More Than a Month: Essential AAPI Reads for All Year Long

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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.

Audition: A Novel
  • 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.

Hammajang Luck: A Thrilling Science Fiction Crime Novel with a Touch of Romance, Take on the Tech God and Win Big!
  • 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.

Sale
Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age
  • 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.

The Manor of Dreams
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Li, Christina (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 352 Pages – 05/06/2025 (Publication Date) – Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster (Publisher)

New
Dawn of the Axolotl: A Branches Book (Pets Rule! #9)
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Tan, Susan (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 08/04/2026 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
New
A Long and Speaking Silence (The Singing Hills Cycle Book 7)
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Vo, Nghi (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 05/05/2026 (Publication Date) – Tordotcom (Publisher)
New
Best Friend, Worst Bully (Lost & Found Book 2)
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Yu, Mei (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 04/07/2026 (Publication Date) – Union Square Kids (Publisher)
New
Words That Taste Like Home: A Picture Book
  • Hardcover Book
  • Parappukkaran, Sandhya (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 32 Pages – 07/07/2026 (Publication Date) – Abrams Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
New
Meet May: A Spring Picture Book for AAPI Heritage Month, Cinco de Mayo, and Mother’s Day (Calendar Kids)
  • Hardcover Book
  • Martin, April (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 48 Pages – 03/03/2026 (Publication Date) – Sourcebooks Wonderland (Publisher)
SaleNew
Beware of the Dino-Snake: A Branches Book (Pets Rule! #8)
  • Tan, Susan (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 96 Pages – 12/02/2025 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
New
Tempest’s Queen (The Inferno’s Heir Duology)
  • Wang, Tiffany (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 424 Pages – 10/28/2025 (Publication Date) – Bindery Books (Publisher)
New
Time to Shine – a Filipino American Family Story : A Children’s Picture Book about Heritage, Healing, and Hope for Kids Ages 4-10
  • Hardcover Book
  • Stephanie Vivit Lehmann (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 40 Pages – 10/25/2025 (Publication Date) – Pamilya Press (Publisher)
New
The Demon and the Light (The Floating World Book 2)
  • 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 2025-10-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API