Celebrate the cultures and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans during Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this May! “Asian and Pacific” covers the entire Asian continent, as well as the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. May was chosen as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month in commemoration of the first immigrants from Japan to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the commemoration of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of workers who built the railroad were Chinese immigrants.
(source: https://asianpacificheritage.gov/about/)
To commemorate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, check out some of these resources available from the Whittemore Library!
Whittemore Library Asian Pacific Heritage Month LibGuide: Find a wide variety of resources and links to research materials about Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month compiled by the Whittemore Library librarians.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islander Commission works to address the needs of the Asian/Pacific American community in the state. Check out their website for information on their work: https://aapicommission.org/.
Did you know that, according to 2020 census data, there are over 20 million people in the United State who identify as Asian/Pacific American? Learn more about what the census data say by visiting https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/05/aanhpi-population-diverse-geographically-dispersed.html.
The National Archives has a wide variety of historical records documenting the Asian/Pacific American experience. Be sure to check out some of their amazing resources by visiting https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month.
Check out our Kanopy and Academic Video Online databases to watch films and documentaries! Check out some of these great titles for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month:
Books available from the Whittemore Library and the Minuteman Library Network (please note some titles are eBooks). Children and YA book titles compiled by Samantha Westall, Curriculum Librarian.
Fiction
Aiiieeeee!: An Anthology of Asian-American Writers edited by Frank Chin
Swimming Back to Trout River: A Novel by Linda Rui Feng
The Descendants by Kuai Hart Hemmings
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Dust Child: A Novel by Nguyẽ̂n Phan Qué̂ Mai
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Non-Fiction
Detours: A Decolonial Guide to Hawai'i edited by Hōkūlani K. Aikau and Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston
The Making of Asian American: A History by Erika Lee
Asian American Media Activism: Fighting for Cultural Citizenship by Lori Kido Lopez
Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
Beautiful Country: A Memoir by Qian Julie Wang
Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White by Frank H. Wu
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
Graphic Novels
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
The Good Asian by Pornsak Pichetshote
Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey written and illustrated by GB Tran
(Asian Pacific American Heritage Month books on display in the Curriculum Library.)
Children’s Picture Books
Ho'onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour
Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang
Middle Grade Books
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman
Middle Grade Graphic Novels
The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
YA Books
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura
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