BookDragon Nonfiction

One Story, Thirty Stories: An Anthology of Contemporary Afghan American Literature edited by Zohra Saed and Sahar Muradi, foreword by Mir Tamim Ansary

27 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Afghan American, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Stories

The title of this diverse anthology is taken from the opening line of Afghan fairy tales, not unlike 'once upon a time.' In this case, afsanah, seesanah – one story, thirty stories...

This Is All I Choose to Tell: History and Hybridity in Vietnamese American Literature by Isabelle Thuy Pelaud [in San Francisco Chronicle]

26 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Nonfiction, Repost, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American, Vietnamese American

What's wrong with this scenario? Robert Olen Butler's A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain wins the Pulitzer Prize despite "his portrayal of sweet and off-beat Vietnamese American caricatures,"...

Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: A Memoir of My Fifth-Grade Year by Esmé Raji Codell, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

22 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Audio, Jewish, Memoir, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction

This one starts with a mini-dilemma of choice ...

Saving the Baghdad Zoo: A True Story of Hope and Heroes by Kelly Milner Hall with Major William Sumner

19 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Children/Picture Books, Iraqi, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction

When I hear "collateral damage," one thing I've never thought of before (I know, shame on me!) are the animals! And how much more tragic are the animals trapped in cages ...

However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and a Journey Home by Awista Ayub

17 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Afghan, Afghan American, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

"However tall the mountain, there's always a road," so goes the Afghan proverb that opens Awista Ayub's inspiring memoir. Thank goodness for the energy of youth to actually find the...

Leo the Snow Leopard: The True Story of an Amazing Rescue by Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Craig Hatkoff

10 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Children/Picture Books, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Pakistani

Given this morning's short flurries here in DC, had to post something with SNOW in the title! Welcome to Leo's world, brought to you by the same bestselling, award-winning Hatkoff family...

Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home by Youme

07 Dec, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Laotian, Nonfiction, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American

As thin as this title might seem, it actually embodies three important sections. The main focus is clearly the story of young Mali, which begins with her carefree life in her native Laos...

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

29 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, Biography, Mongolian, Nonfiction

Hurray (itself a word of Mongol origin) for cultural anthropologist and Macalester College professor Jack Weatherford who reclaims Genghis Khan from a much maligned history that defines him as "the quintessential barbarian," leading an...

Out of Iraq: Refugees’ Stories in Words, Paintings and Music by Sybella Wilkes, foreword by Angelina Jolie, in association with UNHCR

27 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in British, Children/Picture Books, Iraqi, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction

Alas, tragic headlines continue to repeat over and over: The front page of today's New York Times reports, "Iraq's Ills Lead Former Exiles to Flee Again." [An online version of the article is available...

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama, illustrated by Loren Long

24 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Biography, Children/Picture Books, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Yes, President Obama's first picture book is, of course, a gorgeous gift to his two young daughters. But it's also quite a legacy for every child anywhere as it reminds us that...

Country Road ABC: An Illustrated Journey Through America’s Farmland by Arthur Geisert

20 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Children/Picture Books, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction

While today's country roads might seem to resemble life from centuries past, subtle contemporary reminders are unmistakable ...

Kubla Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Robert Byrd

19 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Biography, Children/Picture Books, Mongolian, Nonfiction

Let's start with the last pages first: Kathleen Krull notes in her "Author's Note" that "[i]nformation about Kubla Khan is sketchy." Her illustrator Robert Byrd adds that "[p]ictoral references dealing with the...

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

16 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Israeli, Jewish, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers

Having grown up Catholic (I'm still in recovery), nothing works better than leftover Catholic guilt to get me to do something I'm whinge-ing about. The supreme irony about my former Catholicism is...

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey

14 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Bangladeshi, Indian, Indian American, Nonfiction, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

What perfect timing! Madhur Jaffrey's newest cookbook makes for a toothsome companion to one of last week's posts, Indivisible, the first anthology that brings together contemporary American poets...

Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman

08 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Audio, Filipina/o, Japanese, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Southeast Asian

In the book’s opening pages, the “Authors’ Note,” explains the title – ‘tears in the darkness’ is a literal translation of the Japanese kanji for anrui, “the kind of pain and sorrow...

Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow | A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe

29 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction

Growing up in Seattle, Washington, young Jimi Hendrix first made music on a one-string ukulele. He drew, he told funny stories, he hung out at the local record store with his friends "who never teased him about his worn-out clothes and wild hair ...

The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America by Mae Ngai

28 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Biography, Chinese American, Nonfiction

When the local San Francisco public school denied Mamie Tape admission solely based on her Chinese heritage, her parents sued the city's Board of Education in what became the landmark 1885 case, Tape vs. Hurley. Mamie was seven years old, the American-born child of middle-class Chinese...

Migritude by Shailja Patel

26 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Adult Readers, Drama/Theater, Indian African, Indian American, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, South Asian American

Given the sheer number of books that arrive in the mailbox, I rarely pick up a title and start reading immediately. But something about Migritude (debuting from fabulous indie publisher Kaya Press: 'Smokin' Hot Books'!!) demanded 'read me NOW!' Once opened, I could hardly put...

Game Set Match Champion Arthur Ashe by Crystal Hubbard, illustrated by Kevin Belford

19 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Biography, Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction

To better appreciate this biography of tennis legend Arthur Ashe – first-ever African American Grand Slam champion, #1 tennis champion in the world – read it backwards. That is, turn to the back and first read the "Author's Note" on the last page. Why? Because author Crystal Hubbard...

Rosa’s Bus: The Ride to Civil Rights by Jo S. Kittinger, illustrated by Steven Walker

14 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Black/African American, Children/Picture Books, Nonfiction

Here's a solid piece of history ...