Have you Heard? Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is observed in the United States during the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.

Celebrate the voices and stories of Asian and Pacific Island American authors with audiobooks from the Plano Public Library. The recommended reads below are just a sample of the audiobooks in our collection, and you can visit a library location for assistance in finding personalized recommendations.

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Adult

Babel by R.F. Kuang, narrated by Chris Lew Kum Hoi and Billie Fulford-Brown. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, also known as Babel. For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and when Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide–Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? Print / Playaway / eAudiobook / eBook.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng, narrated by Lucy Liu. In a society consumed by fear, twelve-year-old Bird Gardner, after receiving a mysterious letter, sets out on a quest to find his mother, a Chinese-American poet who left when he was nine years old, leading him to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change. Print / Playaway / eAudiobook / eBook / Large print.

Minor Feelings: an Asian American Reckoning written and read by Cathy Park Hong. Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose the truth of racialized consciousness in America. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Crying in H Mart written and read by Michelle Zauner. From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean-American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. Print / eAudiobook / eBook / Large print.

My Year Abroad by Chang-rae Lee, narrated by Lawrence Kao. From the award-winning author of NATIVE SPEAKER and ON SUCH A FULL SEA, a brilliant, exuberant and entertaining story of a young American whose life is transformed when a Chinese-American businessman suddenly takes him under his wing on a global adventure. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka, narrated by Traci Kato-Kiriyama. The swimmers are unknown to each other except through their private routines (slow lane, fast lane), and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. But when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Making a Scene written and read by Constance Wu. Through raw and relatable essays, Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood. Her stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye. Print / eAudiobook / eBook / Large print.

Stay True: a Memoir written and read by Hua Hsu. From the New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu, a gripping memoir on friendship, grief, the search for self, and the solace that can be found through art. Print / eAudiobook / eBook / Large print.

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh, narrated by Vyvy Nguyen. It started with their ancestor, Oanh, who dared to leave her marriage for true love. So a fearsome Vietnamese witch cursed Oanh and her descendants so that they would never know love or happiness, and the Dương women would give birth to daughters, never sons. Generations later a psychic delivers an unexpected prediction: this year, her family will witness a marriage, a funeral, and the birth of a son. This prophecy will reunite estranged mothers, daughters, aunts, and cousins–for better or for worse. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy, read by Cindy Kay. Asian American Histories of the United States illuminates how an over-century-long history of Asian migration, labor, and community formation in the United States is fundamental to understanding the American experience and its existential crises of the early twenty-first century. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

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Teen

The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park, narrated by Kate Rudd and Raymond J. Lee. Told in two voices, Nate Jae-Woo Kim and Kate Anderson team up in a survivalist competition hoping the prize money will help his proud Korean family and enable her to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Days of Infamy: how a Century of Bigotry led to Japanese American Internment by Lawrence Goldstone, read by Elaina Erika Davis. In another unrelenting look at the iniquities of the American justice system, Lawrence Goldstone, acclaimed author of Unpunished Murder, Stolen Justice, and Separate No More, examines the history of racism against Japanese Americans, exploring the territory of citizenship and touching on fears of non-white immigration to the US — with hauntingly contemporary echoes. Print / Playaway / eBook.

This Place is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian, narrated by Katherine Chin and Cindy Kay. Despite having had near-identical upbringings, sisters Annalie and Margaret agree on only one thing: that they have nothing in common. Nineteen-year-old Margaret is driven, ambitious, and keenly aware of social justice issues. Meanwhile, sweet, popular, seventeen-year-old Annalie couldn’t think of anything worse – she loves their town and feels safe coasting along in its confines. That is until she arrives home one day to find a gut-punching racial slur painted on their garage door and Margaret flies home determined to investigate. Back under each other’s skins, things between Margaret and Annalie get steadily worse – and not even the distraction of first love (for Annalie), or lost love (for Margaret) can bring them together. Until finally, a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever. Print / eAudiobook.

Beating Heart Baby by Lio Min, narrated by Alejandro Ruiz and Jensen Silvio. Seventeen-year-old Santi Arboleda finally feels settled in his new life in Los Angeles with a growing found family and a relationship with musical prodigy Suwa–until Suwa is offered the chance to step into the spotlight that he has always denied himself and they must finally face their dreams, their pasts, and their futures, whether together or apart. Print / eAudiobook.

The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho, narrated by Raechel Wong. In the year following their son’s death, May Chen’s parents face racist accusations of putting too much pressure on their son and causing his death by suicide, and May attempts to challenge the racism and ugly stereotypes through her writing, only to realize that she still has a lot to learn and that her actions have consequences for her family as well as herself. Print / eAudiobook.

The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim, narrated by Reena Dutt. When her mother sets her up with handsome, aloof Harun, eighteen-year-old Bangladeshi American Zahra pretends to date him while she pursues her coworker, Nayim, but she quickly finds herself second-guessing her true feelings. Print / eAudiobook.

A Scatter of Light by Malindi Lo, narrated by Annie Q. The summer of 2013 in the Bay is a momentous one for eighteen-year-old Aria Tang West, for the working-class queer community she finds herself in, and for her artist grandmother. Print / eAudiobook.

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra, narrated by Soneela Nankani. The youngest doctor in America, an Indian-American teen makes her rounds — and falls head over heels — in the contemporary romantic comedy. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Flip the Script by Lyla Lee, narrated by Greta Jung. As an avid watcher of K-dramas, Hana knows all the tropes to avoid when she finally lands a starring role in a buzzy new drama. And she can totally handle her fake co-star boyfriend, heartthrob Bryan Yoon, who might be falling in love with her. After all, she promised the TV producers a contract romance, and that’s all they’re going to get from her. But when showrunners bring on a new lead actress to challenge Hana’s role as main love interest–and worse, it’s someone Hana knows all too well–can Hana fight for her position on the show, while falling for her on-screen rival in real life? Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee, narrated by Rebecca Yeo. After smuggling herself onto the RMS Titanic, British-Chinese teenager Valora Luck reunites with her twin brother and tries to convince him that their acrobatic training could be their ticket to a better life. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

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Children’s

Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho, narrated by Justin Chien. A young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different from his peers’ after seeing his friend’s drawing of them. After talking to his father, the boy realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars. Print / Vox.

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, read by Man One. Describes the popular street cook’s life, including working in his family’s restaurant as a child, figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, and his success with his food truck and restaurant. Print / Wonderbook / eAudiobook.

Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan-Long Shang, narrated by Dylan J. Locke. Evan Pao and his family move to Haddington, Virginia in hopes of keeping his father’s notoriety a secret, but a small southern town is not an easy place for a Chinese-American boy to fit in, and one kid, Brady Griggs, seems determined to make things difficult. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Theo Tan and the Fox Spirit by Jesse Q. Sutanto, narrated by Caleb Yen and Kimberley Wong. A twelve-year-old Chinese American boy must learn to embrace his heritage and accept his beloved older brother’s spirit companion–a mystical fox named Kai–to solve the mystery of Jamie’s death. Print / eAudiobook.

Winnie Zeng Unleashes a Legend by Katie Zhao, narrated by Annie Q. Armed with her fledgling powers, a magic cookbook, and the mentorship of a talking rabbit, sixth-grader Winnie Zeng must embrace her heritage and the powers of her ancestors to save her town from an evil spirit of Chinese legend. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Hundred Years of Happiness by Thanhha Lai, narrated by Quyen Ngo. An’s grandmother Bà sometimes gets trapped in her cloudy memories. An and her grandfather Ông come up with a plan to bring her back to a happy moment: growing gấc fruits so they can make xôi gấc, Bà’s favorite dish from her wedding in Vietnam many years ago. Print / Vox / eAudiobook.

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee, narrated by Yu-Li Alice Shen. Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family’s history and herself. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, narrated by Nikhaar Kishnani and Caitlin Kelly. Sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, connect in an after-school cooking club and bond over food and their mothers’ struggles to become United States citizens. Print / eAudiobook / eBook.

Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj, narrated by Priya Ayyar and Christopher Gebauer. Told from two viewpoints, sixth-graders Karina and Chris use social media to stand up to racism in Houston, Texas after an attack puts Karina’s Indian American grandfather in the hospital. Print / eAudiobook.

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, narrated by Kivlighan de Montebello and a full cast. Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski, along with his dog, Carl Sagan, makes big discoveries about his family on a road trip and he records it all on a golden iPod he intends to launch into space. Print / eAudiobook.