May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. It is set aside as a time to celebrate the culture, successes, and contributions of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Why May? “The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants” (taken from asianpacificheritage.gov). To celebrate, the Library has set up a book display featuring prominent Asian/Pacific American writers of fiction and nonfiction. Here are a few standout fiction titles from the display:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Navigating between the Indian traditions they’ve inherited and the baffling new world, the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s elegant, touching stories seek love beyond the barriers of culture and generations. In “A Temporary Matter,” published in The New Yorker, a young Indian-American couple faces the heartbreak of a stillborn birth while their Boston neighborhood copes with a nightly blackout. In the title story, an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors and hears an astonishing confession. Lahiri writes with deft cultural insight reminiscent of Anita Desai and a nuanced depth that recalls Mavis Gallant.” -Taken from Goodreads.com
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
“It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong.” -Taken from Goodreads.com
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
“Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid and moving examination of borders and belonging. It’s the story of how one boy comes into his own when everything he’s loved has been taken away–and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.
This powerful debut is the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues of social justice.” -Taken from Goodreads.com
Click here to learn more about Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month!
Thanks for reading!
-George, FTPL
