13 New Lgbtq Books By Aapi Authors To Read Asap
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Loading... - Enrique Pantoja
- 30 May 2022
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May is AAPI Heritage Month, a monthlong celebration of the cultures, histories, contributions, and accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Originally begun in 1978 as a weeklong event, the entire month of May was officially designated AAPI Heritage Month in the early 1990s. Now, AAPI communities across the country honor the month with celebrations and educational events. It’s also a fantastic time to dive into some of the many, many, many wonderful books out there by AAPI authors!
Like with Black History Month, or Pride Month, or any of the other months that celebrate particular cultures and communities, AAPI Heritage Month shouldn’t be the one month of the year during which we talk about, read, and celebrate books by AAPI authors. That’s a year-round event; it never stops. But there’s nothing wrong with doing a little extra reading and talking and celebrating during May. There are far too many books by AAPI authors to read during one month anyway, so why not start with a few of these fantastic queer books, and you can roll right into Pride Month with a few more?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we are living in the Golden Age of queer lit. I limited myself mostly to queer books by AAPI authors published in the first half of 2022, and even so, it was tough to narrow down this list. I also focused exclusively on American authors, but it broke my heart a little not to include Violets by Korean author Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Anton Hur, and People Change by Asian Canadian author Vivek Shraya. I’m just saying: there are so many incredible queer books by Asian authors, AAPI authors, and authors from the Asian diaspora all over the world. This list is just the beginning.
FIONA AND JANE BY JEAN CHEN HO
I learned after reading it that technically this is a story collection, but to me it read like a novel. It’s a series of linked stories that follows two Taiwanese American friends as they grow up and come into themselves. Ho beautifully captures all the messy bumps of a lifelong friendship — Fiona and Jane weave in and out of each other’s lives in a way that feels very true to how friendships, especially long distance ones, actually unfold.
TELL ME HOW TO BE BY NEEL PATEL
This novel came out at the very end of 2021 — which means it basically came out in 2022. If you missed it, you’re going to want to fix that pronto. It’s a beautiful, layered family saga about music, regret, brotherhood, redemption, addiction, and so much more. It’s narrated in dual POVs by Renu and Akash, a mother and son whose lives are both defined by relationships from their pasts. Akash is a gay twenty-something who is drinking too much and struggling with his career. When he returns home a year after his father’s death to help his mother sell the family house, a lot of old secrets come out.
LITTLE RABBIT BY ALYSSA SONGSIRIDEJ
There are a lot of books about women in relationships with older men, and I tend to avoid most of them. This is a differently beast entirely. The unnamed narrator is a queer, biracial 30-year-old writer who gets involved with a wealthy and well-established choreographer. It’s a story about identity, obsession, bad choices, desire, and queer community — and Songsiridej gives all of these intense themes the thoughtful, nuanced treatment they deserve.
THE VERIFIERS BY JANE PEK
Claudia Lin is a lifelong mystery reader, so when a detective agency that specializes in online dating recruits her, she takes the job. Veracity is a firm that investigates potential matches on dating apps to verify if they are, indeed, who they say they are. But Jane’s life takes a turn when her first client goes missing. It’s not the only complication she’s facing — she’s also keeping the fact that she’s a lesbian a secret from her family. This is a fun mystery that will appeal to fans of family drama, as the characters and their relationships take center stage.
ASK THE BRINDLED BY NO‘U REVILLA (AUGUST 9)
In her debut collection, which won the 2021 National Poetry series, Native Hawaiian poet, No’u Revilla, explores bodies, language, the legacies of colonialism, the natural world, and grief. Her poems blend the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom, stories from ʻŌiwi culture, and experiences of queerness and queer love. It’s a beautiful book that honors the unique stories of queer and Native Hawaiian women in bright, unflinching, unforgettable language. Read More…
