May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and while I’m always up for shining a light on underrepresented voices, I have to admit: this particular grouping feels like it was assembled by someone who’s never looked at a map—or a history book. The AAPI umbrella includes a wildly diverse set of cultures, languages, and identities, from East Asia to South Asia to the islands of the Pacific, and even parts of the Middle East. That’s not a category; that’s half the globe.
Lumping all of that into one acronym? It’s reductive at best, erasure at worst. As Harmeet Kaur smartly noted in a piece for CNN, the label sticks mostly because there’s no better one. It’s a placeholder—an imperfect one—but still an opportunity to spotlight incredible writing that deserves a wider audience.
So, gripe acknowledged. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
Here are a few books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors that I recommend not just for May, but for any time you’re looking for something smart, layered, and unforgettable.
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Genre: Literary Fiction
Kitamura excels at writing characters who drift just outside the emotional current, and Audition is no exception. The story revolves around an actress and a younger man meeting for lunch in Manhattan, but the real tension lies in the question: who are we performing for, and when do we drop the act? Whether with family, friends, lovers, or strangers, we’re always auditioning. This one’s sharp, elegant, and quietly unsettling in the best way.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Kitamura, Katie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 205 Pages – 04/08/2025 (Publication Date) – Riverhead Books (Publisher)
Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
Genre: Sci-Fi/Heist/Cyberpunk
This book is what happens when you throw Blade Runner, Ocean’s 8, and a stack of bail bonds into a blender and hit “Hawaiian pidgin.” Edie’s just out of prison—thanks to early parole and one hell of a backstory—and now she’s got one last job that might be her ticket to real freedom (or real chaos). Fast-paced, funny, and ferocious, this is genre fiction with heart and a whole lot of grit.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Yamamoto, Makana (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 356 Pages – 01/14/2025 (Publication Date) – Harper Voyager (Publisher)
Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara
Genre: Nonfiction/Technology & Identity
You might know Vara from The Immortal King Rao, but here she goes full throttle into personal essay and cultural criticism. Vara uses her viral AI-assisted piece about her sister’s death as a jumping-off point to explore how the internet—and tools like ChatGPT—reshape not just how we communicate, but how we construct identity. If you’re interested in where the digital and the deeply personal collide, this is a must-read.
- Hardcover Book
- Vara, Vauhini (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages – 04/08/2025 (Publication Date) – Pantheon (Publisher)
The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li
Genre: Gothic Fiction/Family Drama
Let’s talk drama. When trailblazing Chinese American actress Vivian Yin dies, her daughters expect to inherit her estate—but a surprise will throws everything into chaos. Think: family feud, mystery, and a possibly haunted mansion with secrets thick as fog. This is a juicy, slow-burn gothic novel with plenty of generational tension and ghostly unease.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Li, Christina (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages – 05/06/2025 (Publication Date) – Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Tan, Susan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 08/04/2026 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Vo, Nghi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 05/05/2026 (Publication Date) – Tordotcom (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Yu, Mei (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 04/07/2026 (Publication Date) – Union Square Kids (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Parappukkaran, Sandhya (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 07/07/2026 (Publication Date) – Abrams Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Martin, April (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 48 Pages – 03/03/2026 (Publication Date) – Sourcebooks Wonderland (Publisher)
- Tan, Susan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 96 Pages – 12/02/2025 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
- Wang, Tiffany (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 424 Pages – 10/28/2025 (Publication Date) – Bindery Books (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Stephanie Vivit Lehmann (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 10/25/2025 (Publication Date) – Pamilya Press (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Oh, Axie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 390 Pages – 10/21/2025 (Publication Date) – Feiwel & Friends (Publisher)
Final Thoughts
There’s no single story that can encapsulate the entire AAPI experience—and that’s the point. These books offer just a glimpse into a kaleidoscope of cultures, histories, and identities that deserve far more than a single month of attention. So read widely, read curiously, and don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s time to celebrate—just start reading.
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Last update on 2025-10-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API