This week’s literary picks: Read Asian Pacific authors who have lived in Minnesota

It’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the hard-working staff at the St. Paul Public Library compiled an interesting list of books by Asian Pacific authors who are from or have lived in Minnesota. Bring this along the next time you head for your favorite library.

“Chinese-ness: The Meanings of Identity and the Nature of Belonging” by Wing Young Huie, winner of a 2019 Minnesota Book Award.

“Thousand Star Hotel,” Bao Phi, confronts the silence around racism, police brutality, and invisibility of the Asian American urban poor.

“Unbearable Splendor,” Sun Yung Shin, explores identity through poetic essays.

“A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing,” David Mura.

“Life of Miracles Along the Yangtze and Mississippi,” Wang Ping, traces her journey from China to America through the stories of people who carried her along her travels.

“The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir,” Kao Kalia Yang, chronicles her family’s journey from a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand to adapting to a new life in St. Paul; first memoir written by a Hmong American to be published with national distribution, winner of PEN USA literary award and 2009 Minnesota Book Award, inspiration for a stage production.

“Not Here,” Hieu Minh Nguyen, follow up to the Lambda and 2019 Minnesota Book Award nominated collection “This Way to the Sugar.”

“The Making of Asian America,” Erika Lee, history of Asian Americans and their role in American life.

“The Bride Price: A Hmong Wedding Story,” Mai Neng Moua, recounts her experience of departing from traditional Hmong marriage customs and the resulting estrangement from her mother.

“Mitochondrial Night,” Ed Bok Lee, poetry exploring family and legacy using DNA as his guide.

“Tula.” Chris Santiago, debut poetry collection focuses on the immigrant experience.

“Love Imagined: A Mixed Race Memoir,” Sherry Quan Lee, describes her heritage and struggle to find herself.

“Fugitive Visions: An Adoptee’s Return to Korea,” Jane Jeong Trenka.

Related Articles

• Books | Literary calendar for week of May 21: Samantha Irby is ‘Quietly Hostile’ — and funny

• Books | Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’ haunted Warren Zanes. So he wrote a book about it

• Books | Salman Rushdie attends PEN America gala, his first in-person appearance since stabbing last summer

• Books | Meet D’Arcy Drollinger, a drag queen who’s now the first drag laureate in the U.S.

• Books | Ojeda-Zapata: Little Free Libraries changed my life — once I took them seriously