Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hewes Library is sharing recommendations from our Monmouth College community.

Assistant Professor of History, Dr. Michelle Damian, shared a few favorite novels and authors:

Lisa See:  Island of Sea Women, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Gail Tsukiyama:  Street of a Thousand Blossoms 

Nancy Kim:  Like Wind Against Rock

Celeste Ng:  Little Fires Everywhere

Julie Otsuka:  When the Emperor Was Divine  and a non-fiction counterpart, memories of Japanese internment camps in the United States, Whispered Silences: Japanese Americans and World War II by Gary Okihiro.

Last, but not least, the lighthearted Crazy Rich Asians trilogy by Kevin Kwan.

More resources: https://asianpacificheritage.gov/about/

Associate Professor of English, David Wright, shared these recommendations, including “Pachinko” by Korean American author Min Jin Lee, a 2018 Monmouth College honorary degree recipient.

Min Jin Lee 2018 (photo Monmouth College)

Fiction

Min Jin Lee: Pachinko

Ocean Vuong: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Jhumpa Lahiri:  Unaccustomed Earth 

Alexander Chee: How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

Poetry

Victoria Chang: Obit

Marianne Chan: All Heathens

Kazim Ali: Sky Ward

Ocean Vuong:  Night Sky with Exit Wounds

Miho Nonaka: The Museum of Small Bones

W. Todd Kaneko: This is How the Bone Sings 

More about Lee’s visit to Monmouth: https://www.monmouthcollege.edu/live/news/614-commencement-weekend 

At the recent Monmouth College round table, Asian & Asian American Experiences in the U.S., Intersectional Perspectives on Race and Gender, Professors Li, Srivastava, and Damian facilitated discussion within our community. Taken from a resulting resources list, the below podcasts tackle issues for people of AAPI descent.

Image by HokYoung Kim for NPR

Code Switch
A Letter from Young Asian Americans to Their Parents about Black Lives Matter: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/07/27/487375314/a-letter-from-young-asian-americans-to-their-families-about-black-lives-matter

NPR: Screams and Silence
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/23/980437156/screams-and-silence

NPR: The U.S. has a History of Disease with Race and Ethnicity
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978783879/the-u-s-has-a-history-of-linking-disease-with-race-and-ethnicity

Asian Enough
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asian-enough/id1501446978

Fresh Air
Lee Isaac Chung Jotted Down Some Family Memories - They Became “Minari”
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973262034/lee-isaac-chung-jotted-down-some-family-memories-they-became-minari

It’s a Minute with Sams Sanders
Cathy Park Hong’s Asian American Reckoning and the “Model Minority” Stereotype: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/24/938314414/cathy-park-hongs-asian-american-reckoning-and-the-model-minority-stereotype

For more information, visit: https://stopaapihate.org/ 

PBS’s Asian Americans series examines the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity. This five part video series is freely available on: 

https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/episodes

Monmouth College Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Shweta Srivastava suggested the celebration of cooking and cuisine in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Whether interested in the cultural significance of food or experimentation in
the kitchen, see these suggestions for inspiration.

Asian culture and cooking available at Hewes Library:

https://tinyurl.com/su92sphv 

Asian cooking books available via I-Share: 

https://tinyurl.com/3vz2uy2x

And enjoy Professor Srivastava’s personal friend, celebrated cook Sherbanoo Aziz, explain the foundations of Indian cuisine: https://youtu.be/527XseZ0C9o?t=430