May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada! The theme for 2022 is “Continuing a legacy of greatness." Enjoy these great books celebrating and exploring Asian voices, culture and heritage.
Bracelets for Bina's Brothers by Rajani LaRocca
For the Hindu holiday of Raksha Bandhan, Bina is determined to make beaded bracelets for her brothers all by herself. She finds out which colors her brothers like and dislike and sets to work. Working with her every-other-one beading pattern causes Bina to discover something new about patterns--and her brothers. Ages 3-6.
Our Favorite Day by Joowon Oh
With its spare text and wonderfully warm watercolour and cut-paper illustrations just begging to be pored over, Joowon Oh’s tale of the singular love between a grandfather and granddaughter will nestle within the heart of every reader. Ages 3-7.
I Am Golden by Eva Chen
This joyful and lyrical picture book from New York Times bestselling author Eva Chen and illustrator Sophie Diao is a moving ode to the immigrant experience, as well as a manifesto of self-love for Chinese American children. Age 4-6.
Puddle by Hyewon Yum
One rainy day, a little boy is upset because he can't go out and play. His mom comes up with a way to keep him entertained--by drawing a picture of herself and him going outside, playing in the rain, and splashing in a giant puddle. They have so much fun drawing themselves that they decide to venture out and make the most of the rainy weather. Ages 4-7.
Eyes That Speak To The Stars by Joanna Ho
A young boy comes to recognize his own power and ability to change the future. When a friend at school creates a hurtful drawing, the boy turns to his family for comfort. He realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays, and glimpse trails of light from those who came before--in fact, his eyes are like his father's, his agong's, and his little brother's, and they are visionary. Ages 4-8.
We Two Alone: A Novella and Stories by Jack Wang
Set on five continents and spanning nearly a century, We Two Alone traces the long arc and evolution of the Chinese immigrant experience. From the vulnerable and disenfranchised to the educated and elite, the characters in this extraordinary collection embody the diversity of the diaspora at key moments in history and in contemporary times.
From the Ruins of Empire: The Revolt Against the West and the Remaking of Asia by Pankaj Mishra
Pankaj Mishra's fascinating, highly entertaining new book tells the story of a remarkable group of men from across the continent who met the challenge of the West. Incessantly travelling, questioning and agonising, they both hated the West and recognised that an Asian renaissance needed to be fuelled in part by engagement with the enemy. Through many setbacks and wrong turns, a powerful, contradictory and ultimately unstoppable series of ideas were created that now lie behind everything from the Chinese Communist Party to Al Qaeda, from Indian nationalism to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Sex and Vanity: a Novel by Kevin Kwan
Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
Hana waitresses part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she'll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters.
The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee
In the past fifty years, Asian Americans have helped change the face of America and are now the fastest growing group in the United States. But as award-winning historian Erika Lee reminds us, Asian Americans also have deep roots in the country. The Making of Asian America tells the little-known history of Asian Americans and their role in American life, from the arrival of the first Asians in the Americas to the present-day.
Welcome Home: A Guide to Building a Home for Your Soul by Najwa Zebian
In Welcome Home, Najwa shares her own personal story for the first time, powerfully weaving memoir, poetry, and deeply resonant teachings, from leaving war-torn Lebanon for Canada at sixteen, to coming of age as a young Muslim woman in Canada, to sexual harassment that left her alienated from her community, to building a new identity for herself as she learned to speak her truth.
Midnight's Borders: a People's History of Modern India by Suchitra Vijayan
Sharing borders with six countries and spanning a geography that extends from Pakistan to Myanmar, India is the world's largest democracy and second most populous country. Yet most of us don't understand it, or the violent history still playing out there. To tell the story of political borders, Suchitra Vijayan spent five years travelling India's 9,000-mile land border.
