BookDragon Cultural exploration Tag
Halfway Home: Drawing My Way Through Japan [aka Diary of a Tokyo Teen] by Christine Mari Inzer
05 Jun, by in Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Hapa/Mixed-race, Japanese, Japanese American, Memoir, Middle Grade Readers, Nonfiction, Young Adult Readers
On the book's front cover, mega-bestselling Bone-creator Jeff Smith uses the word "wonderful." On the back, French Milk’s award-winning Lucy Knisley talks about "the wit and pen of someone well beyond her years." Inside, those blurbs get further expanded, followed by many more phrases of praise, including...
The Way Things Were by Aatish Taseer [in Library Journal]
01 Jun, by in Adult Readers, Fiction, Indian, Indian American, Repost, South Asian, South Asian American
Aatish Taseer's latest opens with a mother's call to her Manhattan-based son, asking him to ferry his just-deceased father's body from Geneva back to Delhi. Though a minor Indian prince, "Toby" G.M.P.R. Kalasuryaketu – half-actually Scottish, half-Indian – was more a foreign "novelty" in his...
Hanok: The Korean House by Nani Park and Robert J. Fouser, photography by Jongkeun Lee
28 May, by in Adult Readers, Korean, Korean American, Nonfiction
Two of my favorite people in the world are becoming Seoul residents! Which means more reason for prolonged visits, hopefully sooner than later. One of the experiences I'm determined to make happen is an intense exploration of hanok. If your curiosity is at all piqued, definitely...
Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village by Fang Suzhen, illustrated by Sonja Danowski, translated by Huang Xiumin
19 May, by in Children/Picture Books, Chinese, European, Fiction, Taiwanese, Translation
Xiao Le – whose name means "little joy" –hasn't seen his grandmother in "a long time." When his mother announces an impending visit, Xiao Le is happy at the thought of riding a train, and the chance to share his toy truck with his grandmother. When mother...
My Nana’s Remedies | Los remedios de mi nana by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford, illustrated by Edna San Miguel
10 May, by in Bilingual, Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Latina/o/x
If we didn't have our grandmothers, we wouldn't have our mothers to appreciate today (and every day, ahem) ...
Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P. Nimura [in Christian Science Monitor]
06 May, by in Adult Readers, Biography, Japanese, Japanese American, Nonfiction, Repost, Young Adult Readers
Daughters of the Samurai profiles three remarkable women who influenced modern Japanese history Set aside ample time: You won’t welcome intrusions while reading this unprecedented, true story featuring young Japanese girls who arrived stateside without language or cultural training, and matured into three of the most...
Sona and the Wedding Game by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi
04 Apr, by in Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Indian American, Japanese American, South Asian American
Sona's sister is getting married: "There is so much to do. Even I have a job!" Sona exclaims with excitement. Relatives from India have arrived, and so many more friends and family have all gathered, "turning our house into a festival." Amidst the ongoing hustle-bustle...
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
31 Mar, by in Audio, Fiction, Middle Grade Readers, Native American/First Nations/Indigenous Peoples, Young Adult Readers
After four novels, four poetry collections, editing an anthology (and multiple awards), Eric Gansworth – who is also a playwright and visual artist – takes on young adult fiction for his 10th title. His 7th-grade hero, Lewis Blake, calls the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New...
Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
23 Mar, by in Absolute Favorites, Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Japanese American, Korean American
Juna and Hector are best friends as well as apartment neighbors. They share regular "kimchi jar adventures," filling the large, clear jar with "colorful rocks and small bugs." One day, Hector is no longer with his grandmother downstairs; while Juna was out, Hector left to...
A Bride’s Story (vol. 6) by Kaoru Mori, translated by William Flanagan
06 Mar, by in Adult Readers, Central Asian, Fiction, Graphic Title/Manga/Manwha, Japanese, Translation, Young Adult Readers
This thus-far six-parter has to be the most visually exquisite series in a long, long time. Every panel is an exercise in meticulously rendered details – whether fabric textures, the subtlest of facial expressions, fur moving in the wind, a hair out of place, a cloud...
Discontent and Its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London by Mohsin Hamid [in Christian Science Monitor]
26 Feb, by in Adult Readers, British, British Asian, Memoir, Nonfiction, Pakistani, Repost, South Asian
'Civilization and its Discontents' highlights the intertwined Pakistani, British, and American roots of Mohsin Hamid Thanks to Haruki Murakami, we won't have to wait as long for Mohsin Hamid’s future novels. Hamid's acclaimed first two, Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, took seven years each. His...
Author Interview: Thrity Umrigar [in Bloom]
25 Feb, by in Adult Readers, Author Interview/Profile, Fiction, Indian American, Repost, South Asian American
I was bad. I couldn’t keep up with my chaotic new year and kept missing deadlines. Thrity Umrigar got so fed up, she basically said, “This happens now, or not at all.” So you better believe I got my act together long enough for one...
The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar + Author Profile [in Bloom]
23 Feb, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Author Interview/Profile, Black/African American, Fiction, Indian American, Repost, South Asian American
Thrity Umrigar: “It’s a good time to be a writer” Perhaps I shouldn’t admit so blatantly to literary-personality preferences, but I must confess here: Thrity Umrigar is my very favorite person to run into at (dreaded) literary conferences. I know from experience how irreverently entertaining she can...
The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Kansas City, Missouri by Avi Steinberg
20 Jan, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Jewish, Memoir, Nonethnic-specific, Nonfiction
In an attempt to better understand the unfamiliar territory in which I find myself domiciled through June 2016 (yes, I'm counting), I've been reading quite a few titles that hopefully will provide insight into the mindset of some of our would-be neighbors. Many of those books...
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
29 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Fiction, Indian, Indian American, South Asian, South Asian American
Leaning toward something light, frothy, and just a little steamy for your next holiday season read? While the printed page is always grand, going audible here is also highly recommended: I'm thinking Priya Ayyar is quickly becoming one of my favorite crisp voices to stick in...
‘Twas Nochebuena: A Christmas Story in English and Spanish by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Sara Palacios
22 Dec, by in Bilingual, Children/Picture Books, Fiction, Latina/o/x, Poetry
Originally titled "A Visit from St. Nicholas," Clement Clarke Moore first shared his iconic poem with his children on Christmas Eve of 1822. Better known by the first line, "’Twas the night before Christmas ...
The Year of the Sheep: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin, illustrated by Alina Chau
09 Dec, by in Children/Picture Books, Chinese American, Fiction
What? 2014 is almost over? I never caught up with everything I shoulda done in 2013. Oh well ...
Listen to the Squawking Chicken: When Mother Knows Best, What’s a Daughter to Do? A Memoir (Sort Of) by Elaine Lui
02 Dec, by in Adult Readers, Audio, Canadian, Canadian Asian Pacific American, Chinese American, Hong Kongese, Memoir, Nonfiction
Toronto-based Elaine Lui, better known as Lainey, has built one of the most powerful careers in entertainment by harvesting gossip; her immensely successful blog, LaineyGossips, is a leading industry standard, she's seen regularly on Canadian screens (and beyond) as a reporter for etalk and co-host...