Welcome to our library’s celebration of Asian Heritage Month! This small selection of ten titles commemorate the rich tapestry of Asian cultures and histories from a Western Canadian perspective. From tales of resilience in the face of adversity to narratives of cultural fusion and identity exploration, these books offer a glimpse into the lives of Asian Canadians in the west.
No, really, where are you from? : personal stories of Chinese identity retention and loss
Edmonton author Nancy Ng tells the insightful true stories of how eight Chinese individuals, of different ages and economic backgrounds, negotiated being a visible minority in mainstream Canada.
Grace Eiko Thompson writes about her own experience of Japanese internment. Her family was uprooted by the government, forced to leave most of their possessions and their home in Vancouver, and scrape together a living in barely inhabitable accommodations.
Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?
Anita Badami’s novel chronicles the stories of three women, linked in love and tragedy, over a span of fifty years. From the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 to the explosion of Air India flight 182 in 1985, this novel conveys the tumultuous effects of the past on new immigrants.
One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
Born in Calgary to Indian immigrant parents, Saachi Koul ‘s specialty is transforming the miseries and indignities of everyday life into something funny and surprisingly poignant. She addresses sexism, cultural stereotypes and the universal miseries of life in this collection of irreverent and funny essays.
How does a single blade of grass thank the sun
Doretta Lau presents a whimsical take on what it means to be Canadian. Lau alludes to the personal and political histories of a number of young Asian Canadian characters to explain their unique perspectives of the world, fusing delusion and abstract perception with heartbreaking reality.
Daaku : the gangster’s life : a novel
This sequel to Ranj Dhaliwal’s bestselling novel “Daaku” picks up the story of Indo–Canadian gangster Ruby Pandher as he recovers from a failed hit by his own associates. Violence, wild partying and flashy purchases mark Ruby’s comeback. Ruby’s eyes and perspective are widened by the new contacts he makes, as he tries to measure up.
The measure of a man : the story of a father, a son, and a suit
For years, journalist and amateur tailor J.J. Lee tried to ignore the navy suit that hung at the back of his closet – his late father’s last suit. When he finally decides to make the suit his own, little does he know he is about to embark on a journey into his own past. As JJ moves across the surface of the suit, he reveals the heartbreaking tale of his father’s life. Woven throughout these personal strands are entertaining stories from the social history of the man’s suit.
Cultivating connections : the making of Chinese prairie Canada
In the late 1870s, thousands of Chinese men left coastal British Columbia and headed east. For these men, the Prairies were a land of opportunity; there, they could open shops and potentially earn enough money to become merchants. Author Alison R. Marshall recounts these stories of Prairie Canada’s Chinese settlers. A remarkable record of these resilient and resourceful pioneers.
Inspired by a real incident, author Sharon Bala weaves a gripping and morally complex story about a group of refugees who survive a perilous ocean voyage to reach Vancouver – only to face the threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism. A spellbinding novel that provokes a compassionate lens through which to view the current refugee crisis.
Hiromi Goto tells the tale of four Japanese Canadian sisters struggling to escape the bonds of a family and landscape as inhospitable as the sweltering prairie heat. Their father decides to migrate from the lush green fields of British Columbia to Alberta – determined to deny the limitations of the prairie and to grow rice.
We hope you have found among these titles your next best read. Let us know if you have any other suggestions. The brief book summaries in this blog article are courtesy of the publisher’s websites.
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