Happy Tuesday! Today, as a part of AAPI month, I’m sharing 12 books by Asian authors I loved in 2020. I meant to post this last week, but finals week was rough. (As was this past spring, which resulted in a dearth of posts.) Now that I’ve had a chance to rest, I’m excited to catch up on my TBR and start blogging again!
12 Books by Asian Authors I Loved in 2020
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Jin Wang is the lone Chinese American at his new school. Danny is the popular kid who seeks to escape the shame of his cousin, who seems to embody all the negative Chinese stereotypes. The Monkey King is the most powerful monkey on earth. These three seem to live different lives. But each wants to fit into the dominant culture. As their stories come together, they learn to embrace their heritage.
Gene Luen Yang captures the American Born Chinese experience—the sense of having two separate lives, the one at home and the one at school, the feeling that one doesn’t entirely belong in either culture. And the struggle to build an identity that respects both cultures, both parts of oneself. This book made me feel seen.
➣ Read my reflections on the book
The Beast Warrior by Nahoko Uehashi
The Beast Player #2
Elin lives a peaceful life with her husband (Ialu) and son (Jesse). She wants nothing more to do with the power struggles of humankind. With her country on the brink of war, however, she must face the consequences of her pursuit of knowledge. Her journey for answers will take her back to the Toda villages where she was raised and lead her to investigate her country’s origin story. Through Elin’s story, Nahoko Uehashi explores the ways people exploit knowledge, what drives people to war, and what mothers will do to protect their young.
The Burning God by R. F. Kuang
The Poppy War #3
After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. But she hasn’t given up. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, she will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners.
R. F. Kuang has delivered a bloody, ruthless, harrowing narrative to her trilogy, which explores the complexities and horrors of war. And asks what alternate solutions history might have taken in response to Western imperialism. (Check out Tor.com’s interview with the author for more on the historical parallels in The Poppy War trilogy.)
➣ Full review coming soon
Burning Roses by S. L. Huang
When Rosa (aka Red Riding Hood) and Hou Yi the Archer join forces to stop the deadly sunbirds from ravaging the countryside, their quest will take the two women, now blessed and burdened with the hindsight of middle age, into a reckoning of sacrifices made and mistakes mourned, of choices and family and the quest for immortality.
S.L. Huang takes well-known tales from the East and West and blends them in a compelling story invites us to ask, “How well do we really know these stories?” There are multiple sides to a tale. Not all fairytale monsters look like one. Rosa and Hou Yi can tell you—and they do, as their journey leads them to reflect on the mistakes they’ve made.
➣ Full review coming soon
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
The Singing Hills Cycle #1
On their way to the new empress’s first Dragon Court, Cleric Chih and their assistant, the neixin Almost Brilliant, make a detour to Lake Scarlet, the place where In-yo, the Empress of Salt and Fortune, spent her years in exile before usurping the emperor’s throne. There, they meet In-yo’s handmaiden, Rabbit, who tells them the empress’s story—and through her, the story of the silenced, nameless women who helped her rise to power.
Nghi Vo delivers an intricate, layered story that explores the interplay between ghosts and memories, gender and power, truth and history, from a working girl’s perspective. This is easily one of my favorite books of 2020.
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K. S. Villoso
Chronicles of the Bitch Queen #1
Five years after her husband’s departure, Tali receives a letter inviting her to meet with him across the sea. Though she attends with the intention to reconcile, an assassination attempt leaves her stranded in a foreign city. Alone, powerless, friendless, and desperate to survive, she must fight to make her way home.
I didn’t know I was waiting for a fierce heroine like Tali until—well, Tali showed up. Tali is fierce and unapologetically herself, but also wounded and vulnerable. And willing to go the distance for family and for duty. The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is beautifully written, fierce and full of heart. (And the series only gets better.)
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
A “millennial everywoman,” Kim Jiyoung left her white-color desk job in order to care for her newborn daughter. It seems like the natural outcome because her husband gets more money, and women are expected to care for the child. Soon, however, she begins to exhibit strange symptoms: she impersonates the voices of other women—alive and dead, known and unknown to her.
Kim Jiyoung’s story, the story of her mother and grandmother, and the story of women unbeknownst to her, reveal the frustrations of life as a woman. Backed by footnotes that cite sources and statistics, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 provides a thought-provoking examination of the discrimination and prejudices against women in South Korea.
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Loveboat, Taipei #1
Ever Wong wants to dance. Her parents plan to send her to a pre-med program. Having witnessed her parents’ sacrifices, Ever tries to follow the path they paved for her. But when her parents send her to a summer abroad program in Taipei, she decides, in a moment of passion, to break all of her family’s strict rules. Inspired by a real study-abroad program, Loveboat, Taipei portrays the diverse struggles of second-generation Chinese Americans between pursuing their dreams and honoring their parents’ sacrifices.
Parachutes by Kelley Yang
Parachutes follows the lives of two teenage girls: Claire Wang, an international student from an affluent Chinese family, and Dani De La Cruz, a scholarship student from a Filipino single-mother household. Through their stories, Kelley Yang delivers a raw portrayal of the pain and suffering of victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault: the blame, the fear, the suffocation of a system that protects the perpetrator. In particular, she explores the added struggles of speaking out as an Asian women.
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade by Lyla Lee
Mindy Kim #2
Mindy Kim isn’t looking forward to the Lunar New Year—because this year, her mom won’t be here to celebrate with the family. Things start looking up, however, when her BFF Sally agrees to go to the Lunar New Year Parade with her. As new faces join the festivities, Mindy begins to enjoy old traditions and form new ones along the way.
Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade introduces Korean Lunar New Year traditions through a protagonist who I can see becoming a beloved household name like Junie B. Jones. I love Mindy’s voice and the adorable illustrations that bring her story to life.
Sailor Moon Eternal Edition
Volume 3
In the last volume, Usagi and her friends foiled the Dark Kingdom’s plot to spread their evil across the planet. Just when it seems like she will get a break, a pink-haired girl (Chibiusa) suddenly falls from a portal in the sky and demands that Usagi hands over her Silver Crystal. The girl’s presence heralds a new enemy, Black Moon Clan.
Sailor Moon has much to love, from star-crossed love and pretty outfits to magic and danger to school life and a quest to save the world.The events of this volume will force Usagi to draw upon deep wells of emotional strength as the ones closest to her fall victim to the Black Moon Clan’s schemes.
➣ Full review coming soon
➣ In the meantime, you can read my review of volumes 1 & 2
Tower of God by SIU
The Twenty-Fifth Bam has spent most of his life trapped beneath a mysterious Tower, with only his close friend, Rachel, to keep him company. Then Rachel enters the Tower, abandoning him for the sake of her dreams. Devastated, Bam somehow opens the door to the Tower and begins climbing it. His purpose: to reunite with Rachel. During his journey, he meets allies, makes enemies, and begins unraveling the secret to his past.
Tower of God is pure epic. It has great character development, for both the protagonist and the supporting characters, action-packed battles, intrigue and politicking, and so much more. As the series progress, the pace only picks up. (Note: This one is a Webtoon and can be read on Webtoons.)
➣ Full review coming soon
Let’s Chat
What are some of your favorite books by Asian / Pacific Islander authors?
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters says
I so want to check out The Burning God! It sounds amazing!
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
Crystal says
I hope you enjoy The Burning God!