Each May the United States celebrates the history and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In honor of this month, A Mighty Girl has created a new special feature on the Top Asian Pacific American Mighty Girl Books. And, just as Asian and Pacific Islanders are a very diverse group, encompassing people who originate from the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, the reading selections in this collection are equally diverse.
Thematically, the books range from those which focus on the experience of 2nd or 3rd generation Asian-American youth to others which address of the challenges of more recent immigrants. Books from this former group often confront issues such as dual identities, cultural clashes between family and societal expectations, and body image, and include many teen-oriented titles like YELL-Oh Girls!, Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies), Born Confused, Monsoon Summer, and April and the Dragon Lady. The selections focused on more recent immigrants address many of the challenges this population experiences such as cultural disorientation, teasing or bullying, and language struggles. Great options for younger readers include The Name Jar, My Name is Yoon, and Good-Bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong. Older readers might appreciate Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story, Kira-Kira, A Jar of Dreams, Inside Out and Back Again, Blue Jasmine, Children of the River, A Step From Heaven, and Ask Me No Questions.
A Mighty Girl also has a sizable collection of books featuring girls adopted from China by American families. A few of these titles include Three Names of Me; Every Year on Your Birthday; Orange Peel's Pocket; and Star of the Week: A Story of Love, Adoption, and Brownies with Sprinkles.
Of course, no reflection on the history of Asian Americans is complete without examining the darker moments from our past as well, the most infamous perhaps being the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Our collection includes a variety of excellent books to introduce children and youth to this chapter of American history including Weedflower, Journey To Topaz: A Story Of The Japanese-American Evacuation, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, Bat 6, So Far from the Sea, Sylvia & Aki, Flowers from Mariko, Music for Alice and Journey Home.
This special feature also includes several biographies of famous Asian-American women including on the pilot Maggie Gee, the actress Anna May Wong, the dancer Zhongmei Lei. Overall, we recognize the site as lacking in biographies of Asian-American women and would love to add more biographies to this collection. Please use the comments section below to share any recommendations you have.
In short, there are numerous excellent options to introduce children and youth to the richness of Asian and Pacific Islander American culture and history. And, to close, we'd like to share one of our favorites from this collection with your -- Grace Lin's novel, The Year of the Dog. Described as a "lighthearted coming-of-age novel with a cultural twist," Lin based this short novel on her own childhood. In it, the young protagonist discovers that, since it's the Chinese Year of the Dog, she is supposed to "find herself." What ensues is a humorous romp through fourth grade complete with a new best friend and the discovery of her true purpose in life. The text, dotted with ink drawings, is sure to have appeal to wide range to readers in the 7 though 10 age range. It's also a great choice for reading aloud to children.
