As a child, ever since I learned to read, books have been a means of escape for me. It’s an enjoyable, educational, and stimulating hobby that I have always loved to pursue. However, during high school and college, I got sucked into the tedious world of required reading, making it difficult to find pleasure in reading books and material that I did not choose and did not hold my interest. I left the world of reading for fun and spent my free time watching TV shows instead.
Many years later, when I became pregnant, I went into investigator/researcher mode (true to my ISTJ nature) in order to best prepare myself for the daunting role of motherhood. I perused blogs, Reddit threads, and parenting books to absorb as much information as possible. Throughout this process, I began to rediscover my love for reading and delved into genres beyond parenting. The more I explored the world of reading, the more I got excited about reclaiming my reader identity again. In 2017, I read 10 books. In 2018, I read 5 books. In 2019, I read 97 books. And so far, in the year 2020, I have read 59 books already.
I primarily use Goodreads to track my reading progress, To Be Read list, and reviews/ratings. However, I wanted to share the great books I’ve been reading on my blog platform. One of the genres I am drawn to and is very much underrepresented is Asian American Literature. This can mean that the author is Asian or Asian American and/or the content features Asian and Asian American topics, both in fiction and nonfiction. I am hoping that this will become a useful resource for readers who are also interested in learning more about Asian culture and the Asian American experience.
Check out my comprehensive list of recommended books in the Asian Literature category on Goodreads.
Here is a sneak peek at some of the books that I will be releasing reviews for in the upcoming weeks and months.
- The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (2019)
- All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung (2018)
- One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong (2016)
- Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and a Global Race to Achieve by Lenora Chu (2017)
- Women’s Work: A Reckoning with Work and Home by Megan Stack (2019)
- How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee (2019)
- If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (2020)
- Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China by Fuschia Dunlop (2008)
- Miracle Creek by Angie Kim (2019)
- Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong (2019)
- Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People by Helen Zia (2000)
- Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age by Maya Thiagarajan (2016)
Don’t forget to check out my review of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua!
