Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2023: What We're Reading
Staff Picks for the Month of May and Beyond
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2023 with our calendar of live events, recommendations, and on-demand content!
Discover your newest binge and get to know our staff a little better with the Asia Society Texas team's favorite ways to stay entertained!
As part of our 31 Ways to Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2023, enjoy this special edition of Staff Picks, highlighting fiction, nonfiction, and other reads! With recommendations spanning poetry to magazines to fantasy, we invite you to dive in for a fresh understanding and appreciation of the stories being told by Asian and Asian American creatives.
Fiction | Nonfiction | Graphic Novels, Manga, and Webtoons | Poetry
What We're Reading: Fiction
Novels
Arabesques by Anton Shammas
Recommended by Michael Buening, Director of Performing Arts and Culture
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The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses
Recommended by Michael Buening, Director of Performing Arts and Culture
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Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
Recommended by Rayén Torres, Business and Policy Programs Manager
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Fantasy
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee
Recommended by Matthew Fuller, Director of Business and Policy
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Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Fantasy
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Song of Silver, Flame like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Fantasy
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Fantasy
The Poppy War Series by R.F. Kuang
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Magical Realism
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
Recommended by Mei Qi, Development Manager
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What We're Reading: Nonfiction
Memoirs
A Living Remedy: A Memoir by Nicole Chung
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story by Mazie Hirono
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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Making a Scene by Constance Wu
Recommended by Mei Qi, Development Manager
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Cultural Histories
Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Japanese Woman and Her World by Amy Stanley
Recommended by Jennifer Kapral, Director of Education and Outreach
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Multicultural Comics: From Zap to Blue Beetle edited by Frederick Luis Aldama
Recommended by Phuong Ha, Education and Outreach Manager
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Anthology
My Life: Growing Up Asian in America edited by CAPE
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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Cookbooks
Chinese Homestyle: Everyday Plant-Based Recipes for Takeout, Dim Sum, Noodles, and More by Maggie Zhu
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World by Raghavan Iyer
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family by Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlyn Leung
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
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What We're Reading: Graphic Novels, Manga, and Webtoons
Graphic Novel
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Recommended by Mei Qi, Development Manager
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Manga
Kaguya-sama: Love is war by Aka Akasaka
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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Kitchen Princess by Miyuki Kobayashi and Natsumi Andoō
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Skip Beat by Yoshiki Nakamura
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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Webtoons
The Guy Upstairs by hanza art
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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I've Become a True Villainess by Flowing HonEy
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Maybe Meant to Be by honeyskein and damcho
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Webtoons
The Remarried Empress by alphatart and sumpul
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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Twilight Poem by Kim Suji and Midnight Studio
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar
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What We're Reading: Poetry
Mystical Poems of Rumi by Rumi (Trans. A.J. Arberry)
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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The Undressing by Li-Young Lee
Recommended by Brandon Park, Communications Coordinator
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About APAH Month at Asia Society Texas
Beginning in 2021, Asia Society Texas has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the Houston community and beyond through a curated calendar for 31 ways to celebrate over the 31 days of May. Spotlighting the traditions, talents, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, the calendar highlights the month's key Asia Society programming, providing a platform to showcase local artists, performers, educators, and leaders who contribute to the vibrant, multicultural tapestry of Houston while also featuring staff recommendations for our favorite music, books, movies, and more by Asian and Asian American creatives.
At Asia Society Texas, APAH Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor Asians and Asian Americans and to uplift their stories to a broader audience as part of our goal to inspire our larger community to better understand one another through culture, conversation, and connection. For information about sponsoring APAH Month and other projects like this one, please contact Saleena Jafry at SJafry@asiasociety.org or 713.496.9939.
Sponsors of APAH Month at Asia Society Texas
Asian American Bar Association of Houston
Comcast
The Heimbinder Family Foundation
Past APAH Month Calendars
2022: Highlights | Details
2021: Details
About Asia Society Texas
Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.
