Booklist’s guide to East Asian and East Asian American historical fiction
Since the start of the pandemic, the US has seen a sharp rise in harassment and violence directed at Asian Americans. Despite a North American presence older than the nation itself (Filipino sailors landed in California in the 16th century) and centuries of contributions that have shaped daily American life—railroads, agriculture, technology, books—Americans of Asian descent continue to be attacked for being foreign, for being “other.” The high-profile Atlanta murders in March of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, resulted in greater awareness and growing support of Asian and Pacific American communities, but anti-Asian hate crimes continue to escalate, including thousands more attacks that remain unreported.