The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey [in AsianWeek]
10 Sep, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Hapa/Mixed-race, Indian American, Japanese American, Repost, South Asian American
In the latest installment in the Rei Shimura mystery series, Massey brings her hapa Japanese American heroine to Washington, DC, where she is designing a sleek fusion restaurant. Her political socialite cousin suddenly goes...
This is definitely not one of those “Dummy” guides. It’s a serious how-to manual/history/philosophy book about the Japanese art of healing using hand pressure, by an internationally renowned master, referred to as...
Chang’s debut novel, following her memorable short story collection Hunger, is filled with complex characters and intricate details about their troubled lives. At its center is the narrator, Hong, a woman caught in multi-layered, multi-generational betrayals...
A compilation of 21 interviews (two with the recently deceased Edward Said) with some of today’s leading lefties, including quite a number who do our community proud: 
In today’s fast-paced world, the promise of a quiet space is not only tempting but necessary to recharge our scattered souls. Just looking at the gorgeous photos alone will help calm the...
Okay, call me a terribly old fuddy-duddy, but I just don’t get the lure of reading about the sex lives of misdirected, apathetic teenagers. I know there’s an audience out there because Doll is...
One part culinary history about one of the best kitchen tools ever invented; two parts personal memoir that includes travels around the world; three parts story-telling about a number of...
Oooh, this one would make a sweeping epic film for sure – Bollywood’s even got a starring role already! An innocent underage girl is seduced by a smoothtalking Bollywood star and gives birth to...
Horror, Hope & Redemption: A Talk with Edwidge Danticat About Her Latest Novel, The Dew Breaker
When I mention to a dear friend in England, who happens to be an excellent fiction writer herself, that I’m preparing...
Flying Aloft with Chang-rae Lee
Speaking in superlatives about Chang-rae Lee or his work seems somewhat clichéd these days. All three of his novels, Native Speaker, A Gesture Life, and his latest, Aloft, have been so lavishly...
In spite of its rather cheesy title, this is actually both an informative and fun read. Part history, part photo album, part cultural document, part memoir, part language lesson, even part cookbook,...
Written by a British Chinese author, Bridge pulls the reader in bit by bit, almost like unraveling a mystery. At the book’s core is the relationship between a young Chinese student living in London...
A powerful collection of prose and poetry by a talented not-yet-30 Korean American writer, named the poet laureate of Queens, New York. In quick snapshots made of words, Park captures...
Say you’re allergic to dairy products (like me, boo hoo), but you still crave sweets like crème brulee or mocha cappuccino or ice cream or even tiramisu … crave no more in vain because...
It’s no wonder that Chinese film auteur Zhang Yimou chose the title novella for his film of the same name, about four desperate women vying for the attention of their...
This is one of those perfectly sized, well-designed books that add that something extra to an already enlightening reading experience. Perhaps the most powerful section of Uyehara’s slim volume is...
Don’t be put off by the tacky cover with the bare chest of a necklaced young man. The story within, with all its rawness and shock, is hard to put down. Five Dragons, an...
These days, the many health benefits of green tea are well-known … now here’s a book to tell you why it’s so good for you, as well as...
Ever wonder why so many Chinese restaurants have the word “dragon” in its name – like Golden Dragon around the corner from the AsianWeek office? Or how about...
Four fun, fuzzy-covered board books from the APA queen of board books,