2025 Holiday Book Recommendations

November 27, 2025

It’s time for another post with my favorite books for your books for the 2025 holiday season. The links below are affiliate links to Bookshop.org. I use the profits to purchase books to donate to low-income diverse schools.

Board Books

I love a good board book. They are more durable and often more affordable than picture books. Here are a few that are worthy of gifting this holiday season.

Braille: Counting is tactile with the Braille and adds great sensory elements with some of the touching parts, and high contrast colors in the book.

Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue and A is for Anemone by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd are authors from Canada. They give us these gorgeous books. The books are full of color and illustrations based in the First Peoples culture from the Pacific Northwest region.

The box set of Families, How We Eat, On-the-Go, Celebrations, & Hair shows children and families in many different forms of diversity. I haven’t seen the board book version of these books, but if they are like the picture book versions they will be fab. The pictures in the book include children with disabilities, from LGBTQ families, multi-racial, and multi-cultural. The pictures in On the Go and How we Eat have children using different feeding aids and mobility aids (respectively).

Picture Books

Lunch Every Day – Civility and kindness is so important to model and teach. This book shares the story of a young kid who is often seen as a bully and having a hard time making friends. He is invited to a party, something that doesn’t happen often because he’s a bully and something unexpected happens. I won’t give away the rest of the story, but it is an important one especially in this political climate. If you have any teacher friends/family in your life, buy a copy for their classrooms, pre-school to high school should be reminded of the message in the book. Yes, high schoolers read and enjoy picture books too.

If you’re looking for a gift for a budding naturalist or biologist, The Land Knows Me, makes a great gift. This non-fiction book shows native plants from the Pacific Northwest area. The plant names are listed in Squamish language and the book describes Indigenous practices around plants.

Little Golden Books are iconic and affordable. They also have done a nice job diversifying their lineup and including BIPOC authors and topics. I found BTS Little Golden Book while on a work trip in Spokane, WA. I also really loved the Michelle Yeoh Little Golden Book. And there are so many other great books by Black and Brown authors including: Simone Biles, Sonia Sotomayor (English or Spanish), Ms Marvel, Ramadan. If you have any KPop fans in your house Little Golden Books has a Blackpink book coming out in a few weeks.

Wrong season, but pick this up for next fall, Day of the Dead ABC / Día de Los Muertos ABC is so good. The text and pictures work together to talk about culture and language. I appreciate the Spanish and English text trade off on which is centered/larger so it more of a bilingual book than a book with two languages.

Winter Holiday Books

An Anishinaabe Christmas shows how an Anishinaabe (Indigenous) family blends cultural practices to celebrate Christmas. The author is the Premier of Manitoba and

Santa’s Gotta Go is hilarious. Santa overstays his welcome with a family and you get to witness the chaos.

The Mexican Dreidel a boy visits his grandmother in Mexico and brings his dreidel. Readers get to see how Hanukkah is celebrated in Mexico. (Not POC authored)

Santa’s Husband is on my favorite book list. Santa and his husband challenge the white heterosexual Santa norms in this comical book. (Not POC authored)

Adult Books

I am hyping up and recommend two brand new releases by friends. First is Ruchika T. Malhotra’s Uncompete. She’s done it again, writing about how when we lift up women and others who are marginalized we’re better off.

The second, is Vu Le’s Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy. Vu is known for his blog NonprofitAF and this book carries a more serious weight than the blog BUT don’t let that deter you. It is an important book to help us reimagine what the third sector (nonprofits) and government can do better.

I read Kuleana a few months ago and still think about it. The book shares the author’s family’s journey to keep land in their Native Hawaiian family and the author’s journey to understand her Native Hawaiian connections even though she doesn’t live in Hawai`i. The book is more than just about land, it is about our spiritual connection to the aina, our responsibility to people displaced from their homelands.

I’m about halfway through Babel and it is captivating. Never have I thought about translation and the etymology of words and meaning. RF Kung nails the sinister aspect of her characters as always which makes for an enjoyable read.

It Rhymes with Takei makes a gorgeous gift book for anyone looking to learn more about LGBTQ history. This graphic memoir follows actor George Takei’s life and gay history in America. I read it over Pride weekend and appreciate LGBTQ history even more now.

Cookbooks

What isn’t to love about 108 Asian Cookies. I haven’t baked out of this cookbook yet, just ogled at the pictures. I have Kat Lieu’s other cookbook and baked out of that one with great results so this one will probably be equally as great.

Good Things by Samin Nosrat features her favorite recipes for family and friends. This cookbook is more of a traditional cookbook versus her first book Salt Fat Acid Heat.

There are so many more books to share, if I get around to it I’ll make a second list with more recs. In the meantime, if you want to see more books I enjoy here is Fakequity’s Bookshop.org link. Happy reading this winter.

Summer reads

May 24, 2025

Black totebag with words Read Rise Resist in ombre blue to pink font

I meant to put out a spring book list, but that came and went, so now we’ll launch into summer reading. I hope you’re participating in your local summer reading campaigns. A lot of local bookstores, libraries, or online book websites have summer reading campaigns and fun. Choose one, or more, and have some fun reading your way through the summer. Here are a few diverse books to help round out your reading lists.

Light and Sunny Reads

Vera Wong Unsolicited Advice for Murders and the newer book Vera Wong Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man are charming. Despite their titles they are perfect for a lighthearted summer read. If you’re participating in the Seattle Public Library or King County Library System Summer Book Bingo both of these books will work for the Found Family or Humor squares.

Serviceberry by Indigenous writer and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer is a book about resisting consumerism and moving to a gift and sharing economy. For those who are reading NY Times columnist Ezra Klein’s newest book Abundance, make sure to read Kimerer’s book to understand a Native perspective on the same topic. For SPL/KCLS Bingo this fits the Resistance square.

In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander month, and for the flower on the cover square, I’ll mention Lei Aloha. The book features different types of Hawaiian lei and how the author reconnected with the art form.

A Little Deeper Read

My friend Susan Lieu’s book The Manicurist Daughter just came out in paperback. She details her journey to understand her mother’s sudden death while undergoing plastic surgery and body acceptance. I really enjoyed her audiobook version since Susan narrated it and she’s a great actor as well. SPL/KCLS Bingo –Grief.

The SPL/KCLS Bingo board has a square for Monsters. The young adult pair of books Healer of the Water Monster and Heroes of the Water Monster are great books. They bring awareness to climate change and the importance of water in our lives. They are written from a Native American perspective.

I finally got around to listening to the audio version of James. It was so good. The tale of Jim, Huckleberry Finn’s companion was worth the read. It fits the Great Escape square.

For censorship or dystopian square the science fiction YA book The Last Cuentista. The story focuses on a doomed society but how a young girl wants to preserve the stories of the past to help the future.

Deep Read

It is the five year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. I still remember the collective anguish, coupled with COVID, as a call to do better. I wish I could say we’re making progress on racial repair and reckoning. That is why books and learning continue to be important. His Name is George Floyd documents Floyd’s life and how systemically Black people face more obstacles in America.

Picture Books

No list would be complete without a few picture books. Make Your Mark was an interesting read to learn more about tattoo artist and Black history.

Free to Learn tells the story of the landmark Supreme Court case, Plyer v. Doe, that guarantees immigrant students the right to obtain a public education in the US.

Since it is graduation season, The Blur by Minh Lê, or What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez, are worthy alternative to the Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. The Blur is great for new parents or preschool graduates. The messages will be lost on young kids but for the adults a tear may fall. Since my kids were born way before these books were published they both have copies of Dr. Seuss book which they take to school at the end of the year to collect signatures and messages like an autograph book. We’ve done this since they were at a childcare center and it’s become a nice keepsake. If I was doing it over again I would have found a BIPOC book to use instead.

I may put out a second list with more titles in a few weeks. I didn’t get around to including cookbooks or other faves I’ve recently read.

*The links above are for my Bookshop affiliate page. The profits are used to purchase books to donate to public schools.

2024 Holiday Book Recommendations

November 28, 2024December 1, 2024

Popping back into your feeds to share some book recommendations for the 2024 holiday season. Whether you’re looking for a book for yourself or a book to give as a gift, there is hopefully a little something for everyone below. Happy reading!

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I’m about one-third of the way through this book and it radiates much like Kimmerer’s previous book Braiding Sweetgrass. It is a good reminder to get out of consumeristic and transactional ways and to see nature as a reciprocal relationship.

For memoir lovers make sure to give them The Manicurist’s Daughter: A Memoir by Susan Lieu. Susan’s book is filled with grief, raw emotions – tantrums and love, acceptance, and looking forward. A highly recommended book.

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis is a book for the moment and the movement. We’ll need it in 2025 and for the next four years. Get one for you and a friend or colleague to share ideas.

Brittney Griner’s Coming Home, is worthy of a holiday gift for the sports lovers in your life. I don’t read a ton about sports, but I picked this up based on Heidi’s recommendation. I learned so much more about Griner’s time in a Russian jail, wrongfully imprisoned. I also now have a deeper appreciation for women’s professional sports because of this book.

If you’re looking for a fiction read, Heidi (of Color Brave Space fame), recommends Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Sometimes we need some mystery in our lives.

If you have any Buddhist in your life or anyone wanting to explore feminism in religion, debut author Nhi Tran’s Budding Lotus in the West: Buddhism from an Immigrant’s Feminist Perspective is intriguing. It is an important book exploring women’s role in religion.

Every booklist needs a cookbook recommendation. On the Curry Trail was a delightful read. It was fun to learn about the history of curry and explore different curries from around the world. I enjoy a good cookbook that has recipes that connect food, people, and places in one book. Gift this to someone who is looking for

My resident manga lover recommends I Want to Eat Your Pancreas: The Complete Manga Collection by Yoru Sumino. The title has sparked a heated debate in our house about the title, good books spark debate. The premise of the book centers around the main character having terminal pancreatic cancer and keeping it a secret.

She also recommends Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang. This is a good book for talking about anti-Asian racism and group think in the face of rhetoric and fear – important themes for the coming years.

If you need a gift for a younger child, especially girls (or any gender and grow their feminism) Goddess: 50 Goddesses, Spirits, Saints, and Other Female Figures Who Have Shaped Belief is a good one. It is a gorgeous giftable book at an affordable price.

Here are a few Christmas theme picture books:

Tamales for Christmas is a recently released picture book. Based on the author’s childhood experience of watching his Grandma makes thousands of tamales to help the family afford Christmas gifts. It is a lovely picture book and shares how family and community comes together as a support network.

An Anishinaabe Christmas by Wab Kinew shares how a Native Anishinaabe boy interprets his family’s winter traditions. Christmas gets blended into Native traditions.

Santa’s Gotta Go! Had me laughing. In this book Santa is not the model house guest. At the end of the story Santa gotta leave so the family can have some peace back.

For more book recommendations see Fakequity’s Bookshop store link. All of the above links are affiliate links that generate a small profit for Fakequity. I use the profits to donate books to public schools and to support the blog.

Rethinking Land Acknowledgements

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024

3 red ohia flowers, green buds — Ohia flowers indigenous to Hawai’i, photo credit mhgstan

A few years ago, I wrote a post about land acknowledgements. I learned a lot by researching that blog post and thinking more deeply about the practice. Since writing that post I’ve learned more about land acknowledgments, how Native Americans and Indigenous people want us non-Natives to participate in land acknowledgments, and the work we need to do to not be askholes.

It isn’t about the land acknowledgment

A land acknowledgment isn’t about the words we say, it is about recognizing and being in a just relationship with Native people and the land and place. It is about remembering we are guests and need to be respectful guests in other people’s homes. Being a guest means learning how to be a respectful guest, including learning whose home you’re entering. As an example, if you visit someone’s house you probably know the name of the person you’re visiting. Same here you should know the name of the ancestral land who you’re visiting.

The land acknowledgement is a moment to slow down and to acknowledge our Native relations.

Understand Context

Making a land acknowledgement is dipping into politics. In learning about the history of whose land you’re on and how the boundaries and boarders were drawn shows a history of migration, forced migration, politics, and colonization. Understanding this history also shows how complicated it can be in making a land acknowledgement. There isn’t always agreement on which tribes should be named when making an acknowledgement. As a non-Native person understanding this context is important to ensuring hurt, erasure, or more damage isn’t done.

If you’re a non-Native person, be thoughtful before asking a Native person to write or advise you on your land acknowledgement. Asking a Native person to advise you or write your land acknowledgment is asking for unpaid labor. It also puts them into awkward spots of having to decide who to name and not-name in the statement. Do your own work before consulting with Native people about a land acknowledgement.

If you are asking a Native person who’s land you’ll be on to speak at an event, they may prefer to do a welcome to their land and land education. They already acknowledge their land and a welcome may be more appropriate.

Land Education

For many Native people they would prefer we as non-Native people learn about their land – land education. That learning should be deep and meaningful, not a passive one-time reading of a prepared statement or even reciting who’s land we are on. It is about learning how they view and value their land, learning about their relationship with the place, nature, and geography.

This can also include learning about unceded land. A colleague showed me a map of her people’s traditional lands versus where their tribal nation lands are today. I was struck by how her traditional lands followed the waterways and were very fluid, the reservation map of today had straight lines and did not follow the river.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post on land acknowledgments, reading the treaties between the tribal nations and the US government is one place to start. Also read a lot of books by Native authors, especially authors from your area. If you need book suggestions, check out previous book lists on the blog.

Final Thoughts

I offer these thoughts as a non-Native person living on Native lands and working to stay educated and to be in more justice based relationships with diverse Native people. I cannot speak and will not speak for Native people. Please do your work of learning directly from Native people in your own community. Listen to them, learn respectfully, and be a good partner in learning.

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Summer Fun Challenge

June 28, 2024

Graphic: pale yellow background with summery clip art, various phrases from the adventure list below

No blog post next week. I’m taking the week off to enjoy the holiday week.

It is almost July and time to shift into summer mode. As you shift into summer chill mode, it is also a good time to do some low key challenges. The challenges below are a way to keep things interesting and some fun activities to expose us to new ideas. The new ideas will hopefully help to deepen our learning and commitment to justice based work. Do as many as you want – no one but you is keeping score.

Ready to join the adventure?

Attend a cultural event – Pow Wows, Obon Dance, Latinx festivals, other summer cultural events
Visit a farm, preferably one owned by a POC – this is to appreciate the land and learn about and support POC farmers
Participate in Plastic Free July, even if it is reducing your plastic consumption by one plastic fork it is a start, BONUS learn about how plastic waste is impacting Pacific Island nations
Ask a friend to recommend their favorite book by an author of color, swap titles or books by authors of color if your friend is up for that
Read a book focused on an intersection with race, e.g. race and LGBTQ, race and disability, race and class, race and immigration, race and environment, etc.
Visit a cultural site for Indigenous people
Register to vote or remind someone to update their registration
Move your body – swim, drum, walk, cartwheel, clap, clean something, ride a bike, yoga or stretch
Read poetry by an Indigenous author
Learn about the 2024 election – go deep in learning about a topic that will show up on your ballot (i.e. civil rights, prison reform, environmentalism, childcare, voting rights, education, transportation, etc.).
Donate blood if you can. If you can’t friendly nudge someone who can donate to do so.
Skip a car trip and use alternative transportation – learn about transportation justice and mobility for people with disabilities
Create/make something that makes you happy – cook, make art, write, make a sand sculpture, etc.

Enjoy the adventure.

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Birthday Book Drive wrap up

June 21, 2024

I skipped writing this post last year, but this year it seems like a good time to revive the theme. 2024 marked the five-year anniversary of the Carrie and Erin Birthday Book Drive. Carrie is a frequent guest author on the blog.

In 2019, on a whim I decided instead of celebrating my birthday with stuff for me I wanted to donate 40 books to schools in my neighborhood. I vaguely mentioned it on Facebook, Carrie saw the post and text to say she wished she could do the same. Since we both have February birthdays I invited/told her to join me. It worked out great since she brings a disability justice focus which compliments my focus on POC authors — both of which are under-represented in publishing and books.

Piles of books on a table — delivery of books to a middle school

How it works

The short version of how this project works, is for our birthdays instead of accepting gifts or other stuff for ourselves we put together a wishlist of books that match our criteria. Any book we accept has to be by an author of color, or about disabilities. We have rules – the books about disabilities can’t be overly sad, no disability porn, and nothing about people with disability dying. For the books by authors of color, they must be K-12 appropriate. We also request new books or very gently used books.

Our friends and family are generous and have fun choosing books that resonate with them to donate. The books get shipped to me and part of my house becomes a temporary book warehouse. I keep a spreadsheet of what is donated and who sent it. We share the progress on social media and this becomes a fun community project.

In the spring the books are delivered to schools. We have a few schools we consistently donate to their school libraries. It’s been fun to develop relationships with the librarians and teachers at these schools. They know we are bringing high quality books that often help to diversify their school libraries. I often add new releases to our wishlists which can help schools get these books more quickly into the hands of students. I like reading the new releases and know students feel the same.

New this Year

One of the reasons I wanted to re-share this annual project this year is several friends have done similar projects for their birthdays. Nisha, a teacher friend, said she now wants to be like Dolly Parton, and create her own Dolly Parton Imagination Library. For her birthday she held a birthday book drive too and had her family and friends gift her books. She wrapped the books so her first graders could each open a new book for their classroom library refresh. Another friend did the same and invited her friends to bring books to a silent reading party during her birthday and donated them to school libraries.

It’s been so much fun to watch this project grow. Knowing we’re helping to diversify the books students have access to. With people trying to ban books – books mostly about people of color, LGBTQ, and other experiences that make them feel something – it is important to ensure we’re providing access to high quality books where we can.

Science sign, book Nervous to the right on a library shelf

This year we focused on including books by Washington authors of color. This was really fun since it made the connections even more local. A friend who wrote the book Nervous was so thrilled to know her book was heading into the hands of high school students. I was at one of the schools that received her book and saw it prominently displayed in the school library – I’m sure it will be read many times.

You!

I hope this inspires you to do something for your local community. I realize how privileged I am to have so many good friends who embrace this book drive every year. Maybe the something for you is different, such as sharing your favorite POC authored book title with someone else so they learn about it. Or during your birthday you invite someone to trade a book with you so you both learn something new. For me the book drive is about connections and wanting to share something I love with students. I hope you find something that matters to you and share it with others.

Book List

Here are some of the books that were donated. Sharing this list is always a fun part of this blog post since it is such a rich list of titles, authors, and hopefully you find a new book to read.

The coding is mine, apologies for any errors — I tried my best.

Title	Author	School	Race	Disability
Hi’iaka and Panaewa Hawaiian Graphic Legend	Ahuli’i, Gabrielle	Elementary	Native Hawaiian
Head Above Water	Alshammari, Shahd	High School	MENA	1
One Person No Vote	Anderson, Craol	High School	Black
Keep Dancing Through	Boss, Allison Holker and Stephen “tWitch” Boss	Elementary	Black
Fire Keeper’s Daughter	Boulley, Angeline	High School	Native American
Rez Dogs	Bruchac, Joseph	Elementary	Native American
Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight Times	Bryant, Jen	Elementary	Asian
Empathy is your Super Power	Bussolari, Cori	Elementary
First Gen	Campoverdi, Alejandra	High School	Latino
Ordinary Ohana	Cataluna, Lee	Elementary	Native Hawaiian	1
Chinese Soul Food — Vegetarian	Chou, Hsiao-Ching	High School	Asian
Crying in H Mart	Zauner, Michelle	High School	Asian
Parker’s Big Feelings	Curry, Parker and Jessica Curry	Elementary	Black
Freedom is a Constant Struggle	Davis, Angela Y.	High School	Black
Maria Tallchief, She Persisted	Day, Christine	Elementary	Native American
We Still Belong	Day, Christine	Elementary	Native American
Across a Field of Starlight	Delliquanti, Blue
Invisible	Diaz, Christina	Elementary	Latino	1
Season of the Bruja	Durán, Aaron and Sara Soler	Middle School
Being Ace	Dyer, Madeline	High School		1
Bitter	Emezi, Akwaeke	Middle School	Black
Huda F Are You?	Fahmy, Huda	Middle School
Miss Quinces	Fajardo, Kat	Elementary	Latino	1
Swimming Toward a Dream	Faruqi, Reem	Elementary	MENA
I Will Dance	Flood, Nancy Bo	Elementary		1
Of Blood and Sweat Black Lives and the Making of White Power and Wealth	Ford, Clyde W.	High School	Black
Essential Labor Mothering as Social Change	Garbes, Angela	High School	Asian
Friday I’m in Love	Garrett, Camryn	Middle School	Black
I was Their American Dream	Gharib, Malaka	Middle School	MENA
Ghost Roast	Gibbs, Shawnelle and Shawneé Gibbs, Emily Cannon	Elementary	Black
Samira Surfs	Guiroz, Rukhsanna	Middle School	Asian
I Never Thought of it That Way	Guzmán, Mónica	High School	Latino
Hijab Butch Blues	H, Lamya	High School	MENA
A Day With No Words	Hammond, Tiffany	Elementary	Black	1
We Deserve Monuments	Hammonds, Jas	High School	Black
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe	Hernandez, Carlos	Middle School	Latino	1
Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe	Hernandez, Carlos	Middle School	Latino	1
La Última Cuentista — Spanish	Higera, Donna Barba	Middle School	Latino
The Last Cuentista	Higuera, Donna Barba	High School	Latino
Alebriejes	Higuera, Donna Barba	Elementary	Latino
Push Girl	Hill, Chelsie and Jessica Love	Middle School		1
Say My Name	Ho, Joanna	Elementary	Asian
all about love	hooks, bell	High School	Black
Displacement	Hughes, Kiku	Elementary	Asian
Mango Delight	Hyman, Fra,caswell	Elementary
Quietly Hostile	Irby, Samantha	High School	Black
Good Talk	Jacob, Mira	High School	MENA
The Laughter	Jha, Sonora	High School	Asian
How to Raise a Feminist Son	Jha, Sonora	High School	Asian
All Boys Aren’t Blue	Johnson, George M.	High School	Black	1
Strange Weather in Tokyo	Kawakami, Hiromi	High School	Asian
Jennifer Chan is not Alone	Keller, Tae	Middle School	Asian
Tryout	Keller, Tae	Elementary	Asian
Jennifer Chan is not Alone	Keller, Tae	Elementary	Asian
Stamped YA	Kendi, I and J Reynolds	High School	Black
Our Brave Foremothers	Kennedy, Rozella	Elementary	Black
Rescue & Jessica	Kensky, Jessica and Patrick Downes	Elementary		1
Brown Album Essays on exile and Identity	Khakpour, Porochista	High School	MENA	1
I am the Night Sky	Khan, Hena	Middle School	MENA
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns	Khan, Hena	Elementary	MENA
Amulet 9	Kibushi, K	Elementary	Asian
Tomorow is New Year’s Day	Kim, Aram	Elementary	Asian
Last Fallen Star	Kim, Graci	Elementary	Asian
Borders	King, Thomas	Elementary	Native American
In the Lives of Puppets	Klune, TJ	High School
Pieometry	Ko, Lauren	High School	Asian
Measuring Up	LaMotte, Lily	Elementary	Asian
Mindy Kim and the lunar new Year Parade (2)	Lee, Lyla	Elementary	Asian
Autum Pelteir, Water Warrior	Lindstrom, Carole	Elementary	Native American
Allergic	Lloyd, Megan Wagner	Elementary		1
When the Stars Came Home	Luby, Brittany	Elementary	Native American
The Unbeatable Lily Hong	Ma, Diana	Elementary	Asian
Revolution of our Time – The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People	Magoon, Kekla	Middle School	Black
I am a nurse: Color Me Exceptional!	Maheady, Donna	Elementary		5
Mexikid	Martín, Pedro	Elementary	Latino
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store	McBride, James	High School	Black
The Sum of Us	McGhee, Heather	High School	Black
Furia	Méndez, Yamile Saied	High School	Latino
Latinas Celebrating 40 Big Dreams	Menedez, Juliet	Elementary	Latino
The Kindest Red	Muhammad, Ibtihaj	Elementary	MENA
The Last Sakura Tales of the Yuta	Nakanishi, Ashley	Middle School	Asian
Saving Sorya Change and the Sun Bear	Nguyen, Trang	Elementary	Asian
The Magic Fish	Nguyen, Trung Le	High School	Asian
The Light We Carry	Obama, Michelle	High School	Black
Mediocre	Oluo, Ijemoa	High School	Black
Be a Revolution	Oluo, Ijemona	High School	Black
Heartstopper series	Oseman, Alice	High School		1
ADHD for Smart Ass Women	Otsuka, Tracy	High School	Asian	1
My Grandffather’s Song	Quang, Phung Nguyên and Huynh Kim Liên	Elementary	Asian
Dancing Hands, a Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language	Que, Joanna & Charina Marquez	Elementary	Asian	1
The Only Way to Make Bread	Quintero, Cristina	Elementary	Latino
There Was a Party for Langston	Reynolds, Jason	Elementary	Black
Ain’t Burned All the Bright	Reynolds, Jason	Elementary	Black
There Was a Party for Langston	Reynolds, Jason	Elementary	Black
Ain’t Burned All the Bright	Reynolds, Jason	Elementary	Black
Stuntboy In the Meantime (2)	Reynolds, Jason	Elementary	Black
The Last slice a Three Kings Day Treat	Richardson, Melissa Seron	Elementary	Latino
Barely Floating	Rivera, Lilliam	Elementary	Latino
Unearthed, a Jessica Cruz Story	Rivera, Lilliam and Steph C.	Middle School
The Song that Called Me Home	Robertson, David A.	Elementary	Native American
When We Were Alone	Robertson, David A. and Julie Flett	Elementary	Native/Indigenous
Para Chicas Fuertes De Corazón Tierno Y Piel Canela	Rodríguez, Prisca Dorcas Monica	High School	Latino	1
Our Work is Everywhere	Rose, Syan	High School		1
A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent	Rotman, Isabella	Middle School
Grounded	Saeed, Aisha et al	Elementary	MENA
Jovita Llevaba Panalones	Salazar, Aida	Elementary	Latino
Victory. Stand!	Smith, Tommie	Elementary	Black
Nervous	Soriano, Jen	High School	Asian	1
Wilma Mankiller, She Persisted	Sorrell, Traci	Elementary	Native American	1
Give Me a Sign	Sortino, Anna	High School		1
The Autism Friendly Guide to Periods	Steward, Robyn	Elementary		1
The Chance to Fly	Stroker, Ali and Stacy Davidowitz	Elementary		1
Cut Loose!	Stroker, Ali and Stacy Davidowitz	Elementary		1
All my Rage	Tahir, Sabaa	High School	MENA
I am Not Starfire	Tamaki, Mariko	Elementary	Asian
I’m Going to Be a Princess	Taylor, Stephanie	Elementary	Black
Kings of B’More	Thomas, R. Eric	High School	Black
Game of Freedom	Tonatiuh, Duncan	Elementary	Latino
Dear Daughter	Tran, Christina	High School	Asian
Inclusion on Purpose	Tulshyan, Ruchika	High School	Asian	1
Everything is Ok	Tung, Debbie	Middle School	Asian	1
Unordinary	uru-chan	Middle School	Asian
Prince and the Dressmaker	Wang, Jen	Elementary	Asian	1
Not He or She, I’m Me	Wild	Elementary
Kapaemahu	Wong-Kalu, Hinaleimoana, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson	Elementary	Native Hawaiian
The Words We Share	Wong, Jack	Elementary	Asian
Mooncakes	Xu, Wendy	Elementary	Asian	1
A Nest in Springtime – Bilingual Book of Numbers	Yang, Belle	Elementary	Asian
Lunar New Year Love Story	Yang, Gene Luen	Middle School	Asian
American Born Chinese	Yang, Gene Luen	Elementary	Asian
Superman Smashes the Klan	Yang, Gene Luen	Elementary	Asian
Lunar New Year Love Story	Yang, Gene Luen and Leuyen Pham	High School	Asian
Jar of Fat	Yim, Seayoung	High School	Asian
The Sun is Also a Star	Yoon, Nicola	High School	Mixed
Rainbow Shopping	Zhuang, Qing	Elementary	Asian
Being Seen		High School		1
This Place 150 Years Retold		High School	Native/Indigenous
Breathe and Count Back from Ten		High School		1
Mighty Mara		Elementary	Asian	1
A Spot of Worry		Elementary		1

Link to the list on Google Spreadsheets in case the list doesn’t show up or isn’t screen reader friendly.

Adrienne, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Beth, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Cathy & David, Chelsea, Christina C, Clara, Clark, Clark G., Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, Debbie S., Dede, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erin, Frances, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, John, Jon, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Kelly, Kiki, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leslie, Linda M, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Matthew, Maura, Melissa, Melody, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Ryan, Sally, Sally P., Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Stephanie J-T, Steve, Su, Sue, Sue C D, T Wang, Tamara, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Teddi, Tim, Tracy TG, Venu, virginia, Vivian, Wan-Lin, Ward, Wendy, and Zan

Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Book List

May 10, 2024

A stack of books on a table with a white blurry background Photo by Alexander Grey on Pexels.com

It is AANHPI month, hooray! One of the many ways to celebrate is to refill your reading queue with some new books by AANHPI authors.

Here are a few recommendations, most I’ve read, a few are on my TBR list. The majority of the list are authored by Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders. I noted the one book that is not by an AANHPI author. If you are purchasing books, please buy them from independent bookstores, especially POC owned bookstores. Bookshop.org is another good option for supporting independent bookstores. The links below are my affiliate links. All of the proceeds generated go into buying books, including many mentioned below, to donate to local public schools.

First up is George Takei’s, LGBTQ activist and former actor on Star Trek, latest children’s book My Freedom Lost: A Japanese American World WWII story. In this picture book Takei recalls his time incarcerated at two different internment camps because his family was of Japanese descent. The text of this picture book is dense, so better for second or third grade and up. His graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, is also very good and worth reading. Both of these are good books for talking about Asian American history in America and talking about xenophobia, and prejudice.

We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America is a new picture book by Joanna Ho. As I read it, it reminded me of the concept of ‘we’ as it relates to inclusion and diversity, since I had just heard a lecture on this concept. It also reminded me of the “We the People,” artwork campaign from several years ago.

I backed the Kickstarter for this project and so glad it is finally out. Aloha Everything is a gorgeous book steeped in Native Hawaiian culture and understanding. It centers around Ano learning to dance hula, and how she connects with different prats of her Native Hawaiian culture and identity through hula. Buy a copy for yourself or to share with a school classroom or library – Hawaiian history is American history and needs to be incorporated everywhere.

If you’re looking for a baby gift, Festival of Color, about Holi is now in board book format.

For the graphic novel and YA crowd, Lunar New Year Love Story, is written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham – two well known authors and illustrators. This is in my to-be-read pile and I’m looking forward to it.

Alice Wong’s newest anthology Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire was just released. It expands on her previous books about firsthand accounts of disabilities.

I saw this graphic novel at Mam’s bookstore, The Golden Voice: The Ballad of Cambodian Rock’s Lost Queen. I need to go back to get a copy because it looks so fascinating. The Asian American experience is diverse and the story of Cambodia is unique and important to learn about. (This is not authored by an Asian American.)

From Unincorporated Territory [Åmot] was a National Book Award winner. Authored by Craig Santos Perez from Guam and uses visual poetry in this book. I read it once, but need to re-read. Make sure to read his other poetry collections too – they are deep.

There are so many more books to share, I have at least three more in my head of new releases that deserve some hype, but I’ll stop here for the moment. Please make sure to read about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander authors. The experiences shared is rich and deserve to be learned about and shared with others.

Adrienne, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Cathy & David, Chelsea, Christina C, Clara, Clark, Clark G., Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, Debbie S., Dede, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erin, Frances, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, John, Jon, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Kelly, Kiki, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leslie, Linda M, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Matthew, Maura, Melissa, Melody, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Ryan, Sally, Sally P., Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Stephanie J-T, Steve, Su, Sue, Sue C D, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Teddi, Tim, Tracy TG, Venu, virginia, Vivian, Wan-Lin, Ward, Wendy, and Zan

Learning to Lead from Authors of Color

April 25, 2024May 2, 2024

Black background words in blue to pink ombre Read Rise Resist.

A few weeks ago, a friend sent a text asking for suggestions for books on leadership. I messaged her a few titles and decided to expand on what I sent her to make this a full-fledge blog post.

The list is a mix of books. Some can be seen as traditional leadership type books, and others are books that I think have a lot of value for understanding how to ‘lead’ in diverse ways. All of the titles listed are by authors of color.

The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Come Apart by Alicia Garza. Alicia Garza is a longtime organizer and was one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. She shares her journey around organizing and how she ended up in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Eric Liu’s You Are More Powerful Than You Think is a nice companion to Alicia Garza’s book. Liu writes about political advocacy and how to understand power and use it for social good. His book and approach are good for understanding how to work to move institutional power bases.

Treaty Words: For as Long as the River Flows may make you wonder why this made the list. I consider it an important leadership book, because we have to remember leadership in the western world is just that – built on western concepts of capitalism, ownership, top down structures. We should learn from other communities about their values and ways of leading. Indigenous and Native people’s have relationships and reciprocal treaties we need to learn from and honor. This short but full-of-thoughtful words and pictures book is a good way to reframe how we think about leading.

If you’re going to lead, you need to understand disabilities and how to lead in the least ableist ways possible. Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility is a collection of first person narratives by people with diverse backgrounds and disabilities. It is a good starting point for learning more about disabilities. If you have a young adult in your life the young adult version of this book is very accessible and worth sharing with a young person too.

The Art of Gathering and Together are two books I highly recommend for leaders who convene people. I can’t think of any leader who doesn’t convene people in some way. These two books reframed how I think about bringing people together and working with people, especially people of color, in ways that are natural but also purposeful.

I haven’t read First Gen by Alejandra Campoverdi yet but it is on my list of books to read. I’m adding this to my list of books to learn from because I work in education and need to learn about how to create better systems for immigrants and to make sure Latino/Latinx students are visible. This is a leadership book because we should learn from first hand accounts.

What are some of your favorite books about leadership by authors of color?

The links in this post will take you to Fakequity’s Bookshop.org affiliate page. Bookshop supports independent bookstores, and any proceeds Fakequity makes from Bookshop is used to buy books by authors of color which are donated to Title 1 schools.

Adrienne, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Cathy & David, Chelsea, Christina C, Clara, Clark, Clark G., Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, Debbie S., Dede, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, John, Jon, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Kelly, Kiki, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leslie, Linda M, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Matthew, Maura, Melissa, Melody, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Ryan, Sally, Sally P., Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Stephanie J-T, Steve, Su, Sue, Sue C D, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Teddi, Tim, Tracy TG, Venu, virginia, Vivian, Wan-Lin, Ward, Wendy, and Zan

Giving Thanks for Diverse Books

November 27, 2015December 9, 2015

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Hope you had a nice time with your family and friends or whomever or whatever you chose to celebrate with. We celebrated by renting a yurt at a state park. It was a great plan until the heat went out in the middle of the night and we froze in 30-degree weather. A two night stay turned into one, it was memorable and cold.

——

In the spirit of sharing something good and a project that brings me thanks, I will share what I’m reading. This past summer I took the Diverse Books Challenge, and pledged to read 15 books by authors of color. The We Need Diverse Books campaign started a few years ago to highlight the alf need for more diversity in children’s literature. The campaign included a story in The New York Times showing how few authors of color and characters of color there are in children and young adult’s literature. One of my favorite pictures from the campaign said “We Need Diverse Books because there are more aliens/werewolves/vampires/yeti in books than People of Color.” If you are a yeti or a vampire you’ll feel good about seeing yourself reflected in American literature.

I took the diverse books challenge because I felt the need to diversify the media I hear from. I took it as a personal challenge and I control a lot of the books that come into our house, so it spilled over to my family. As the family library goer I control a lot of the books our children consume. As a result many of my 15 Diverse Book challenge books are children’s literature (plus children’s books are faster to read).

I want my funyuns (children) to see diverse characters, understand others, and to see themselves reflected in books. Seattle author Ken Mochizuki, author of several children’s and young adult books, writes “the value of fiction [is] it can sometimes prepare you for what happens in life.” My job as a parent is to prepare my children for life, and life beyond our home and family. Books are helping with this preparation.

The Diverse Books Challenge has exposed us to lots of new authors, and reread several favorites. Taking this challenge has forced me to be more mindful about my book choices, and open me to new authors. Instead of just picking books off of top-ten lists, or through recommendations, I spend time looking for authors of color.

What I’ve Learned

Authors of Color are in Every Genre—A few of my favorite books in this challenge have come in unexpected places, including a book about house cleaning by the Japanese cleaning phenom KonMari or the audio version of Oprah’s book What I know for Sure. Authors of Color aren’t relegated to only world literature or the entertainment or sports sections of the library, explore and wander the shelves.

Gatekeeping in Publishing—I think it was in a Star Trek episode I heard the line “History is written by the victor.” This means that many publishers cater to mainstream audiences because they have the power to publish. As a reader I have to push to have diverse stories featured in books and put on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. As People of Color we have the numbers, if we demand to see authors of color featured they will be. Be vocal and demand to see authors and authentic characters of color featured in books. Two publishers that currently standout are Blood Orange Press and Lee & Low. (I don’t work in the publishing world, I only keep track of this on a marginal level. Perhaps there are others I don’t know of.)

New Perspectives—Being exposed to books by authors of color has brought interesting viewpoints that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. For instance in the book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande made me think about aging across cultures. I also learned about the Freedom Rides from Senator John Lewis, I could have read about this period of history from a traditional history book, but reading Sen. Lewis’ version brought it to life in a real way.

Mindfulness—I just started Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh who writes about being mindful about the media we consume. This experience has shown me how mindful I have to be with exposing myself to different thoughts and perspectives. The We Need Diverse Books challenge has pushed me to dig deeper and to counter some of the noise. I still read the news and enjoy many mainstream media channels, but I try to ensure I keep different perspectives coming forward.

Requesting Books by Authors of Color—I’m fortunate to live in a city with a well-supplied library system. The Seattle Public Library provided me with almost all of the books I’ve read for the book challenge. Part of supporting authors of color and pushing publishers to publish more diverse authors is to get their books put into libraries and purchased overall. At the Seattle Public Library we can request books added to the collection through an easy online form. I’ve requested books for this challenge and the library has ordered them, a win-win-win. Win for the library that now has a more diverse collection, win for the author who has more readers, and win for the publisher with a higher book count.

Reading to Children—My children love being read to and I enjoy sharing books with them. About a month ago my kiddo said I could choose what we would read before his bedtime so I picked up a journal on racial equity. This is what he said “All I hear is word, word, word, word, word.” In other words he was tuning it out, he needs to see himself reflected in stories so he can understand the world around him. He recently brought home a book from his school library featuring a multiracial family. He chose the book because his teacher read it to him in class and he wanted to share it with me. He said he chose it because he wanted me to read it with him, he was in control and wanted to share it with me.

What this has to do with Equity— Diversifying what I read informs what I think. Equity work requires understanding others and realizing that our world view is only part of the picture.

Here is my list of 15 (and some bonus books) for the We Need Diverse Books that I’ve read over the past few months:

Happy, by Pharrell Williams
March Book I and March Book II, by Senator John Lewis (These are graphic novels.)
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, by Misty Copeland
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande (audio version)
Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial, by Kenji Yoshino
Baseball Saved Us, by Ken Mochizuki
Before I Die, by Candy Chang (check out her TED talk too)
Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson
We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Terrorist’s Son: A Story of Choice, by Zak Ebrahim
Firebird, by Misty Copeland
The Barefoot Lawyer: A Blind Man’s Fight for Justice and Freedom in China, by Chen Guangcheng
What I Know For Sure, by Oprah Winfrey (audio version)
The Lonesome Puppy, by Yoshitomo Nara
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo
Red Knit Cap Girl, by Naoko Stoop
Oh, Oh, Baby Boy!, by Janine Macbeth
Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck
Men We Reaped: A Memoir, by Jesmyn Ward
The Art of Stillness, by Pico Iyer
Peek a Thai Hide and Seek and Hush a Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho(Peek is out of publication, but hopefully the publisher will reprint this gem of a book.)

I hope you’ll join me in reading authors of color. Please share your favorite books either on Facebook, Twitter (@fakequity), or in the comments below.

FAKEQUITY

Fakequity=Fake Equity. Fakequity is bad. It shows up as all talk and no action.

Tag: books