Asian American Voices reading list book covers

“Racism is indiscriminate, carpet bombing groups that bear the slightest resemblance to one another,” wrote Cathy Park Hong, in her recent New York Times Magazine essay. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, verbal and physical violence directed at individuals of Asian descent has reminded us of the ugliness of racism and its ability to silence certain voices by telling them they don’t belong. In response, we’ve sought to help amplify contemporary Asian American voices in this reading list by showcasing titles from Asian American authors.

From poetry and fiction, to experimental sportswriting and biography, each of these books share striking insights about the Asian American experience through new and unexpected lenses. In addition to reminding us of the many robust contributions that Asian Americans have made to contemporary literature, these works share another common thread, in that they interrogate and examine our notions of identity in startling and innovative ways.