A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.
Tonight’s hosts, the PowerLeeGirls – Miko Lee and Jalena Keane-Lee, a mother daughter team are talking books books books. Joining us to discuss their favorite API books are influencer Dr. Kiona, award winning graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang and Eastwind Books’ Sophia Hussain. As a wrap up to the year, and move into 2020 and the year of the Rat, which is witty and smart and persuasive, we talk books.
Here is our must read list for any Asian American library.
An Essential Asian American Library
Books discussed on Apex Express January 2, 2020
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
BRANDING QUICKIES: A Collection from 20 Women Killing it in the Branding Game by Dr. Keona and Blank Room
The Chinese in Cuba, 1847-Now By Mauro Garcia Triana
Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism By Bushra Rehman
Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race By Naben Ruthnum
From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii by Haunani-Kay Trask
Iep Jaltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
Missing, Youth, Citizenship, and Empire after 9/11 By Sunaina Marr Maira
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Period Power by Nadya Okimoto
Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport
Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me by Janet Mock
Tell Me Who You Are by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color By Cherríe L. Moraga
Trick Mirror By Jia Tolintino
We Too Sing America South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future By Deepa Iyer
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
YELL-Oh Girls: Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identify and Growing Up Asian American edited by Vickie Nam
Graphic Novels
American Born Chinese series by Gene Luen Yuan
Stargazing by Jen Wang
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Verax: The True History of Whistleblowers, Drone Warfare, and Mass Surveillance by Pratap Chatterjee and Khalil
Children’s books
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Chicken of the Sea by Viet Thanh Nguyen and Thi Bui
Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi
Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong By Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, & Gayle Romasanta
Pet By Akwaeke Emezi
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
Thank you to the contributors of this list: Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Dr. Kiona, Gene Luen Yuan, Sophia Hussain, and Sabiha Basrai.
You can find all of these books at Eastwind Books. Please visit independent bookstores or your local library.