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Our Community’s Favorite Books by Asian Authors
We asked our community which Asian authors to amplify. Here are the answers.
Published on August 2, 2022
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
Charles YuDo you love quantum physics? What about time travel? Did you love the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once”? Then this is definitely the meta, postmodern science fiction book for you. Every sci-fi trope receives a hilarious spin in this existential crisis of a novel where a time travel technician has been looking for his long-lost father.
Here and Now and Then
Mike ChenKin Stewart travels from 2142 to 1996’s San Francisco to eliminate a target who’s threatening the balance of time and space. But Kin gets stuck in 1996 and becomes a time anomaly himself, which makes his own kin (we see what you did there, Chen) a target for elimination once he’s finally found and returned to 2142. Kin’s devotion to his daughter across the many decades that separate them is heartwarming.
Run Me to Earth
Paul YoonYoon tells a story of war-torn Laos; his descriptions of bombed-out buildings and landscapes and his clarity around absence makes readers feel the characters’ acute sense of being unmoored — of the destruction of time and space, safety and self. “Run Me to Earth” is an enlightening and enthralling tale.
The Housekeeper and the Professor: A Novel
Yoko OgawaThis melancholic novel may just restore your faith in humanity. It’s told from the perspective of a housekeeper who takes care of a former professor whose short-term memory resets every 80 minutes. The unnamed professor’s relationship with the housekeeper’s young son is particularly sweet and wholesome.
Permanent Record
Mary H. K. ChoiPart of the fun of Choi’s work is watching her redefine entire genres. Is this book about two 20-somethings still “young adult,” or is it forging what “new adult” could be? Is it a romance, or a beautifully real portrayal of trying to find yourself through a heady love? Whatever it is, this story of Pablo, a dropout stuck in a dead-end job, and his chance encounter and ensuing whirlwind relationship with pop star Leanna Smart is a hit.
Zero Sum Game
S. L. HuangCas Russell is a math nerd who has an almost superhuman ability to calculate the trajectory of bullets in real time, which makes her a great mercenary and one of our favorite anti-heroes. Huang, a stuntwoman and film armorer with a degree in math from MIT, has created an action-packed thriller that plays to her unique experiences.
Sarong Party Girls: A Novel
Cheryl Lu-Lien TanPrepare to party in Singapore with Jazzy, Sher, Imo, and Fann, who are all looking to settle down with an ang moh husband (that means white and foreign). Tan immerses you in the culture by crafting this story of self-actualization in Singlish, which mixes multiple Asian languages and English.
Burnt Shadows: A Novel
Kamila Shamsie“Burnt Shadows” is a novel of rare beauty, pulling the reader through time and space, love and tragedy with grace. It follows the life of Hiroko Tanaka, who survives the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, finds love in Dehli, and has a son who eventually gets mixed up with Afghani smugglers.
Baby Cobra
Ali WongComedian Wong burst into the mainstream with her uproariously funny (and filthy) comedy special, “Baby Cobra,” where she makes fun of her past sexual exploits, the gendered double-standards around parenthood, and Asian stereotypes. This audiobook production of Wong’s live stand-up is so shockingly funny we dare you to try not to laugh out loud.
The Black Tides of Heaven
Neon YangThis novella unrolls like a beautiful silk thread: Twins Akeha and Mokoya are sent by their mother to live in a faraway monastery. Initially inseparable, the twins begin to take diverging paths as they grow into their magical abilities and individual identities. The world-building is subtle — there are supernatural abilities located in “The Slack,” but the magic doesn’t dominate the plot. TIME Magazine named “The Black Tides of Heaven” among the 100 best fantasy books of all time.
Phoenix Extravagant
Yoon Ha LeeYoon Ha Lee tells a wholly original tale about a nonbinary character who wants to be a (magical) painter and a dragon automaton infused with an intelligent personality, both caught up in an imperialistic political battle. “The tale moves swiftly and unpredictably, and all the action is well-staged. In short, this is a lovely fantasy that eschews epic sturm und drang for small-scale challenges, full of tenderness, brutality, and quotidian living,” Paul Di Filippo wrote in a review of “Phoenix Extravagant” for Locus Magazine.
The Gilded Wolves: A Novel
Roshani Chokshi#SquadGoals are on full display in this lush historical novel full of diverse characters you won’t be able to get enough of. If intricate world-building is more your thing, Roshani Chokshi paints a vivid picture of a reimagined Paris in 1889. Are you propelled by plot? One word: heists.