It’s May, and you know what that means: it’s Asian American/Pacific Islanders Heritage Month! There is never a bad time to read more books by AAPI authors, but now is a fantastic time to get some recommendations — including some you will find right in this newsletter.
Book Riot has a new podcast for you to check out if you’re looking for more bookish content in your life. First Edition will include interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books. You can subscribe to First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Bookish Goods
Ten Rings Coaster – Figure Stand – Cup Coasters – Custom Colors – 3D Printed by DiDiSensei
The real Ten Rings may be trouble, but these coasters are perfectly safe for your personal use. $8
New Releases
I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 by Lauren Tarshis and Cassie Anderson
The “I Survived” series of graphic novels adapts the prose series of the same name. In this volume, a young boy named Oscar has just moved to Chicago when the infamous fire breaks out, destroying much of the city. Can Oscar and his friends survive? (If nothing else, I hope they debunk that nonsense about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.)
Every Day by David Levithan and Dion MBD
Another comic-to-book adaptation! ‘Tis the season, I suppose. A young person, known only to themselves as “A,” never knows whose body they will wake up in: new day, new body. They have resigned themselves to that fact…or at least, they did, until falling in love with one girl in particular. Can true love bloom, despite the bizarre, less-than-ideal circumstances?
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Today’s Riot Rec theme is: Asian immigrants! In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, here are two comics — one fiction, one memoir — about Asian immigrants learning to find a place in their new country.
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
The year is 1885. Mei is a young Chinese girl working at a logging camp in the western United States. Life there is difficult for many reasons, but she has one lifeline: the stories she creates about Po Pan Yin, her own version of Paul Bunyan. It’s a heartwarming comic about how we use stories to define, reinvent, and comfort ourselves.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
In this touching yet devastating graphic memoir, Bui tells the story of how she and her family escaped South Vietnam and resettled in the U.S. Her feelings about her turbulent past change over the years, especially when she herself becomes a mother and realizes what her own parents went through to keep the family safe.
This AAPI Heritage Month, remember that anti-Asian hate crimes have skyrocketed in recent years (though racism is, sadly, nothing new). If you can kick a few bucks to organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which work to stop these crimes, that’d be great. If not, being nice is the nicest thing you can do for others!
~Eileen