Book Recommendations: Asian Pasifika Heritage Month Edition – 35 Asian and Pacific Islander Books to Read Today and After API Heritage Month!

Asian and Pasifika Heritage Month Edition is a month-long event at The Quiet Pond during the month of May, where Asian and Pasifika authors are invited to celebrate being Asian and Pasifika work and literature! Find the introduction post for Asian and Pasifika Heritage Month here.

What a month May has been for the Pond! We hosted 16 Asian and Pasifika authors this month, and I am so proud and happy with the awesome stuff that my co-bloggers and I did to uplift and share Asian and Pasifika literature this month. And of course, thank you to everyone who visited, shared and supported our work, and joined in our celebrations for Asian Pasifika Heritage Month. (Here is a full list of all the features we did this month!)

Our Friend is Here! An Interview with Saadia Faruqi, Author of A Thousand Questions – On Writing for Young Readers and Bridging the Gap Between Homeland and Diaspora

Our Friend is Here! is a guest feature at The Quiet Pond, where authors, creatives, and fellow readers, are invited to ‘visit’ the Pond! In Our Friend is Here! guest posts, our visitors (as their very own unique character!) have a friendly conversation about anything related to books or being a reader — and become friends with Xiaolong and friends.

Our Friend is Here: Asian and Pasifika Heritage Month Edition is a month-long event at The Quiet Pond during the month of May, where Asian and Pasifika authors are invited to celebrate being Asian and Pasifika work and literature! Find the introduction post for Asian and Pasifika Heritage Month here.

Earlier this year, I read this absolutely incredible middle-grade book called A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi. While also a story that had coming-of-age elements and friendship, I was absolutely blown away by its deeply profound themes about identity, privilege, and how the story explores the gap – and ultimately bridges that gap – between a Pakistani-American girl, whose parents immigrated to America, and a Pakistani girl, who has lived in Pakistan all her life. True to the story’s title, I had so many questions I wanted to ask Saadia after reading her incredible book – which, to my delight, brings us here today.