Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (Illustrator)Graphic novel in which a South Korean girl named Chun and her single mother leave for America on vacation and end up staying after her mother announces she's getting married. Chun changes her name to Robin and tries to fit in at her local high school where she doesn't know the language. When her mother enrolls her in a comics drawing class, she begins to feel more at home in the United States.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Illustrator)A graphic novel which examines issues of self-image, cultural identity, transformation, and self acceptance as Jin Wang moves with his family from Chinatown to an upper class suburb in San Francisco.
American Panda by Gloria ChaoAt seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth—that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese. But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels? From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how, unlike the panda, life isn’t always so black and white.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. PanAfter her mother's suicide, fifteen-year-old Leigh travels to Taiwan where she will finally meet the grandparents she never knew and come to terms with her mother's death. As she immerses herself the culture, she finds signs and hidden meanings all around her, and begins to believe that her mother has been reincarnated as a giant red bird.
Boxers by Gene Luen Yang (Illustrator)In 1898 during the Boxer Rebellion a boy named Little Bao recruits an army of Boxers to rid China of foreign missionaries and soldiers who bully and rob Chinese peasants.
Butterfly Yellow by Thanhhà LaiAt the end of the Vietnam War, hundreds of children were airlifted out and taken to America as refugees. Hang and her three-year-old brother Linh were to be two of those children, but Hang was deemed too old and denied a spot on the helicopter. Linh, however, was torn away from her and taken to family in Texas. Now eighteen, Hang travels to Texas to find her brother but is devastated to learn that he does not remember her or Vietnam, and has no interest in either. Along with an aspiring cowboy named LeeRoy, Hang gets a job at a ranch and tries to reconnect with her brother with LeeRoy's help.
Displacement by Kiku HughesWhile on vacation in San Francisco, sixteen-year-old Kiku finds herself displaced to the Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother was forcibly relocated to during World War II. After finding herself "stuck" in the 1940s, Kiku adjusts to the harsh life of the camp and experiences how the internees managed to create a community and commit small acts of resistance in order to survive.
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey LeeBy day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, \"Dear Miss Sweetie.\" When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South.
Down and Across by Arvin AhmadiSixteen-year-old Iranian American Scott Ferdowsi has a history of quitting things and he has no idea what he wants to do with his life. His parents want him to choose a career and apply for college. But when they visit Iran for a month and leave him home to focus on his internship, Scott skips town and travels to Washington, D.C. to visit a famous professor for advice about success. There he meets college student Fiora Buchanan who writes crossword puzzles. During Scott's summer of freedom, he finds answers about who he is and what he wants in unexpected places.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen YangGene Luen Yang, a graphic novelist and math teacher in Oakland, California, follows his Catholic high school's men's varsity basketball team, the Dragons, over the course of one season. Interviews Coach Lou and his players on their lives, the team's mysterious past, and its quest for the state championship.
Forward Me Back to You by Mitali PerkinsTold in separate voices, Kat and Robin leave Boston on a church mission to help combat human trafficking in India while Kat recovers from a sexual assault and Robin seeks his birth mother.
Frankly in Love by David YoonAs the son of Korean immigrants in Southern California, high school senior Frank Li is expected to find a nice Korean girl to marry. But instead, Frank falls for a white classmate who his parents will never approve of. He meets another Korean American, Joy Song, who is in a similar situation. They agree to be a couple in front of their parents in order for Frank and Joy to be with who they really want, but as their fake relationship becomes more real, they both wonder if they really know anything about love.
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula YooChronicles the events leading up to and following the murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin in 1982 which sparked the Asian American movement and led to the United States' first federal civil rights trial in connection with an Asian American citizen.
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston; James D. HoustonDuring World War II a community called Manzanar was created in the high mountain desert country of California. Its purpose was to house thousands of Japanese Americans. Among them was the Wakatsuki family, who were ordered to leave their fishing business in Long Beach and take with them only the belongings they could carry. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, who was seven years old when she arrived at Manzanar in 1942, recalls life in the camp through the eyes of the child she was.
Finding My Voice by Marie Myung-Ok LeeAs she tries to enjoy her senior year and choose which college she will attend, Korean American Ellen Sung must deal with the prejudice of some of her classmates and pressure from her parents to get good grades.
Flamer by Mike CuratoDuring the summer before high school, Aiden Navarro spends time at Boy Scout camp learning how to deal with bullies, changing friendships, and his new feelings for Elias.
From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya MenonAspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2. When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil. Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?
I Was Their American Dream by Malaka GharibA coming-of-age story and a reminder of the thousands of immigrants who come to America in search for a better life for themselves and their children.
This Light Between Us: a Novel of World War II by Andrew FukudaIn 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki of Bainbridge Island, Washington, is horrified to discover that his new pen pal, Charlie Lévy of Paris, France, is a girl, but in spite of his initial reluctance, their letters continue over the years and they fight for their friendship even as Charlie endures the Nazi occupation and Alex leaves his family in an internment camp and joins the army.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NgIn a perfect community based on rules, order, and conformity, a single mother named Mia and her daughter Pearl rent a house from the Richardsons.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le NguyenTien, the son of two Vietnamese refugees, is struggling with the right way to come out to his parents. With a language barrier, Tien wonders how he will ever tell his parents the truth. As he helps them with their English, Tien realizes he may be able to use fairy tales to get his message across.
My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha SharmaBetrayed by Raj, who she thought she was fated to marry, seventeen-year-old Winnie Mehta teams with fellow film fan Dev to get her life back on track and find her true soul mate.
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Leeust before the 1906 earthquake strikes San Francisco, Mercy Lee talks her way into the elite, all-white St. Clare's School for Girls by posing as a Chinese heiress—a remarkable feat for a 15-year-old girl from Chinatown. Determined to make a better life for herself and her sickly little brother, Jack, Mercy tries her best to fit in. And when the earthquake hits, it takes the quick wits of this strong-willed girl to pull the survivors together in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Parachutes by Kelly YangMia Tang and her immigrant parents are not exactly living the American dream since moving here from China--they live in the Calivista Motel, and Mia must tend to its guests. Her parents, meanwhile, have been hiding illegal immigrants in the motel's empty rooms, risking the wrath of the owner, Mr. Yao. On the personal life front, Mia wants to become a writer, but her mother is being very discouraging because she is better at math and English is not her first language. No matter what, however, Mia vows to follow her dreams.
Pashmina by Nidhi ChananiPriyanka Das, an Indian girl living in America, has always wondered why her mother abandoned her home in India years ago, taking Priyanka with her, and still refuses to tell Pri anything about India or her father. One day, Pri finds one of her mother's pashminas in a forgotten suitcase, and, putting it on, finds herself transported to a place that very much resembles India--however, it may be another world altogether, and there is danger.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy RibayBeautiful Sophie and ugly Agatha, best friends, are taken by the School Master to the School for Good and Evil, where children are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. But when Sophie is sent to the School for evil, and Agatha to princess classes, the shocked girls think it's a mistake and try to switch; but unseen forces work to reveal their true identities.
Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia PatelSeventeen-year-old Rani Patel's outer appearance is that of a rocking Indian girl breaking cultural norms in her hip-hop performances. On the inside she feels like a nobody, separated from her school peers by her Indian culture where "husband is God," made all the worse by her father's incestuous advances toward her. Meeting Mark, a hot older man who frequents her parents' store, Rani discovers an underground hip-hop crew that fuels her imagination, but she ignores the red flags of Mark's intentions toward her and is led down a dark path.
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei; Justin Eisinger; Steven Scott; Harmony Becker (Illustrator)Japanese American actor and gay activist George Takei offers a graphic memoir of his years as a child in Japanese internment camps during World War II and how they impacted him, his parents, and the country.
This Time Will Be Different by Misa SugiuraSeventeen-year-old CJ Katsuyama's family sold their flower shop to a white man for next to nothing while they were interned during World War II. Thirty years later, the family bought the store back from that family, the McAllisters, who had prospered in the interim. Now the shop is in financial trouble and CJ's mother works for McAllister Venture Capital. CJ's mother pushes CJ to make something of her life, but CJ only seems to excel at arranging flowers, and she feels aimless. When secrets about the McAllister patriarch come to light, CJ and a group of student activists find something to rally behind, though it causes friction in the community and between CJ and her mother.
You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali PerkinsFrom 1965 through the present, an Indian American family adjusts to life in New York City, alternately fending off and welcoming challenges to their own traditions.
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa SugiuraWhen sixteen-year-old Sana and her family move to California, Sana must come to terms with the secrets that she's been keeping: she thinks her father is having an affair, and she has a crush on her girlfriend.
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya MenonWhen Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.
Super Fake Love Song by David YoonWhen new-girl Cirrus mistakes self-described nerd Sunny Dae as the lead in a rock band, Sunny rolls with it forming a fake band with his friends, but as the lies continue he risks losing both Cirrus and his friends.
Written in the Stars by Aisha SaeedGrowing up in Florida, Naila has always known her Pakistani parents would arrange her marriage, but then she falls in love with Saif. Her angry parents take her back to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore her roots. While there, Naila's parents find her a husband and make arrangements for her to marry him. Everything Naila has is taken away from her and she finds herself trapped in a foreign country against her will. Naila can only hope Saif will find her before it's too late.
The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong KingstonA memoir of the American-born daughter of Chinese immigrants who lived within the traditions and fears of the Chinese past as well as the realities of the alien modern American culture.
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRoccaReha feels like she's living in two worlds. One at school where she is the only Indian-American kid, and one at home with her family's Indian traditions. But her worlds are shattered when she learns her mother has leukemia. Reha hopes that being a dutiful daughter will make her mother well again, but she soon learns that she must bridge the gap between her two lives in order to face the uncertainty of the future.
We Are Not Free by Traci CheeFourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted. Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps. In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart.
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna AlkafDuring the Chinese-Malay conflict in Kuala Lumpur in 1969, sixteen-year-old Melati must overcome violence, her own OCD, and prejudices in order to find her way home to her mom.