherhood, and anything related to immigrant diasporic experiences. I also love graphic novels. Books are a way for me to build connections to people around me, just like my photography.
A book I’d recommend is The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. This is a graphic novel of Bui exploring her family’s story as refugees from Viet Nam. Bui guides readers through the history of Viet Nam, as she tells the deeply personal stories of her parents. It was enough for me to feel and experience the struggle and pain of what people went through during each event.”
Taylor | @taylormadespines
“Hey, y’all! I’m a mixed Japanese-American reader and MLIS (Master of Information Science) grad student currently working on becoming a full-fledged librarian. Although, I thoroughly enjoy a good memoir or YA novel, I make it my mission to read widely across genres, frequently promoting authors and stories from marginalized communities that have been underserved by the publishing industry. Banned books have a particularly special place in this future librarian’s heart and shelves!
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner covers some pretty heavy topics like growing up mixed-race, cultural isolation, and the death of a parent. While a challenging read at times, Zauner’s raw depiction of grief, identity crisis, and enduring love will resonate long after finishing. Note: ugly-crying may or may not occur when reading this book.”
Anna | @anna.andthebooks
“Hi! I’m Anna, a first generation Korean-American living in sunny Phoenix. I’m a social worker for a non-profit health plan. Consistent with my background, I’m drawn to novels and memoirs exploring identity, cultural commentary, immigration, sociology and mental health. I enjoy most genres though, with the exception of fantasy. 😅 I’m slower these days on account of my two young kids, but I’ll still pop up on the ‘gram.
I’ve read more novels by AAPI authors since joining Bookstagram 4 years ago. My recent favorite is Severance by Ling Ma. I love the dark atmosphere of the book, and Ling Ma’s satire is Sharp. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it a couple months ago.”
Cindy | @cindyheartsbooks
“Born in South Korea, I was adopted at 7 months and grew up in the Midwest. I was always very resistant of the millennial stereotypes, but I have come to terms that I am a geriatric millennial through and through. I love reading all genres but literary fiction is my favorite. Other than reading, I love to consume all things Bravo, early 2000s hip hop, and a good California cab.
If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim: There are some books you read where it feels like someone is squeezing your heart throughout the story. Set in Korea during the 50s and 60s, If You Leave Me explores a shift in Korean history most people are unaware of, and also the limitations of being a woman. It shows how the decisions we make in our past, can vastly change the course of our future.”
Ceci | @winstonandbooks
“I’m Ceci, a high school history teacher from Portland, OR. I love reading, cheese, mangoes, sarcasm, and my cat, Winston. I’m multiracial — Chinese, Lebanese, and British. I am the first Chinese-American in my family.
A book by an AAPI author I recommend is, hands down, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou. I recommend this sharp, hilarious satire because it authentically encapsulates the experience of being an Asian American woman. This book inspires me to be unapologetically me!”
Krithi | @krithiques
“Hello! My name is Krithi and I am an Indian-American bookstagrammer, who loves to read all types of books. I love highlighting stories by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors from all genres on my page. I consider myself a lifelong learner and a lifelong lover of literature, and I hope to inspire others to read widely and discover new authors and stories. Aside from reading, I love writing, dancing, and learning languages. And most recently, I’ve developed an affinity for collecting as many houseplants as I can.
I highly recommend American Betiya by Anuradha Rajurkar. American Betiya is a book that I wished I had when I was in high school. I loved the experience of reading a coming-of-age story featuring an Indian-American protagonist. I especially appreciated the nuanced representation of family and the conversations around interracial relationships, friendship, and self-love in this book.”
RA | @definitelyra
“I’m RuthAnn (RA for short), and I live outside Philadelphia in the very cute town of Kennett Square, PA, with my husband and our dog, a Westie named Ted. Since 2014, I’ve had the privilege to advocate with Dressember, a nonprofit that empowers everyday advocates to raise awareness and funds to fight human trafficking. Aside from reading multiple books at a time, my favorite things to do are take long walks, learn about birds, and hear about whatever you’re really into.
The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee is an excellent work of history about how Asian immigrants and citizens have shaped America and American history. One of my favorite aspects is that it was written by a female Asian American historian, and she wove elements of her own family’s immigrant history without drifting into memoir territory. Perhaps the highest compliment for this book is that I bought it as a birthday gift for my mom, a huge history buff and research nut who loves Asian history.”
Saga | @sagarific
I’m Saga (they/she), and I am the face behind (and sometimes on) the bookstagram @sagarific. I read across genres and demographics, and my account reflects that, though I’m partial to stories with intergenerational narratives and coming-of-age themes.
Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai is an endlessly fascinating spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This book has some of the best prose I have ever read, and I loved the exploration of queerness and transness at the intersections of Asian identities and the ethical and moral questions around scientific advancements in human fertility. And for something more wholesome and personally special to me, I must recommend Shakti by SJ Sindu (illustrated by Nabi H Ali), a lovely graphic novel featuring an Indian American witch and Hindu mythology.
A literary omnivore and influential Bookstagrammer, Layne applies her vivid creativity for every title we promote by deftly coordinating news coverage and events for authors, writing and editing diverse content for social media, and assisting with Books Forward’s social media engagement initiatives.
As a former special education teacher, Layne firmly believes in the importance of literature and accessibility. This unique point of view is an asset in her publicity efforts as she works to reach readers across various platforms and demographics.
Layne received her Bachelors of Arts in Creative Writing and Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and her Masters of Art in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. She lives in New Orleans with her loyal, but sadly illiterate cat, Macaroni.
Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought. Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie — no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong. So she gives up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself–even though she’s not entirely sure how… Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell.
Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all–an undeniable need for revenge.
But you’d never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
In this queer contemporary YA mystery, a nonbinary autistic teen realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life. Sam Sylvester has long collected stories of half-lived lives — of kids who died before they turned nineteen. Sam was almost one of those kids. Now, as Sam’s own nineteenth birthday approaches, their recent near-death experience haunts them. They’re certain they don’t have much time left… But Sam’s life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, their next-door neighbor.
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him — the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with. But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC.
Zoe Kelly is starting a new phase of her life. High school was a mess of bullying and autistic masking that left her burnt out and shut down. Now, with an internship at an online media company—the first step on the road to her dream writing career—she is ready to reinvent herself. But she didn’t count on returning to her awkward and all-too-recent high-school experiences for her first writing assignment. When her piece, about her non-existent dating life, goes viral, eighteen-year-old Zoe is overwhelmed and more than a little surprised by the response. But, with a deadline and a list of romantic contenders from the past to reconnect with for her piece on dating, she is hoping one of her old sparks will turn into a new flame.
Five friends take a trip to a cabin. It’s supposed to be one last getaway before going their separate ways—a chance to say goodbye to each other, and to the game they’ve been playing for the past three years. But they’re all dealing with their own demons, and they’re all hiding secrets. And as they start to play the murder mystery game that brought them together in the first place, the lines between the game and reality blend, with deadly consequences. Someone knows their secrets. Someone wants to make them pay. Soon, it’s a race against time before it’s game over—forever. Are you ready to play?
Sixteen years ago, a plague wiped out nearly all of humanity. The Company’s vaccine stopped the virus’s spread. But society was irrevocably changed. Those remaining live behind impenetrable city walls, taking daily doses of virus suppressant and relying on The Company for continued protection. They don’t realize that everything they’ve been told is a lie… Clover Donovan didn’t set out to start a revolution–quiet, autistic, and brilliant, she’s always followed the rules.
Autistic scientist Yasira Shien has developed a radical new energy drive that could change the future of humanity. But when she activates it, reality warps, destroying the space station and everyone aboard. The AI Gods who rule the galaxy declare her work heretical, and their agents abduct Yasira. Instead of simply executing her, they offer mercy — if she’ll help them hunt down a bigger target: her own mysterious, vanished mentor. With her homeworld’s fate in the balance, Yasira must choose who to trust: the gods and their ruthless post-human angels, or the rebel scientist whose unorthodox mathematics could turn her world inside out.
January 29, 2035: That’s the day the comet is scheduled to hit–the big one. Denise and her mother and sister, Iris, have been assigned to a temporary shelter outside their hometown of Amsterdam to wait out the blast, but Iris is nowhere to be found, and at the rate Denise’s drug-addicted mother is going, they’ll never reach the shelter in time. A last-minute meeting leads them to something better than a temporary shelter–a generation ship, scheduled to leave Earth behind to colonize new worlds after the comet hits. But everyone on the ship has been chosen because of their usefulness. Denise is autistic and fears that she’ll never be allowed to stay. Can she obtain a spot before the ship takes flight? What about her mother and sister? When the future of the human race is at stake, whose lives matter most?
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand people touching him. And he detests the color yellow.
Around 1 in 100 people in the UK are autistic, but rarely do autistic people have a voice. They are the ones on the daytime tv sofas, in parliament, or writing about their experiences with us. While these voices are important, the balance tips, and we rarely get to use our own voices to talk about our experiences or to show how creative, smart, and funny we are, how different we are from the stereotype most people have. This anthology represents an important step in reclaiming that power, of using our own voices.
Written by autistic trans people from around the world, this vital and intimate collection of personal essays reveals the struggles and joys of living at the intersection of neurodivergence and gender diversity. Weaving memories, poems and first-person narratives together, these stories showcase experiences of coming out, college and university life, accessing healthcare, physical transition, friendships and relationships, sexuality, pregnancy, parenting, and late life self-discovery, to reveal a rich and varied tapestry of life lived on the spectrums. With humour and personal insight, this anthology is essential reading for autistic trans people, and the professionals supporting them, as well as anyone interested in the nuances of autism and gender identity.
For every visibly Autistic person you meet, there are countless “masked” Autistic people who pass as neurotypical. Masking is a common coping mechanism in which Autistic people hide their identifiably Autistic traits in order to fit in with societal norms, adopting a superficial personality at the expense of their mental health. They can suppress harmless stims, paper over communication challenges by presenting as unassuming and mild-mannered, and force themselves into situations that cause severe anxiety, all so others don’t see them as needy or “odd.”
Autism — that’s being able to count matches really fast and knowing that 7 August 1984 was a Tuesday, right? Well, no. In this book, Bianca Toeps explains in great detail what life is like when you’re autistic. She does this by looking at what science says about autism (and why some theories can go straight in the bin), but also by telling her own story and interviewing other people with autism. Bianca talks in a refreshing and sometimes hilarious way about different situations autistic people encounter in daily life. She has some useful tips for non-autistic people too: what you should do if someone prefers not to look you in the eye, why it is sometimes better to communicate by email, and, most important of all, why it is not a compliment if you say: “But you don’t look autistic at all!”
How To Be Autistic charts Charlotte Amelia Poe’s journey through schooldays and young adulthood, with chapters on food, fandom, depression, body piercing, comic conventions, and technology. Poe writes about her memoir: ‘The best way to describe it is to imagine a road trip. If a neurotypical person wants to get from A to B, then they will most often find their way unobstructed, without road works or diversions. For an autistic person, they will find that they are having to use back roads and cut across fields and explore places neurotypicals would never even imagine visiting’.
Providing advice on how professionals working with autistic trans youth and adults can tailor their practice to best serve their clients and how parents can support their trans autistic children, this book increases awareness of the large overlap between trans identities and autism. By including chapters on gender diversity basics, neuroqueer trauma and how to support neuroqueer individuals, this book sets out strategies for creating more effective support that takes into account the unique experiences of trans people on the spectrum. Written by a therapist who identifies as neuroqueer, this book is the perfect companion for professionals who want to increase their knowledge of the experiences and needs of their trans autistic clients.
When Maya and Magdalena lose their parents to a home invasion, Magdalena puts her dreams on hold and turns to exotic dancing. Cash is what the sisters need to stay together and keep Maya in an elite catholic high school that has set her on the path for an athletic and academic college scholarship.These sisters come from a bloodline of Jaguar shifters from Mexico and have gained unwanted attention. The San Antonio Stripper Ripper is stalking the streets, out for a specific kind of blood. Though Magdalena trades in skin, there is no way she will allow anyone to own her. Steamy. Bloody. Dangerous. Hairspray and Switchblades, what more could a girl need to survive the hot streets?
Life in a slasher film is easy. You just have to know when to die.
It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother and she’s still adjusting to her new life in rural Nebraska. Then, one by one, students at her high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the body count rises and the terror grows closer, can Makani survive the killer’s twisted plan?
Everyone at Pritchett High wants an invitation to the Senior Scavenge. In 2020, Violet Warren and her friends are the lucky ones. Eight girls will break into the Poison Apple Carnival after hours for a scavenger hunt, then at sunrise they’ll gather for a celebration in honor of their upcoming senior year.
What if your roommate is a murderer? Or what if he’s being framed and only you can save him?
In horror movies, the final girls stand as the only ones left when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?
It’s been twenty-five years since Cyrus Hoyt’s infamous killing spree at Camp Forest Grove. A quarter-century since teenage counselor Melanie Holden left him mortally wounded and escaped with her life.
In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan’s ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.
Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they’ll never face the same fate.
On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps, and ghoulishly costumed actors. If the group can endure these horrors without shouting the safe word, “reprieve,” they’ll win a substantial cash prize — a startling feat accomplished only by one other group in the house’s long history. But before they can complete the challenge, a man breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants.
