BookDragon Books for the Diverse Reader

20th Century Boys (vol. 17) by Naoki Urasawa, with the cooperation of Takashi Nagasaki, English adaptation by Akemi Wegmüller

30 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Check out the earnest determination on an oh-so-young Kenji's face as he announces, "Justice never dies." Four decades later, his surviving renegade friends are desperately trying to keep his prophetic, childhood words alive: "I'm saving this world from evil, no matter what happens!!" Two of the...

Drifting House by Krys Lee [in Library Journal]

27 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, Fiction, Korean, Korean American, North Korean, Repost, Short Stories

* STARRED REVIEW Krys Lee, whose peregrinations originated and are currently paused in Korea with formative stopovers in the U.S. and England, infuses the nine stories of her breathtaking debut with the consequences of dislocation – whether forced because of war, or chosen by virtue of...

Masterwork of a Painting Elephant by Michelle Cuevas, pictures by Ed Young

25 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Absolute Favorites, Chinese American, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Nonethnic-specific

Today's theme, I've decided, is families that come together in unexpected ways. I have good reason – I'm moderating an event at the Library of Congress on transracial adoption at noon (eek!) – and I have a gorgeous debut novel I must share (it's always about a...

Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje

24 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Fiction, South Asian, Sri Lankan

Before I let myself even open Michael Ondaatje's newest title, The Cat's Table, which hit shelves earlier this month, I was determined to read his previous novels that I had somehow missed. The realization that I have now earned access to Table is rather bittersweet as...

Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane, illustrated by Jane Manning

23 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific

For parents of a certain generation, Raffi was like the Pied Piper: he sang, kids listened, they often fell asleep. Back then, that was the mark of a miraculous, massively talented performer. In our house, Thing 1 had a serious preference for "Baby Beluga" at bedtime,...

The 13 Nights of Halloween by Guy Vasilovich

22 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific

I think someone clearly pushed the 'fast-forward' button and jammed it ...

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, translated by Alfred Birnbaum

21 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Japanese, Translation

As most Haruki Murakami fans as well aware, the countdown to the pub date of his latest 1Q84 ends after this weekend ...

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

19 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Poetry, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American, Verse Novel/Nonfiction, Vietnamese, Vietnamese American

Half-way through reading this debut autobiographical novel-in-verse, I had a lively conversation about the cover with a delightful new friend who happens to be a bonafide kiddie-book expert. We had just finished sharing our shock over the recent fiasco surrounding the one-too-many finalists for the 2011 National Book...

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin

18 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Japanese, Translation

In less than a week, you can be holding 1Q84, Haruki Murakami's long-awaited spectacular title finally available in English, which hits shelves on October 25. You might choose to hold out until November 8 when the audible version is scheduled for release. All 944 pages (on paper...

Gente: The People of Ristorante Paradiso (vols. 2-3) by Natsume Ono, translated by Joe Yamazaki

16 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Oh, those complicated but charming men who wander in and out of the kitchen, creating and serving the most toothsome fare at the Casetta dell'Orso ...

Freckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever by Julianne Moore, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

14 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Vietnamese American

For those who missed the perennial chart-topper on the list of “Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2010” during the recent Banned Books Week 2011, feel free to click here. That's your eyebrow-raised warning right up front that even though these two delightful protagonists both have families, one...

The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea

13 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Latina/o/x, Nonfiction

Luis Alberto Urrea's 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for General Nonfiction reads like a heart-thumping thriller, complete with big cars and big guns, desperate men and boys, waiting women, and an enormous body count. That the story is true instantly turns it into a modern tragedy of epic...

The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine by Somaly Mam

12 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Cambodian, Cambodian American, Memoir, Nonfiction, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian American

Before you open Somaly Mam's astonishing memoir, you need to be prepared to bear witness to some of the most horrific acts a human being can commit against another, especially helpless young girls. Once you begin, the frank, unmitigated writing will not allow you to...

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl by Yiyun Li

11 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Chinese, Chinese American, Fiction, Short Stories

Having been so enthralled by MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Yiyun Li’s debut collection, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, then her novel, The Vagrants, I admit I held off on this, her latest collection, for over a year. I seem to have difficulty immediately reading the newest book of...

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories by Haruki Murakami, translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin

10 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Japanese, Short Stories, Translation

No one has such an unpredictable, quirky, downright wacky imagination as Haruki Murakami. And even though your brain knows he's created an impossible universe, everything on the page seems so convincing, you'll go along for the ride – any ride with Murakami at the helm. Even almost...

Cross Game 4 (vols.8-9) by Mitsuru Adachi, translated by Lillian Olsen

09 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Let the games continue! Volume 8 adds a new character to the roster – cousin Mizuki Asami returns to Japan from his mountaineering adventures with his world-famous father, and moves in with the Tsukishimas. As sweet, polite, and considerate as he is, he almost immediately announces...

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

08 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Nonethnic-specific, Short Stories

All is definitely not fair in love and war ...

Author Interview: Ha Jin [in Bookslut]

03 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Adult Readers, Author Interview/Profile, Chinese, Chinese American, Fiction, Repost, Short Stories

Ha Jin has lived through difficult, defining events: the Cultural Revolution in his native China, military service that began when he was a young teenager, immigration and subsequent separation from home and family. On the page, he has vividly reproduced the repression of the Cultural...

Cross Game 3 (vols.6-7) by Mitsuru Adachi, translated by Lillian Olsen

01 Oct, by SIBookDragon in Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Middle Grade Readers, Translation, Young Adult Readers

Half a century ago today – on October 1, 1961 – Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run of the season, breaking Babe Ruth's record of 60 set in 1927. I knew you needed this information today (it came in at the...

Operation Marriage by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Lea Lyon

29 Sep, by SIBookDragon in Children/Picture Books, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction, Taiwanese American

In case you needed another reminder, Banned Books Week continues for a couple more days ...