May 2008
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Many years ago there were few books that accurately portrayed Asian Americans in books. Books like The Five Chinese Brothers are out-of-date, and makes it hard for any Asian Pacific American to relate to the culture that the book portrays. Now there are many authors such as Lawrence Yep, Grace Lin, Allen Say, Linda Sue Park, and more newcomers such as Cherry Cheva, Gene Luen Yang, and An Na. Books portraying Asian Pacific American Heritage are changing, and it’s exciting to see the new books that are now available. In addition to the books listed below, Fusion Stories is a great place to find more books that celebrate the Asian Pacific American Heritage.
The Year of the Dog
Written & Illustrated by Grace Lin
It is the Year of the Dog, and Pacy is a Chinese-American girl living with her family in upstate New York. When Pacy’s sister moves to middle school next year, Pacy will be the only Chinese girl in the entire school. That is until one day, a new girl arrived at the school. Her name is Melody and just like Pacy, Melody is also from Taiwan. They soon become friends, and this book is the story of their first year of friendship.
This book is riddled with cultural references of Chinese celebrations, traditions, and phrases. The author described her book as one that she wishes she had when she was growing up. It’s not hard to see why. On a very basic level, Pacy and her family are holding on to the Chinese culture and tradition while adapting to the American culture and traditions. The Year of the Dog is a delightful book about the Chinese culture, and traditions, as well as friendship, and finding one’s strength.
The Year of the Rat —published early this year—is the sequel to The Year of the Dog