Who Are the Best Asian American Writers and How Many Have I Read?

[@FMsukina]

I'm surprised that the article didn't mention more writers from north and west Asia. I completed my MA in Asian North American Literature (in Canada. I'm Asian Canadian), and I admit I'm better versed in Asian Canadian than Asian American lit. Cathy Park Hong's "Minor Feelings" is a collection of essays which might be more accessible than her poetry if you're not a reader/fan of poetry. Great LGBTQ+ Asian Canadian writers are Hiromi Goto and Samra Habib. Habib's novel "We Have Always Been Here" won the Canada Reads competition last year. If you're looking for Asian Canadian poets, Roy Kiyooka and Roy Miki are great. My recommendation to you though is David Henry Hwang's famous play, "M. Butterfly". It's a favourite of mine! May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month, so you have plenty of time to create a TBR of Asian writers ;) Happy reading!

[@annemariesadventures1220]

Cathy Park Hong was on an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders talking about Minor Feelings - I really enjoyed the episode and then ordered a copy right afterwards!

[@FMsukina]

@@annemariesadventures1220, have you read it yet?

[@annemariesadventures1220]

@@FMsukina not yet! My copy only just arrived. I’m planning on reading it in May :) have you?

[@FMsukina]

@@annemariesadventures1220, not yet. I'm saving it for May 😊

[@doraramirez361]

I loved The People in the Trees! I actually found your channel by searching people that have spoken about it on BookTube.

[@a_bookish_gemini]

Absolutely love this “series” of videos. I feel like you’re expanding my reading horizon a great deal and I truly appreciate it. My TBR just grew by at least 10 books! 😹

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm so glad to hear it! That makes the whole thing worth it.

[@carbonc6065]

~Fantastic video!

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much!

[@bethanyfuller1058]

I love this type of video! Great ideas here, and I must reiterate the Lisa See recommendation. I love her books!

[@SupposedlyFun]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@BookwormAdventureGirl]

Great video. Lisa See, Khaled Hosseini and Jhumpa Lahiri are three of my faves! Looking forward to Lahiri's new novel. I've read Little Fires Everywhere and enjoyed it. Amy Tan has been on my shelf FOREVER. Ocean Vuong and Alexander Chee is on my list. Adding Paul Yoon and I still need to read some Viet Thanh Nguyen. Thanks for sharing these. 😊💙

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm also looking forward to the new Lahiri. It's getting close! I hope you like all the authors you added.

[@BookwormAdventureGirl]

@@SupposedlyFun Me too!!!

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Hi Greg, hope you And your husband and the doggies are all doing fine. Beside Amy Tan, I have read Alexander Chee. How to write and autobiographical novel is subline. The writing just shines and leaps of the page. There’s also another book called falling leaves and I forget the author but I will write it in another comment after I look it up because the book really moved me and I don’t think it was on your list but I could be wrong.

[@SupposedlyFun]

The pups are doing great! I really need to get to Alexander Chee. Hope you're doing well.

[@ksloan1]

Great video! I added so many new to me authors to my tbr from this video :) I love this “series” that you’re doing and am really looking forward to your Aussie list. I’m a big fan of Australian lit and would love to hear of some new authors and/or your perspective on authors you’ve already read from :)

[@SupposedlyFun]

I’m really excited to do an Aussie version. I think that one will be fun.

[@donkeirstade5304]

I would like to recommend a few Canadian Asian authors that have gained international readership Madeline Thien , Do Not Say We Have Nothing Janie Chang, Three Souls, Dragon Springs Road Vincent Lam, The Head Master's Wager I would also like to mention a couple of Asian American Crime Writers based in Los Angeles, Joe Ide and Steph Cha

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you so much--I look forward to checking into these recommendations.

[@AJ_Dunn]

I haven't heard about many of these authors. thanks for this list! I loved A Little Life. I have The People in the Trees on my tbr. Amy Tan is amazing. One of my favorite Asian authors is Gish Jen. I recommend Mona in the Promised Land by her.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I hope you enjoy The People in the Trees as much as I did. Gish Jen is a great recommendation--thank you!

[@GuiltyFeat]

The Joy Luck Club was a key text for me in my early reading life. My favourite moment is when the the daughter is asked why she hasn't told her mum some scandalous secret and she says something like she wouldn't want to get arrested as an accomplice in her own murder. I found that very Jewish, if that makes sense, and it taught me about the universality of complex family relationships

[@SupposedlyFun]

I love the movie. I'm very excited to read the book someday!

[@jamesharrod5265]

How to Write An Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee is one of the best books I’ve ever read for sure!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I really need to get around to reading Chee!

[@KurtAnderson812]

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong was on my top ten of last year. So beautiful and lyrical.

[@mandietyree5394]

I agree! I just read it last week & it blew me away. He has a poetry collection as well that I have ordered. I believe he is writing his 2nd novel now & I can’t wait.

[@SupposedlyFun]

It is a beautiful (and beautifully written) novel. I can see why so many people love it.

[@the_broken_spine]

I just filmed this very video and used the Buzzfeed list too and talk about this issue

[@SupposedlyFun]

That is SO funny! I can't wait to see your video and compare!

[@mradcaqbdb]

I realize this is an older list you are working from, but a couple of newer authors to add are Jing-Jing Lee who wrote the heartbreaking and gorgeous How We Disappeared and C Pam Zhang who wrote a novel I adored, How Much of These Hills is Gold. I will need to go back and make some notes from this video!

[@SupposedlyFun]

I feel like Zhang definitely would have made the list had it been published now. I haven't heard of Jing-Jing Lee--thank you for the recommendation!

[@mradcaqbdb]

@@SupposedlyFun Oh, How We Disappeared is brutal but so really beautiful. I think you would appreciate it.

[@SupposedlyFun]

@@mradcaqbdb I just added it to my TBR!

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

The novel is falling leaves the story of an unwanted daughter by Adeline Yen Ma Aloha

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you!

[@carolynmonahan2488]

An interesting movie about Vietnamese immigrants in California after the fall of Saigon is Donut King. It tells of a man who brought dozens of his friends and family to California to run donut shops. Many are in the documentary and it shows several generations. I saw it on the plane last week and can't stop thinking about it.

[@SupposedlyFun]

That sounds fascinating. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Jhumpira Lahiri is my favourite author on that list . I love The Namesake and the one she wrote both in Italian & English.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I absolutely love Interpreter of Maladies. It's far and away my favorite, although all the others are good.

[@annegibson6072]

I need to read more poetry.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Same!

[@ndumi5124]

HIGHLY recommend Edinburgh by Alexander Chee! He is a phenomenal story teller.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm so excited to read one of Chee's books.

[@rose_and_thorns]

The Joy Luck Club is definitely wonderful, and I also loved The Kitchen God's Wife by her. For Chang-Rae Lee, I loved The Surrendered, liked Native Speaker, and DNF'd On Such a Full Sea, so....a mixed bag for me, haha. And yes, A Thousand Splendid Suns is amazing! For me, he writes women characters with respect and depth that many male authors simply don't show. And please do pick up Thrity Umrigar! The Space Between Us is great, but personally The World We Found is my favorite of hers. Forgotten Country is a very underrated book, IMO. A few others I'd recommend, though not sure which of these are Asian American, but they are Asian authors I've loved: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng; Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo; The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa; A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian; If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim; In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner; The Leavers by Lisa Ko; The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (I could go on but I'll stop now, sorry for the wall of text :P)

[@SupposedlyFun]

Joy Luck Club and Kitchen God's Wife are definitely on my radar. Glad I'm not the only one with a mixed experience of Chang-rae Lee--and glad we agree that A Thousand Splendid Suns is a wonderful book. And thank you so much for all the recommendations.

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

Great video! I have to do a better job myself of reading more Asian authors and Asian American authors

[@SupposedlyFun]

Thank you!

[@judybrown1624]

I've read three Chang-rae Lee novels and really liked them. I did, however dnf Aloft, so give him another try, for sure. On Such a Full Sea was probably my favorite, but it is dystopia. Surrendered and A Gesture Life both have some pretty dark trauma of war content, but really good.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like Aloft--thank you!

[@twokatstabbie]

I have read all of Lee's books. Their subjects kept turning darker and darker. I enjoyed Aloft because he seemed to be on a happier level. Then he wrote about having cancer and the horrors of war. My Favorite is "A Gesture Life". "Native Speaker" is an interesting look into a character who has a job in which his essence is denied and hidden. I probably won't read his most recent one, though.

[@judybrown1624]

@@twokatstabbie your reason for liking Aloft, is probably my reason for not liking it. I guess I'm masochistic. I like to be punched in the gut.

[@twokatstabbie]

@@judybrown1624 Lee will give you plenty of punches to the gut!

[@mandietyree5394]

Another fun video! But for the 1st time I really disagree with you. I liked The Kite Runner more. It has been many years since I read them so I can’t really defend that opinion. Maybe I should revisit? You are making me question what I might think now. Anyway, thanks again for all the interesting content.

[@SupposedlyFun]

I know A LOT of people prefer The Kite Runner, so this is probably a situation where I'm the cheese standing alone.

[@audreym859]

My personal opinion is that the Asian-American community is currently the greatest creative force in the US, especially in literature.

[@hibiscusq5346]

I"d recommend Min Jin Lee

[@SupposedlyFun]

Pachinko is on my TBR.

[@jaynelewis372]

Everything I Never Told You is so superior to Little Fire Everywhere.

[@SupposedlyFun]

Ooh, I can't wait to try it!

[@CourtneyFerriter]

Ha Jin is not on this list and I am disappointed in Buzzfeed (but not in you, Greg). 🙂

[@SupposedlyFun]

YES where is Ha Jin??? Great point. War Trash is phenomenal.

[@rainbowskygayandproud5507]

there is sunflower splendor by Wu-chi Liv and blue boy by rakesh satyal and funny boy by Shyam selvadrai and the clothesline swing by ramadan Danny and in the face of the death we are equal by mu cao and the anchored angel by Jose Garcia villa and don’t go back to sleep and of thee I sing and they are both by Timothy Liv and take me home by Brian Leung and the angel of history by Rabin Alameddine and m.butterfly by David Henry hwang and unspeakable love: gay and lesbian life in the Middle East

[@SupposedlyFun]

Those are great recommendations--thank you!