The Bookish Mutant’s Books for AAPI Heritage Month (2024 Edition)

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Here in the U.S., May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This is my fourth year making this particular list, and I’ve found and read so many incredible books since then. As always, diverse reading shouldn’t be restricted to one month only, but here at The Bookish Mutant, I try to take any opportunity I can to shift the focus to marginalized voices—and to recommend fantastic books. It feels especially important to make these lists in the past few years, what with the book bans that are not-so-subtly targeting almost exclusively POC and queer voices—read between the lines. Freedom to read is freedom to resist.

As with last year’s list (see below), I’ve now expanded them to included both YA and Adult titles, organized by genre.

For my past lists, click below:

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S BOOKS FOR AAPI HERITAGE MONTH (2024 EDITION)

FANTASY:

• Off With Their Heads – Zoe Hana Mikuta | YA | LGBTQ+, Retellings, Horror | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Monstrous Misses Mai – Van Hoang | Adult | Historical fiction, Magical realism | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• Kindling – Traci Chee | YA | LGBTQ+, Historical fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Babel – R.F. Kuang | Adult | Historical fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• A Thousand Steps Into Night – Traci Chee | YA | High fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Art of Prophecy – Wesley Chu | Adult | Historical fiction, High fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

SCIENCE FICTION

• Machinehood – S.B. Divya | Adult | Dystopia, Thriller | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Deep Sky – Yume Kitasei | Adult | Thriller, Literary fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Memory Police – Yōko Ogawa | Adult | Dystopia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Flux – Jinwoo Chong | Adult | LGBTQ+, Mystery | ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Sea Change – Gina Chung | Adult | Dystopia, Literary fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• Meru (The Alloy Era, #1) – S.B. Divya | Adult | LGBTQ+, Romance, Space opera | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

REALISTIC AND HISTORICAL FICTION:

• Yellowface – R.F. Kuang | Adult | Contemporary fiction, Thriller | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
• Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea – Rita Chang-Eppig | Adult | Historical fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• This Book Won’t Burn – Samira Ahmed | YA | Contemporary fiction, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• We Are Not Free – Traci Chee | YA | Historical fiction | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Boy You Always Wanted – Michelle Quach | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• While You Were Dreaming – Alisha Rai | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and if so, did you enjoy them? What are your favorite books by AAPI authors? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this recommendations post! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!