Happy Monday, bibliophiles!
For those of you who didn’t know, in the U.S., May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month! I made a list of YA reads for the occasion last year (click here if you’d like to parse through), but since I’ve read so many more incredible books by AAPI authors since last May, I figured I would make another list. These are books from all genres, but all of them are from authors of AAPI heritage. And with all of these kinds of posts, I always want to impress the following: reading diversely should never be confined to one part of the year. That being said, it’s always important to uplift marginalized voicesāAAPI in this caseāand reading is a key way to do so.
Let’s begin, shall we?
THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S YA BOOKS FOR AAPI HERITAGE MONTH (2022 EDITION)
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea – Maggie Tokuda Hall
GENRES: Fantasy, romance, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø.5
One of my favorite reads of last year, The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea was a raw and tender read filled with pirates, mermaids, and resonant love. Highly recommended!
The Weight of Our Sky – Hanna Alkaf
GENRES: Historical fiction, fiction, mental illness/disability
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø
A searing and powerful read that follows the story of a sixteen-year-old girl with OCD in the midst of the Malaysian race riots in the late sixties.
Gearbreakers – Zoe Hana Mikuta
GENRES: Science fiction, dystopia, romance, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø.5
Gearbreakers is no ordinary YA dystopiaāfilled with mechs, found family, and fierce feminism and queerness, this is a must-read!
The Ones We’re Meant to Find – Joan He
GENRES: Science fiction, dystopia, mystery
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø.5
Mind-bending and endlessly thought-provoking, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a unique and unforgettable tale of sisterhood in the darkest of times.
Rise of the Red Hand – Olivia Chadha
GENRES: Science fiction, dystopia, romance
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļø
Rise of the Red Hand certainly wasn’t perfect, but it’s best element was its representation; it’s one of the only dystopias that I’ve seen that’s set in South Asia!
GENRES: Fantasy, high fantasy
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø
A rich and spooky fantasy that’s perfect for readers who like their traditional fantasy with a dash of necromancy, vengeful souls, and spiders.
GENRES: Dystopia, science fiction, LGBTQ+, romance
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø
Raw, fierce, and relentless, Iron Widow is a searing ode to those who are unafraid to take down the status quoāno matter the stakes.
Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know – Samira Ahmed
GENRES: Contemporary, fiction, historical fiction
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø
A love letter to all of the women that history erases, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know is a sharply feminist story set in alternating timelines.
Summer Bird Blue – Akemi Dawn Bowman
GENRES: Contemporary, fiction, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: āļøāļøāļøāļø
A powerful and unforgettable story of grief and starting over. Akemi Dawn Bowman’s writing never fails to stir up all kinds of emotions in me.
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think of them? What are your favorite YA books by AAPI authors? Let me know in the comments!
Today’s song:
That’s it for this post! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
The Bookish Mutant 
AHH all of these look amazing and thank you for all these wonderful recs!! Iron widow has been on my TBR for too long I hope I finally get to it this month ahha!! loved this post šš
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I’d highly recommend them all!! hope you get to read iron widow soon & enjoy it as much as I did!! thank you!! š
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