May is Asian/Pacific American heritage month and what better way to celebrate than by immersing yourself in story? I have three great picks for you if you’re looking for something to read. All of these books are available as Overdrive e-books or in print for curbside pickup.
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (2011, 307 pages). Place a hold on the print book or CD audiobook. When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life–like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition–Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles. I was sucked right into Kimberly’s story, an eye-opening look at modern sweatshops. Kimberly was a character it was easy to root for. I am a huge fan of Jean Kwok’s work and this is my favorite of her books. It’s also great on audio!
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (1999, 198 pages). Place a hold on the print book or check out the downloadable audiobook on Hoopla. This Pulitzer Prize winning collection of short stories explores the experiences of Indian characters in stories that travel from India to America and back again. This is a modern classic that should be read by everyone, in my opinion. Short stories might be just the thing for a time when attention spans are suffering.
If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim (2018; 417 pages). Place a hold on the print book or CD audiobook or check out the downloadable audiobook on Hoopla. In this sweeping novel set in Korea in the 1950s and 60s, war refugee Lee Haemi must choose between the boy she loves and the boy who can provide for her family. Just as the country’s being torn apart, Haemi is torn. She yearns to follow her heart with the boy she loves, but her heart cares just as much about her ailing little brother who desperately needs food and medicine. Haemi’s decision will impact the future of her entire family… and that’s just the beginning. This multigenerational historical novel is perfect for fans of Pachinko or Kristin Hannah.
