My Fave Books by Asian Authors!
Growing up, were you ever assigned books by Asian authors in school?
The other day, I asked myself this question and after digging deep into my memory, only the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini came to mind.
K-12 reading lists aren’t particularly known for their diversity, so I’m not shocked. However, even when I got to college, not much changed. As an English minor, I can only recall 2 or 3 names of Asian authors that ever made it into the classroom.
As a 24 year old Malaysian Chinese American, I’m just now beginning to realize the magnitude of never seeing myself in the stories we read. Growing up in an all-white community, I was already dealing with the shame and racism of being an Asian person, but I’m starting to understand that the erasure of me and my culture in the stories we read contributed to this hollow feeling.
Since graduating college in 2019, I’ve made a conscious effort to infuse my reading with diverse writers, in particular Asian authors! Here are my favorites so far:
1. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese American writer and poet who writes with raw, lyrical prose. Written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese American son to his illiterate mother, Vuong recounts his mom and grandma’s lives in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, their difficult escape and adjustment to a new world, and growing up as a young gay man in America. This work of art is unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
2. 99 Nights in Logar by Jamil Jan Kochai
Jamil Jan Kochai was born in an Afghan refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, but he originally hails from Logar, Afghanistan. His novel, 99 Nights in Logar, is a coming-of-age story about a young American boy visiting extended family for the summer in contemporary Afghanistan. This book is an intimate look into what everyday life is like in Afghanistan, and it purposefully deconstructs American misunderstandings of Afghanistan and the idea that Afghanistan needs to be “saved.”
3. the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Amy Tan is a Chinese American author whose name I heard repeatedly growing up. She seemed to be the only Asian writer who existed during my childhood. I finally read this novel in hopes of understanding what the hype is about, and I found a deeply moving story about Chinese heritage, immigrant mothers, and first-generation daughters that made me think deeply about my own relationship with my Chinese immigrant mother.
The Joy Luck Club has been criticized for perpetuating racist stereotypes about Asian Americans and depicting Chinese culture as backwards, cruel, and misogynistic. While these criticisms are fair, this novel helped me understand myself and my Chinese identity a little more. I spent too much of my childhood mad at my parents for cultural things I didn’t understand, and I felt seen seeing the daughters in this book go through something similar.
***Amy Tan has been heralded as a defining Asian American author, but in no way is she THE defining Asian author. She led the charge, but I encourage you to read other Asian authors beyond her!
4. The Memory Police Yoko Ogawa
Yoko Ogawa is a Japanese writer, and her 1994 novel The Memory Police was only translated into English in 2019. This captivating novel takes place on an island under control by memory police, where people forget and lose their attachment to objects and ideas. Ogawa explores the idea of collective memory. More people need to read this book!
5. Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Chanel Miller is a Chinese American writer who has a gift for telling stories. Her memoir was one of the most beautiful and painful books I’ve ever read in my entire life. In it, Chanel Miller reclaims her identity from Emily Doe, a victim of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. This book transformed the way I think about sexual assault, and her words will stay with me forever. Past the trauma, Chanel Miller emerges as a dazzling writer. Highly recommend to those who are ready!
6. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Madeleine Thien is a Malaysian Chinese Canadian writer whose novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, opened my eyes to the cultural revolution in China. This book is a sweeping epic that follows the lives of a couple musicians navigating a regime that tries to stifle them. Thien does a remarkable job at depicting how the cultural revolution lingers in the lives of people today.
7. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Elif Batuman is a Turkish American writer, and her novel The Idiot is a coming-of-age story that encapsulates the torturous thrills, intensity, and blinding confusion about being in your late teens. This book is exactly what you need if you’re this age and stumbling through the anguish yourself, or if those days have passed and you want to remember how you used to feel.
More Books I Love!
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh
Books by Asian Authors on my Reading List
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
House of Sticks by Ly Tran
Crying in Hmart by Michelle Zauner