Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Nonfiction
All you can ever know : a memoir
by Nicole Chung

A Korean adoptee who grew up with a white family in Oregon discusses her journey to find her identity as an Asian American woman and a writer after becoming curious about her true origins.
Asian American histories of the United States
by Catherine Ceniza Choy

This history of Asian migration, labor and community formation in the U.S. emphasizes how the Asian American experience is essential to any understanding of both our history and current day crises.
At the edge of empire : a family's reckoning with China
by Edward Wong

A veteran diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times tells the story of Modern China through the lens of his father's life as a soldier in Mao's Peoples Liberation Army as well as his own experiences in the country. Illustrations.
Biting the hand : growing up Asian in Black and White America
by Julia Sun-Joo Lee

"A passionate, no-holds-barred memoir about the Asian American experience in a nation defined by racial stratification When Julia Lee was fifteen, her hometown went up in smoke during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The daughter of Korean immigrant store owners in a predominantly Black neighborhood, Julia was taught to be grateful for the privilege afforded to her. However, the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King, following the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean shopkeeper, forced Julia to question her racial identity and complicity. She was neither Black nor white. So who was she? This question would follow Julia for years to come, resurfacing as she traded in her tumultuous childhood for the white upper echelon of elite academia. 
Chinatown pretty : fashion and wisdom from Chinatown's most stylish seniors
by Andria Lo

"This book features the portraits and stories of fashionable seniors across Chinatowns in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Vancouver, in a celebration of aging gracefully and Asian-American culture"
Crying in H Mart : a memoir
by Michelle Zauner

The Japanese Breakfast indie pop star presents a full-length account of her viral New Yorker essay to share poignant reflections on her experiences of growing up Korean-American, becoming a professional musician and caring for her terminally ill mother. Illustrations.
Dear America : notes of an undocumented citizen
by Jose Antonio Vargas

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and immigration-rights activist presents a debut memoir about how he unknowingly entered the United States with false documents as a child. 150,000 first printing.
The girl with seven names : a North Korean defector's story
by Hyeonseo Lee

An extraordinary insight into the life under one of the world's most ruthless and secretive dictatorships - and the story of one woman's terrifying struggle to escape.
The Groom Will Keep His Name : And Other Vows I've Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance
by Matt Ortile

This collection of essays from a gay Filipino immigrant follows his path through both the real and virtual queer culture, confronting questions of sex, power and his fight to resist norms of whiteness and sexuality. 20,000 first printing. Original.
An inconvenient minority : the attack on Asian American excellence and the fight for meritocracy
by Kenny Xu

This look at the Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard case examines the policy proposals that serve to exclude Asian Americans from the upper ranks of the elite and the false narrative of American meritocracy.
Korea : the impossible country
by Daniel Tudor

Daniel Tudor is a journalist who has lived in and written about Korea for almost a decade. In Korea: The Impossible Country, Tudor examines Korea's cultural foundations; the Korean character; the public sphere in politics, business, and the workplace as well as the family, dating, and marriage. In doing so, he touches on topics as diverse as shamanism, clan-ism, the dilemma posed by North Korea, the myths about doing business in Korea, the Koreans' renowned hard-partying ethos, and why the infatuation with learning English is now causing massive social problems.
The loneliest Americans
by 1979- Kang, Jay Caspian

Sharing his own family’s story as it unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Asian America, writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine, in this riveting blend of history and original reportage, explores—and reimagines—Asian American identity in a black and white world.
Making a scene
by Constance Wu

In this intimate memoir-in-essays, the Golden Globe Award-nominated star of Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, chronicling how she“made it” in Hollywood, offers a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye. Illustrations.
Minor feelings : an Asian American reckoning
by Cathy Park Hong

An award-winning poet and essayist offers a ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged exploration of the psychological condition of being Asian American.
Mooncakes + milk bread : sweet & savory recipes inspired by Chinese bakeries
by Kristina Cho

A popular food blogger, focusing exclusively on Chinese bakeries and cafes, presents simple, easy-to-make interpretations of classic recipes for the modern baker, including sweet and savory baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, unique cookies, juicy dumplings and more. Illustrations.
My Life : Growing Up Asian in America
by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment CAPE

Through a series of essays, poems, and comics, thirty creators give voice to moments that defined them and shed light on the immense diversity and complexity of the Asian American identity. Edited by CAPE and with an introduction by renowned journalist SuChin Pak, My Life: Growing Up Asian in America is a celebration of community, a call to action, and a road map for a brighter future.
Not your China doll : the wild and shimmering life of Anna May Wong
by Katie Gee Salisbury

Set against the glittering backdrop of the Jazz Age and the rise of Hollywood, this celebration of the first Asian American movie star who graced Oscar-winning films shows how she moved away from being typecast as a China doll or dragon lady and worked towards reshaping Asian American representation in film.
Paradise of the Pacific : approaching Hawai'i
by Susanna Moore

An award-winning author presents the dramatic history of late-18th-century Hawaii—its kings and queens, gods and goddesses, missionaries, migrants and explorers—as it, an isolated pagan world of human sacrifice and strict taboo, was confronted by a world of capitalism, Western education and Christian values.
Rise : A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
by Jeff Yang

A love letter to and for Asian Americans offers a vivid scrapbook of voices, emotions and memories from an era in which our culture was forged and transformed, and a way to preserve both the headlines and the intimate conversations that have shaped our community into who we are today. Illustrations.
Sea people : the puzzle of Polynesia
by Christina Thompson

Explores the origins of the Polynesian people, attempting to answer the questions about who founded and settled these remote Pacific islands in an era before writing or metal tools. 25,000 first printing.
Transit of Venus : travels in the Pacific
by Julian Evans

A lyrical elegy to the Pacific captures the diverse worlds of the South Seas, the conflict between the traditional island cultures of the Pacific and European colonialism, and the effects of civilization on "paradise."
Unassimilable : an Asian diasporic manifesto for the twenty-first century
by Bianca Mabute-Louie

A scholar and activist provides a socio-political critique of Asian Americans who resist assimilation, exploring the cultural and political dynamics within their communities from the nineteenth century to today, while advocating for a new understanding of identity that embraces collective care, anti-imperialism, and cross-racial solidarity.
Viewfinder : a memoir of seeing and being seen
by Jon M. Chu

"Long before he directed Wicked, In The Heights, or the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu was a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents' Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the culturalidentity crisis endemic to children of immigrants. Growing up on the cutting edge of 21st-century technology gave Chu the tools he needed to make his mark at USC film school, and to be discovered by Steven Spielberg, but he soon found himself struggling to understand who he was. 
We were dreamers : an immigrant superhero origin story
by Simu Liu

The star of Marvel's first Asian superhero film, in this candid, inspiring and relatable memoir, tells his own origin story and how embarked on a journey that took him far outside of his comfort zone into the world of show business.100,000 first printing. Illustrations.
You'll never believe me : a life of lies, second tries, and things I should only tell my therapist
by Kari Ferrell

Recounts the author's journey from being a troubled, adopted Asian American girl in Utah to becoming the infamous“Hipster Grifter” in New York City, detailing her rise through petty crime, media sensationalism, incarceration, and eventual redemption as she transforms her life through activism and social justice.
Park Ridge Public Library
20 S. Prospect Ave.
Park Ridge, Illinois 60068
847-825-3123

www.parkridgelibrary.org