Here at Words Alive, we love celebrating the diverse narratives and lived experiences that make our community so wonderful. We grieve the horrific and heartbreaking surge in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders over the last year, and we believe that authentic and diverse representation in the stories we read is one of many ways to #StopAsianHate.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but as a start, we wanted to highlight the voices of some of our favorite #AAPI authors. To #StandUpforAAPI in solidarity with the AAPI community, we invite you to diversify your shelves with us!
Randy Ribay's book The Patron Saints of Nothing is a favorite for our students. It's a beautiful novel about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder. Learn more about Randy here.
Last year, our Page Turners helped us identify "Hello, Universe" as a great book for Words Alive students, and they were right! Erin Entrada Kelly’s middle grade novel follows four characters on a journey about identity, bravery, and friendship. We highly recommend you pick up this book to step into a world of diverse and interesting characters, in celebration of #DeafAwarenessMonth, and just to read a fantastic story. Our students love it and you will too! Learn more about Erin here.
We love the incredible writing of Kelly Yang. In her middle grade novel "Front Desk", Kelly gives us a glimpse into the life of the plucky, young, second-generation immigrant Mia Tang and her quest to help her parents and find herself. Learn more about Kelly here.
You may recognize "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" as Netflix movies, but first they were books! Jenny Han introduces us to charming characters and sprinkles Lara Jean's Korean roots, love, friendships and heartbreaks throughout the book series. To quote from the book, "I suppose I'll say it all started with a love letter." Learn more about Jenny here.
Sarah Kuhn’s popular Heroine Complex series stars Asian American superheroines. If you love a fast-paced adventure featuring strong, interesting characters, then this book is for you! Learn more about Sarah here.
We hope you’ve found some new authors and books to add to your shelves! Who are your favorite AAPI authors? Share them with us in the comments below.