3 Must-Read Books for Asian Heritage Month
Asian Heritage Month is about recognizing, reflecting and celebrating the contributions and achievements of the Asian community. So what better way to kick off the month than with a graphic novel by George Takei?
I was drawn to They Called Us Enemy because, as a Canadian, I didn’t know much about the unpleasant history of how Japanese Americans were treated following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their bank accounts were frozen and nearly all Japanese Americans had their property and businesses taken away. On top of all that, they were also sent to live in internment camps. That’s where Takei spent part of his childhood, and it was really eye-opening to hear his story and the bravery of his parents in the face of racism and injustice.
A scene from They Called Us Enemy where two boys are arguing over who gets to be America in a game of war.
What stood out for me the most, though, was a subtle scene where two Japanese kids are playing “war” and each kid represents a country — America or Japan. Both are fighting over who gets to be America, which is a powerful statement on how society can shape the way we see ourselves.
💥TL;DR: This graphic novel is an important read because it acknowledges an unpleasant part of U.S. history while touching on themes of racism, loyalty, and family. 5/5
In case you’re looking for other AAPI books this month, here are two more powerful, emotional, true stories I highly recommend:
𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐠
A remarkable and heartbreaking story about a child survivor of the Cambodian genocide. (Prepare to cry. A lot.)
Loung Ung was just five years old when the Khmer Rouge army forced her family to leave their home in Phnom Penh. Her childhood was then overwhelmed by tragedy. She lost her parents, got separated from her siblings and became a child soldier in order to survive.
I read this book before I saw Angelina Jolie’s movie adaptation at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and it blew my mind. It was unfathomable to me how a child as young as Ung could have experienced so much tragedy and horrors of war and remain so resilient. Ung’s memoir, raises awareness of the brutality of the Cambodian genocide and although it’s very sad, it’s also very enlightening to learn about this part of history.
💥TL;DR: Through the eyes of a child, this memoir sheds light on the brutal treatment of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge in the late ‘70s. Not for the faint of heart. 5/5
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐨 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢 𝐁𝐮𝐢
Here’s one of the most moving graphic novels you’ll ever read. The story follows the journey of author and cartoonist Thi Bui’s family from Vietnam to the United States in the 1970s. It’s a story about immigration, parent-child relationships, and coming to terms with Asian-American identity.
This book was the first graphic memoir I’ve ever read, and it is powerful. With her images, Bui is able to make you feel every emotion, every heartache, every triumph. The story is beautiful, honest, and heartbreaking at times.
I was lucky enough to interview Bui about her book back in 2019 for The RepresentASIAN Project. She said the memoir was a way for her to better understand her family story and a way to rewrite Vietnamese stereotypes. I can’t recommend this book enough!
💥TL;DR: This deeply moving graphic novel about a Vietnamese family’s immigration story will hit you right in the feels. 5/5
