Booklist: Asian Heritage Month — Part 1
May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada
It is an opportunity for us to learn more about the diverse culture and history of Asian communities in Canada, as well as to acknowledge the achievements and contributions of people of Asian origin to Canada. In December 2001, Senator Vivienne Poy proposed to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed an official declaration to announce May as Asian Heritage Month.
Here is a list of books written by Asian Canadian authors, compiled from various Canadian media, library, and bookstore lists/recommendations.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: There are some books I have yet to read, so I can't speak to any potential triggers. Please research before reading!
The Summers Between Us
Author: Noreen Nanja · May 2025
Lia Juma, a successful lawyer and model daughter, returns to her family’s summer cottage at Pike Bay and comes face-to-face with the past she thought she’d left behind—including Wesley Forest, her first love. As old memories and long-buried secrets resurface, Lia must confront the heartbreak that once tore them apart and decide whether a second chance at love is worth risking the life she’s built. Spanning five years in the past and one transformative summer in the present, this is a story of love, loss
The River Has Roots
Author: Amal El-Mohtar · March 2025
In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family. There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.
But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favour of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk…
Ghost Forest
Author: Pik-Shuen Fung · July 2021
Ghost Forest follows the unnamed protagonist as she grapples with grief after her father’s death. Her father, one of Hong Kong’s “astronaut” fathers, stayed behind to work in Hong Kong while the rest of the family immigrated to Vancouver before the 1997 Handover. As she reflects on her memories of him, she seeks answers from her mother and grandmother but uncovers more questions about her own life. The novel explores themes of grief, family, and cultural identity with a blend of joy, sorrow, and humour. Ghost Forest captures the complexities of a Chinese-Canadian astronaut family through memory and oral history.
Love from A to Z
Author: S.K. Ali · April 2019
Zayneb, a Muslim girl, faces discrimination from her teacher and becomes angry when he repeatedly stereotypes Muslims. After being suspended for confronting him, she goes to her aunt’s house in Doha for spring break, hoping to reinvent herself. There, she meets Adam, a boy who has been hiding his multiple sclerosis diagnosis from his grieving father while focusing on creating things to keep the memory of his mother alive for his little sister. Both Zayneb and Adam are struggling with their own secrets and pretending to be someone they’re not. When their paths cross, their meeting becomes both a marvel and an oddity, forcing them to confront their true selves.
Music For Tigers
Author: Michelle Kadarusman · April 2020
Louisa, a middle schooler, is sent to her mom’s eccentric relatives in the Tasmanian rainforest for the summer. There, she discovers her great-grandmother’s sanctuary for the Tasmanian tiger, thought to be extinct. The last remaining tiger is threatened by a mining operation, and Louisa must earn its trust, a task her family has failed at for generations. As Louisa bonds with the forest, her family, and her great-grandmother’s journal, she believes her violin music might be the key to saving the tiger.
We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies
Author: Tsering Yangzom Lama · May 2022
We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies follows Tibetan sisters Lhamo and Tenkyi, who flee to a refugee camp in Nepal after China’s 1950s invasion of Tibet. As they rebuild their lives in exile, Lhamo encounters Samphel and a sacred relic, the Nameless Saint, said to appear in times of need. Decades later in Toronto, Tenkyi lives with Lhamo’s daughter, Dolma, an aspiring Tibetan Studies scholar. When Dolma discovers the lost relic in a collector’s vault, she must choose between her personal ambitions and her community’s heritage. Spanning fifty years, the novel explores displacement, memory, and the enduring bonds of family and homeland.
A Tale for the Time Being
Author: Ruth Ozeki · March 2013
A Tale for the Time Being follows Nao, a lonely 16-year-old in Tokyo who, before ending her life, begins writing a diary about her great-grandmother, a 104-year-old Buddhist nun. Across the Pacific, Ruth, a writer living on a remote island, discovers Nao’s diary washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox, possibly debris from the 2011 tsunami. As Ruth becomes immersed in Nao’s story, past and present blur, linking their lives in unexpected ways. Blending humour, history, and metaphysics, the novel explores connection, resilience, and the search for meaning across time and space.
Iron Widow
Author: Xiran Jay Zhao · September 2021
18-year-old Zetian volunteers as a concubine-pilot, not so serve, but to avenge her sister’s death by killing the main pilot responsible. Her vengeance reveals she’s an Iron Widow—a rare woman who can sacrifice male co-pilots to power giant war machines called Chrysalises. Paired with the feared but powerful Li Shimin, Zetian refuses to be controlled. Instead, she sets out to challenge the brutal system that exploits and kills girls, determined to overturn it or die trying.
On the Ravine
Author: Vincent Lam · February 2023
On the Ravine follows Dr. Chen, an addictions doctor in downtown Toronto, as he confronts the human toil of the opioid crisis. haunted by the lives lost to overdose, he questions his role and the limits of medical intervention, When Claire, a gifted violinist who believes her best performances come while high, survives two overdoses and enters his care, Chen is drawn into a complex doctor-patient relationship. As their lives intertwine, he must confront how far he’s willing to go to save a life. This powerful novel blends medical insight with emotional depth, exploring addiction, responsibility, and redemption.
This story collection explores the complexities of womanhood through sharp, emotionally resonant tales. From a writer grappling with an ex’s fictionalized account of their breakup to women facing love, illness, identity, and bodily autonomy, each story delves into the raw intersections of vulnerability and power. With honesty, dark humour, and insight, the collection examines how experiences of rage, desire, and self-discovery share women’s relationships—with others and with themselves.
The Book of Records
Author: Madeleine Thien · May 2025
The Book of Records follows Lina, a young girl living in “The Sea,” a mysterious, time-shifting refuge for migrants. Caring for her ailing father, Lina grows up with only three books from a vast series about famous voyagers. She forms deep bonds with three neighbours—Bento, Blucher, and Jupiter—whose lives reflect the historical figures in her books. Through their stories and her father’s final revelations, Lina begins to uncover the truths behind her own past. With lyrical prose and sweeping philosophical depth, the novel explores memory, identity, exile, and the enduring impact of history on individual lives.
Dandelion
Author: Jaimie Chai Yun Liew · April 2022
When Lily was eleven years old, her mother, Swee Hua, walked away from the family, never to be seen or heard from again. Now a new mother herself, Lily becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Swee Hua. She recalls the spring of 1987, growing up in a small British Columbia mining town where there were only a handful of Asian families; Lily’s previous stateless father wanted to blend seamlessly into Canadian life, while her mother, alienated and isolated, longed to return to Brunei. Years later, still affected by Swee Hua’s disappearance, Lily’s family is stubbornly silent to her questioning. But eventually, an old family friend provides a clue that sends Lily to Southeast Asia to find out the truth.
Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety
Author: Ann Yu-Kyung Choi · May 2016
This haunting coming-of-age story, told through the eyes of a rebellious young girl, vividly captures the struggles of families caught between two cultures in the 1980s. Family secrets, a lost sister, forbidden loves, domestic assaults—Mary discovers as she grows up that life is much more complicated than she had ever imagined. Her secret passion for her English teacher is filled with problems and with the arrival of a promising Korean suitor, Joon-Ho, events escalate in ways that she could never have imagined, catching the entire family in a web of deceit and violence.
How to Pronounce Knife
Author: Souvankham Thammavongsa · April 2020
A failed boxer painting nails at the local salon. A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas. A mother teaching her daughter the art of worm harvesting. Thammavongsa focuses on characters struggling to make a living, illuminating their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, acts of defiance, and above all, their pursuit of a place to belong. In spare, intimate prose charged with emotional power and a sly wit, she paints an indelible portrait of watchful children, wounded men, and restless women caught between cultures, languages, and values.
Sunshine and Spice
Author: Aurora Palit · September 2024
In this charming romantic comedy, career-driven Naomi and tradition-weary Dev agree to fake date—Naomi to gain cultural insight for a crucial business deal, and Dev to escape his mother’s matchmaking plans. Their arrangement seems perfect: she helps rebrand his family’s struggling bazaar, and he teaches her about Bengali culture. But as they navigate cultural expectations and bond over cooking classes and dance mishaps, their pretend relationship starts to feel real. Soon, Naomi and Dev must decide if they’re brave enough to turn their fake romance into something lasting.
A Hero of Our Time
Author: Naben Ruthnum · January 2022
A Hero of Our Time follows Osman Shah, a sharp but self-sabotaging employee at an edutech startup, as he obsessively tries to expose his white colleague Olivia Robinson, whose corporate ambition is masked by performative diversity politics. Teaming up with his wary colleague Nena, Osman digs into Olivia’s past, but his harsh self-awareness and emotional isolation derail his efforts. As his personal and professional life unravel, Osman is forced to confront the limits of his insight and influence. The novel satirically critiques tech-driven progress, corporate virtue signalling, and the hollow politics of race and power in the modern West.
