11 books to read to learn more about Asian American history and experiences

Following the killings of eight people — including six Asian American women — in Georgia last week, Karen Maeda Allman, bookseller and author events coordinator at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, compiled this list of readings on Asian American history and experiences.

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“This list is a starting point,” she writes. “‘Asia’ and ‘Asian American’ are, of course, contested terms so far as what counts as ‘Asian’ or ‘East Asian,’ ‘Southeast Asian,’ ‘South Asian,’ ‘West Asian’ and not to mention the umbrella term, ‘AAPIA’ (Asian American Pacific Islander American). Many more stories have been told, are being told, will be told (and should be told).”

Here is the list compiled by Allman, with some of her comments:

“Fred Korematsu Speaks Up”

“Graphic novel about the Japanese American incarceration and activism for grades 5-8.”

“Go Home!”

“The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir”

“We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation”

“A short book examining the consequences of racial and economic segregation. Written as a response (and a call to action) post-Ferguson.”

“Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning”

“I think this book is a must read, especially the first chapter.”

“The Making of Asian America: A History”

“America for Americans: a History of Xenophobia in the United States”

“The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives”

“A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America”

Based on Ronald Takaki’s classic book, “A Different Mirror.”

“Strangers from a Distant Shore: a History of Asian Americans”

“Asian American Dreams”

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