Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima by Stephen Walker [in AsianWeek]
08 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Japanese, Nonfiction, Repost
Marking the 60th anniversary of that fateful August 6th morning comes a richly detailed examination of the three weeks that led up to the Hiroshima bombing. While it reads like a riveting novel – scientists, politicians,...
Here’s the everyperson – or should that be every non-Asian person’s? – guide to debunking the Asian mystique, written by a non-APA with 15-plus years experience of writing about Asia. While the aware APA...
Leong examines the lives of this trio – author of The Good Earth, the APA actress of all time, and the Wellesley-educated wife of Chiang Kai-shek – as the most prominent women associated with...
Good Morning America viewers, with a panel of bestselling authors, chose Ahmedi’s story in a nationwide search for the most extraordinary true-life experience. Afghani-born Ahmedi’s 19 years are marked by...
In spite of its devastating moments, this is one fabulous novel about a billion-rupee quiz show winner, a lá Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, who is unjustly arrested for cheating. Rescued from being further tortured,...
A new translation of a Japanese classic that follows Botchan, the mischievous, fun-loving Tokyo-ite to rural southern Japan where he’s assigned to teach in a boys’ school. What’s a rule-breaker to do?
Review: 
When Kellach and Driskoll’s beloved mother reappears after mysteriously disappearing five years ago, the family’s initially joyful reunion is overshadowed by the presence of evil. It’s up to Kellach and his girl-power buddy Moyra...
When her Hollywood agent sends D-lister Raveena Rai overseas to star in a Bollywood film, she gets stuck with a lecherous director and a tongue-tied though gorgeous co-star. Fun, silly romp just in time...
Two interesting facts emerge: 1. young girls are bonded together to become laotongs (literally, “old sames”) for life and 2. women communicate using nu shu, a secret women-only written language. In the novel, 80-year-old...
A must-read novel about a Filipino Native American hapa Vietnam War veteran whose disturbing journal “entrys” are juxtaposed with more reliable, objective narration. How the story plays out keeps you on the edge of your seat,...
The first available translation of important fiction highlighting the Japanese colonization of Korea: Kannani exposes the brutality endured by Koreans at the hands of their Japanese oppressors – even among the children – while Document follows...
Thrilling collection of four recent plays from one of my favorite playwrights: Sisters Matsumoto, The Wind Cries Mary, Ballad of Yachiyo, and Under the Rainbow which combines two playlets, Natalie Wood...
Here’s an auspicious debut about three generations of the Lum family of Orange County, California, who may or may not be trying to survive a death curse, who have...
Somebody's Daughter
Marie Myung-Ok Lee Finds Her Voice
A stirring collection of portraits of activists, writers, artists and (even!) politicians accompanied by stirring quotes. Mini-bios are available in the back. But where are the APAs among...
The inaugural title of an entertaining new series introduces five 17th-century Chinese young monks, each with special powers, who must save their world from destruction by one of their fellow brethren gone...
Got the publication date confused and held it longer than intended – but can’t let it go without saying this is a grand coming-of-age story. Jazz Gardner travels to India with her family where...
A careful examination of 48 second-generation South Asian Americans whose parents arrived from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal during 1965 and the mid-1980s. Through personal stories and sociological context, Purkayastha explores how this second...
Complete with rudimentary drawings of tongue positions for proper pronunciation, this guide has quite the collection of translated sentences: “These models do have their sexually flaming excited bodies.” I’ll stick with the “Please, give...
Gorgeous pages with ingredient lists so short that you might actually start believing that “simple” is not a misnomer!
Review: