Award Winning Asian American FictionLike this list

17 items

• The Swimmers

  Otsuka, Julie, 1962-

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  When a crack appears in the pool, a fellowship of swimmers who take comfort in their laps are cast out, including Alice, who, slowly losing her memory, is reunited too late with her estranged daughter, in this intimate story of mothers and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Inheritance of Loss

  Desai, Kiran, 1971-

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  In a crumbling house in the remote northeastern Himalayas, an embittered, elderly judge finds his peaceful retirement turned upside down by the arrival of his orphaned granddaughter, Sai. Awards: Man Booker Prize National Book Critics Circle Award:…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Interior Chinatown

  Yu, Charles, 1976-

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  A stereotyped character actor stumbles into the spotlight before uncovering surprising links between his family and the secret history of Chinatown. National Book Awards: Fiction

• Pachinko

  Lee, Min Jin,

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  In early 1900s Korea, prized daughter Sunja finds herself pregnant and alone, bringing shame on her family until a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and move with her to Japan, in the saga of one family bound together as their faith and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sharks in the Time of Saviors

  Washburn, Kawai Strong, 1980-

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  When a child falls overboard and is returned safely to his mother by a shark, his miraculous rescue is hailed as a sign from ancient Hawaiian gods, complicating his family’s troubles amid a collapsing sugarcane industry. Pen/Hemingway Award 2021

• Interpreter of Maladies

  Stories

  Lahiri, Jhumpa

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  In nine stories imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture, Lahiri charts the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations. This short fiction collection blends elements of Indian traditions…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Leavers

  A Novel

  Ko, Lisa

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  One morning, Deming Guo's mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her job at the nail salon and never comes home. With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left with no one to care for him. He is eventually adopted by…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

  Vuong, Ocean, 1988-

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  A letter from a son to a mother who cannot read reveals the impact of the Vietnam War on their family history and provides a view into parts of the son's life that his mother has never known. ALA Notable Books - Fiction: 2020

• How Much of These Hills Is Gold

  Zhang, C Pam,

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  Two orphaned Chinese immigrant siblings flee the threats of their gold rush mining town across an unforgiving landscape where their survival is tested by family secrets, sibling rivalry and disparate goals. Asian Pacific American Award for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Severance

  Ma, Ling, 1983-

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  A survivor of an apocalyptic plague maintains a blog about a decimated Manhattan before joining a motley group of survivors to search for a place to rebuild, a goal that is complicated by an unscrupulous group leader. Kirkus Prizes: Kirkus Prize for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• America Is Not the Heart

  Castillo, Elaine,

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  Three generations of women from one immigrant family trying to reconcile the home they left behind with the life they're building in America. Library Journal Best Books: 2018 Fiction

• Chemistry

  Wang, Weike,

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  Losing her love for her major when her graduate studies become subject to research failures and high pressure, a Boston University student contemplates a marriage proposal from a more successful fellow scientist while she pursues an entirely…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Joy Luck Club

  Tan, Amy

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  After being drawn together by the shadows of their past, four women start meeting every week in San Francisco to engage in hobbies they all enjoy. After one of the four members dies, her daughter takes her place to fulfill her mother's dying wish.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Sympathizer

  Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971-

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  Follows a Viet Cong agent as he spies on a South Vietnamese army general and his compatriots as they start a new life on 1975 Los Angeles. Pulitzer Prize Fiction 2016

• The God of Small Things

  Roy, Arundhati, 1946-

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  In 1969, in Kerala, India, Rahel and her twin brother, Estha, struggle to forge a childhood for themselves amid the destruction of their family life, as they discover that the entire world can be transformed in a single moment. Man Booker Prize-1997

• Exit West

  Hamid, Mohsin, 1971-

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  Presents the story of two young lovers whose furtive affair is shaped by local unrest on the eve of a civil war that erupts in a cataclysmic bombing attack, forcing them to abandon their previous home and lives. New York Times Notable Books -…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

  Liu, Ken

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  An award-winning science fiction and fantasy author hand-picks his best short-stories, as well as a brand-new piece, in a collection that includes “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” “Mono No Aware” and “The Waves.” Locus Awards: Collection