The Books and Authors You Should Know During AAPI Heritage Month

With the return of May comes another Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Asian and Pacific Islanders are the creators of many of your favorite books, from romance's TikTok bestseller Ana Huang (Twisted Love) to fantasy legend-in-the-making R.F. Kuang (Yellowface, Babel).

That's only scratching the surface of what's out there. Below, discover our most recommended books in every genre from authors across the API diaspora.

Romance

For years, ladies with Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage were withheld from representation in the romance genre. Thanks to these authors, you can see yourself and your culture at the forefront of these stories. We've got classics, like Jenny Han's To All the Boys series, and rising hits, like Ann Liang's I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Because you deserve love, too, regardless of where you hail.

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (Young Adult)
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
• I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang (YA)
• Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (YA)
• King of Wrath by Ana Huang
• Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
• Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto (YA)
• A Show for Two by Tashie Bhuiyan (YA)

 

Also read about: 6 Competitive Books About Academic Rivals

 

Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Are you searching for a little magic in your life? These books will let you step into a fantasy realm. Sangu Mandanna's The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches brings the cozy vibes of a budding witch. While Marie Lu's Legend and R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War transport you to the future and history, respectively.

• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
• Legend by Marie Lu
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
• Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
• The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
• Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
• A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

 

Mystery, Thriller and Horror

It might not be October, but spooky vibes forever. API writers have a special knack for building the chilling aura of thrillers, mysteries and horrors. Trang Thanh Tran is on the nose with its terrifying imagery. Meanwhile, Liann Zhang's Julie Chan Is Dead and Lauren Ling Brown's Society of Lies will have you on the edge of your seat as you try to solve the case.

• Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
• Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
• Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala
• Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
• Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
• She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
• Chlorine by Jade Song
• Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien

 

Historical Fiction

Asia and the Pacific Islands have a rich, beautiful history, so it's no surprise there is an assortment of books to turn back the clock. Min Jin Lee's takes you to the early 1900s as you step into the world of a Korean teenager. Or, you can go hundreds of years into the past in Lisa See's 15th-century Lady Tan's Circle of Women.

• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
• Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
• Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

 

Graphic Novel

Japan is pretty much the leading country for graphic novels with the manga genre, but there even more hidden gems we'd love to share with you. For example, Yaongyi's True Beauty, first spurred from the Korean app Webtoon, follows a teen with serious makeup skills, and Robin Ha and Thi Bui recount the true stories of immigrant families finding their place in the United States.

• True Beauty by Yaongyi
• Snotgirl by Bryan Lee O'Malley and Leslie Hung
• The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (YA)
• The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
• Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
• Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim

 

Also read about: Here Are Our Favorite Interconnected Standalone Series

 

Literary Fiction

If the book can't comfortably fit into one genre, it's probably a literary fiction book. These novels often follow the character's emotional development over time. In Keri Hulme's The Bone People, you'll meet a half-Maori, half-European woman who has been exiled from her family and finds her life changed after meeting a mercurial spirit. Or, Katie Kitamura's quick-hit Audition sees a successful actress and a young man discovering what their connection is to one another.

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Boreum
• Audition by Katie Kitamura
• The Bone People by Keri Hulme
• Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

 

Nonfiction

Real life stories arguably may be the most important. What better way to learn the ropes of reality than from people who have experienced it prior? Michelle Zauner confronts her complicated grief after the passing of her mother in Crying in H-Mart. And Drew Afualo how to be unapologetically you in her proud memoir Loud.

• Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner
• Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve by Drew Afualo
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
• Dear Girls by Ali Wong
• Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish

 

Searching for even more book recommendations? Click HERE to discover our favorite reads from Women's History Month.