Fusion Stories

New Novels Feature Contemporary Teen and Tween Asian American Protagonists

2008-04-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ten new contemporary novels by Asian Americans aren’t traditional tales set in Asia nor stories about coming to America for the first time. They’re written by authors who understand two-time Newbery Honor Book author Lawrence Yep’s (Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate) removal of the ethnic qualifier before his vocation. “I think of myself principally as a writer,” Yep told the International Reading Association’s The Dragon Lode. “I often write about my experiences as a Chinese American, but I’ve also written about faraway worlds. Writing is a special way of seeing.”

Without a doubt, an Asian American vision has moved into the mainstream of the children’s literary world. In 1994, only 65 of the 5,500 children’s books published featured Asian American authors. Last year, that number doubled. Some of these have become national bestsellers that are guaranteed a place on bookshelves for years to come. Linda Sue Park (A Single Shard) and Cynthia Kadohata (Kira Kira) each won the prestigious Newbery Medal, while Allen Say (Grandfather’s Journey) took home a Caldecott Prize. An Na (A Step From Heaven) won the Printz, an award for young adult novels, and Gene Luen Yang garnered a National Book Award for his graphic novel, American Born Chinese.

In 2008, a wave of middle grade novels (ages 7-11) written by Asian Americans is already catching the attention of readers, teachers, librarians, and parents – and not just within multicultural circles. Children’s literature experts are calling Grace Lin’s Year of the Rat (sequel to the popular Year of the Dog) a “classic in the making” along the lines of Besty-Tacy. Janet Wong’s forthcoming novel Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer explores the joys of vacation and friendship, with Jake divulging that he’s a “quarpa,” or one-quarter Korean. Winner of the Sid Fleischman humor award, author Lisa Yee makes kids (and adults) laugh out loud with bestselling stories like Millicent Min: Girl Genius and her newest title, Good Luck, Ivy. When it comes to books like these, as Newbery winner Linda Sue Park told author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Tantalize) during an on-line chat: “At last it seems we’re getting ready to go to stories where a person’s ethnicity is a part but not the sum of them.”

New releases for teens, too, aren’t mainly immigrant stories or traditional tales retold. These YA novels deal with universal themes such as a straight-A teen struggling with a cheating scandal at her school (She’s So Money by Cherry Cheva), a promising athlete coping with a snowboarding injury (Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley), and a Pakistani-born blogger whose father is about to become President (First Daughter: White House Rules by Mitali Perkins). An Na’s The Fold, a novel about a teen considering plastic surgery to change the shape of her eyelids, speaks to all who long to be beautiful, and art-loving teens far and wide will connect with Joyce Lee Wong’s novel-in-verse Seeing Emily. Paula Yoo, a one-time writer for People magazine and television hits like The West Wing, fuses her pop culture savvy and love of music in Good Enough, a novel about a violinist in rebellion. Her brother, David Yoo, connected with hormone-crazed nerds of every race in his funny novel Girls For Breakfast and is offering his fans the forthcoming Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before.

Founder of readergirlz, a literacy initiative for teens, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley notes that these books are relished by readers from many different backgrounds. “There are a ton of interesting cultural trends that make it cool to read about Asian American characters,” she says. “Take manga and anime, for instance. Or Gwen Stefani’s harujuku girls. Mainstream, popular celebrities from actors to athletes are Asian American, and this is filtering into YA and middle grade novels.”

Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Ph.D., a professor at the School of Library and Information Services at Texas Woman’s University, isn’t surprised either by the growing appetite for books featuring protagonists of every race: “Most kids live with ethnic and cultural diversity everyday. It just makes sense that books for teens would reflect this too.”

These stories continue to resonate with Asian American readers as well. Lisa Yee remembers the frustration of not finding many books about American girls like her. “When I grew up, there was no fiction featuring contemporary Asian Americans, unless of course the book was about the struggle of immigrants,” she says. Thanks to exciting changes in children’s book publishing, it’s a different world for today’s young readers of every cultural heritage with many choices when it comes to novels.

Ten authors are banding together to offer FUSION STORIES (www.fusionstories.com), a menu of delectable next-gen hot-off-the-press novels for middle readers and young adults. FUSION STORIES' critically acclaimed authors include Cherry Cheva (Los Angeles, CA), Justina Chen Headley (Seattle, WA), Grace Lin (Boston, MA), An Na (Montpelier, VT), Mitali Perkins (Boston, MA), Janet Wong (Princeton, NJ), Joyce Lee Wong (Los Angeles, CA), Lisa Yee (South Pasadena, CA), David Yoo (Boston, MA), and Paula Yoo (Los Angeles, CA).

A press kit package (available at FUSION STORIES, www.fusionstories.com) includes downloads, bios of FUSION STORIES authors, information on their books, and conversations with experts about Asian American literature for young readers. For more information, review copies, or interview requests with any of the authors, please contact press@fusionstories.com.

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YEAR OF THE RAT by Grace Lin

2008-03-02T03:41:00.000-08:00

YEAR OF THE DOG and YEAR OF THE RAT: THE YEAR OF THE DOG was a very lucky year for Pacy: she met her best friend Melody and discovered her true talents. However, the sequel, YEAR OF THE RAT brings big changes: Pacy must deal with Melody moving to California, find the courage to forge on with her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator, and learn to face some of her own flaws. Pacy encounters prejudice, struggles with acceptance, and must find the beauty in change.

Grace Lin is the author and illustrator of the YEAR OF THE DOG, as well as over a dozen books such as THE UGLY VEGETABLES and DIM SUM FOR EVERYONE! While most of Grace's books are about the Asian-American experience, she believes, "Books erase bias, they make the uncommon everyday, and the mundane exotic. A book makes all cultures universal."

MINN AND JAKE'S ALMOST TERRIBLE SUMMER by Janet Wong

2008-03-02T03:40:00.000-08:00

MINN AND JAKE and MINN AND JAKE'S ALMOST TERRIBLE SUMMER:

In MINN AND JAKE'S ALMOST TERRIBLE SUMMER (August 2008), the sequel to MINN AND JAKE, we learn that Jake has a Korean grandmother, which makes him one-quarter Korean, or “Quarpa,” as he likes to call it. This fact never came up in the first MINN AND JAKE, and Minn now feels cheated because Jake did not divulge his racial identity earlier in their friendship. Minn accuses: “You didn’t tell me you were Asian!” Jake defends himself: “You don’t care that I never told you I’m part Norwegian and part French and part German! And did I ever tell you that I like taking bubble baths and playing Halo 2 until midnight?” Their discussion raises questions about identity in the lives of multiracial children today.

Janet Wong is the author of eighteen books for children, mainly picture books and poetry collections, including THE DUMPSTER DIVER (Candlewick) and TWIST: Yoga Poems (McElderry/Simon and Schuster). A former lawyer, she chose to write because she wanted to “do something important – and couldn’t think of anything more important than working with children.”

GOOD LUCK, IVY by Lisa Yee

2008-03-02T03:34:00.000-08:00

GOOD LUCK, IVY: Ivy Ling is the middle child in a busy Chinese-American household in 1976 San Francisco. Ivy's best friend, Julie Albright, has moved to another part of the city. The only place Ivy feels at home is at gymnastics. When the big tournament is scheduled on the same day as the annual Ling reunion, Ivy wrestles with a difficult choice.

Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence Lisa Yee’s debut novel, MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS, won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME was named Best Children’s Book of the Year by the Chinese American Librarians Association. NAPPA Honor winner, GOOD LUCK, IVY, is the first American Girl historical series novel and doll featuring an Asian American.

SHE'S SO MONEY by Cherry Cheva

2008-03-02T03:27:00.000-08:00

SHE'S SO MONEY:
What happens when a good girl teams up with a total player and creates the biggest scandal their school has ever seen? Popular guy Camden convinces Maya that the only way to save her family’s Thai restaurant is to do other kids’ homework for cash, and she soon finds out that everything has a price. Especially falling in love.

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong ("Cherry Cheva") is originally from Ann Arbor, MI. She currently lives in Los Angeles and writes for the hit Fox TV show "Family Guy." SHE'S SO MONEY is her first novel.

GIRL OVERBOARD by Justina Chen Headley

2008-03-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

GIRL OVERBOARD:
Syrah Cheng is the golden girl. Her dad’s a billionaire, and she has everything from a jet plane to custom-designed snowboards. But an accident exiles her from the mountains - the one place where she’s accepted for who she is, not what she has. Can Syrah rehab her busted-up knee and confidence to realize her true worth?

Justina Chen Headley won the 2007 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature for her debut novel, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (AND A FEW WHITE LIES). She is currently touring the country for her novel, GIRL OVERBOARD, with Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter to inspire teens to change the world with the Go Overboard Challenge Grant, co-sponsored with Burton Snowboards. (www.burton.com/GoOverboardGrant).

FIRST DAUGHTER: WHITE HOUSE RULES by Mitali Perkins

2008-03-02T02:58:00.000-08:00

First Daughter: EXTREME AMERICAN MAKEOVER and First Daughter: WHITE HOUSE RULES: In book one about Sameera (Sparrow) Righton, she helps her dad win the presidential election. Readers continue to enjoy Sparrow's witty, one-of-a kind take on life at 1600 Pennyslvania Avenue in FIRST DAUGHTER: WHITE HOUSE RULES. These smart, funny, and timely novels provide an engaging behind-the-scenes glimpse into American politics (firstdaughterbooks.com).

Mitali Perkins, author of MONSOON SUMMER and RICKSHAW GIRL, was born in Kolkata, India and immigrated at age seven to the States with her family. She studied political science at Stanford and public policy at Berkeley before deciding to try and change the world one children's book at a time. Her blog (mitaliblog.com) is a virtual fire escape where she chats about books, movies, music, television, and life between cultures. Sparrow, the protagonist of the FIRST DAUGHTER novels, also blogs, keeping track of the hype about the real First Kid wannabes.

THE FOLD by An Na

2008-03-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

THE FOLD:
How far would you go for beauty? Joyce Kang has never felt pretty enough especially when compared to her older sister, but when her plastic surgery crazed aunt offers her the chance of a lifetime, to change her eyes forever, Joyce must decide what she believes is beautiful.

An Na was born in Korea and grew up in Southern California. She is the author of two previous novels, WAIT FOR ME and A STEP FROM HEAVEN which was the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award and a National Book Award Finalist.

SEEING EMILY by Joyce Lee Wong

2008-03-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

SEEING EMILY: a novel in free verse, speaks directly of the heady, messy experience of being a teenager. Emily, a Chinese-American teen, tries out different versions of herself as she pursues her growing passion for art, her interest in a sexy new student, and her need to break away without breaking her tightly-knit family apart.

Joyce Lee Wong has worked as an attorney, interpreter, teacher, and writer. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, she completed a PEN Center USA West Emerging Voices fellowship. Ms. Wong was awarded the 2007 International Reading Association / Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award for her novel, SEEING EMILY.

GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo

2008-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

GOOD ENOUGH: is a funny, contemporary novel about a high-achieving high-school senior struggling between her Korean parents’ expectations and her growing desire to shape her own future. Patti, a self-described “B-tier violin prodigy” and class valedictorian, recounts her senior year, in which her first deep crush is a powerful distraction from college applications and her parents’ stringent requirements for a “P.K.D.” (Perfect Korean Daughter).

Author Paula Yoo (GOOD ENOUGH, HarperCollins ’08; SIXTEEN YEARS IN SIXTEEN SECOND: THE SAMMY LEE STORY, Lee & Low Books ‘05) is also a TV drama screenwriter (NBC's "The West Wing" and Lifetime's "Side Order of Life”) and a professional freelance musician (violin) specializing in both classical and rock music.

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE by David Yoo

2008-03-01T03:59:00.000-08:00

In STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE (September 2008), a new novel by the author of GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST, resigned loser Albert Kim has captured the affection of his dream girl Mia, only to get bumped to the sidelines when Mia's uber-popular ex, Ryan, gets cancer. Al's attempt to salvage the relationship is not a popular campaign. This desperately funny love story captures the agony, the mania, the kicking and screaming that define teenage existence.

David Yoo is the author of the novels GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST, which was named a NYPL Best Book for Teens and a Booksense Pick, and the forthcoming STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE (Hyperion, Sept 2008). He has published fiction and nonfiction in several anthologies, most recently in WHO CAN SAVE US NOW? (The Free Press, 2008) and GUYS WRITE FOR GUYS READ (Viking). David teaches adult fiction workshops at the Gotham Writers Workshop and writes a monthly column in Koream Journal.

Talking To Joel Bangilan

2008-01-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Joel Bangilan is currently a Branch Services Coordinator for San Antonio Public Library. He started his career as a children’s librarian in Houston. His experience as a public librarian in parts of Houston that are predominantly Asian and Asian American and his own Filipino heritage provides him with an insight to the issues. He advocates for libraries to collect quality books that feature and involve the Asian American community. His collaboration with the Chinese Community Center in Houston created the first Chinese language story time in the city. He developed the collection for the Walter branch library and earned several grants to buy children’ books for early readers, translations, and dual language texts of Asian languages. He serves on the Asian and Pacific American Library Association’s Award for Literature Committee. Libraries are warehouses of knowledge where all perspectives are represented and respected.

Joel Bangilan spoke with YA author Paula Yoo (Good Enough) in a recent interview.

YOO: Asian American "immigrant"-themed novels were quite "in vogue" in the 1980s and 90s thanks to the popularity of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." Now that trend has spilled into the world of young adult/middle grade novels. Why is this such a hunger and interest for these types of books, especially for young people? 

BANGILAN: A friend of mine said that it is cool to be Asian these days. Lots of trends in pop culture and lifestyle seem to draw upon Asian cultures recently. Just look at the rising popularity of sushi restaurants that are inspired by Japanese menus or vegetarian places that are based on Indian cuisine. What does it mean that you can buy sushi or saag paneer in the grocery store? Pop music samples from Bollywood tracks and even more musicians and artists claim an Asian heritage. Manga and anime is an exploding phenomenon. And a number of movies have brought back the coolness of Hong Kong fight scenes or ancient mystical China. Pop culture trend setters like the Black Eyed Peas, Ang Lee, Amerie, Kimura Lee, and Lucy Liu have mainstreamed elements drawn from our cultures. Asian and Asian American actors are being cast in more mainstream roles so we see our own faces in movies and television. With this boost of coolness from pop culture, Asian American young people and their friends are encouraged to seek our experiences and faces in the literature.

YOO: Some critics feel that there needs to be more broad-based novels featuring Asian American characters in "mainstream" roles where they are not always dealing with the classic issues of immigration/language barriers/racism. How do you feel about that? Are there any new books, especially for teens, that you feel are good examples of this new trend?

BANGILAN: Sure there is a need for literature like that. Not all Asian American teens are recent immigrants. Many have acculturated or assimilated into mainstream culture successfully. A teen’s issues tend to be about self identity. I do feel that those issues are hard to avoid when dealing with the Asian American experience. I have to wonder what Asian American young person does not deal with those issues ever. The United States still has a long way to go in race relations and no matter how much a child has acculturated; there are still people who define others by physical features. So a main character has to go to cheer competition, and is not liked by the other girls on her squad. Certainly this is a mainstream situation, but when the author writes that she has straight black hair and almond eyes, and her grandmother packed her lunch with a lychee snack, the author then has to deal with why even bring that up. An author has to deal with what makes this character Asian; and as a writer does the Asian-ness of the character then progress the story or is it gratuitous. I felt that Project Mulberry, by Linda Sue Park, did this very well. Life of Pi dealt with themes beyond Pi’s heritage, but by knowing his heritage we understood his world view. Black Mirror dealt with a biracial girls self identity. I would also recommend Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies). So many times I hear the phrase “Love is color blind”; that the United States needs to be “color blind”; or that children should be “color blind”. I think the point is not to move to being “color blind”, but seeing “color” and loving it. Instead of ignoring our heritages, embracing our heritage and part of our identity and realizing that it is a treasure.

YOO: Publishers now realize the importance of diversity in children's literature, particularly for teenagers who are often searching for their identity and place in society. Why do you think it's important - and perhaps necessary - for diversity in teen fiction, especially for Asian American readers?

BANGILAN: As a librarian I depend on authors who create or reflect experiences that broaden a child’s vision. Not only are there children who want to see their own faces or see that they are not alone in a set of circumstances, there are children who need to see how the other side feels. Books are shared experiences. Literature opens understanding as those ideas and experiences are made common between us. Just as I encourage Asian and Asian American children to read books from European, African, and Latino Diasporas, I recommend books of the Asian cultures to those children of non-Asian heritages.  

YOO: Many Asian American authors (both veteran and up-n-coming) express frustration at being pigeon-holed or labeled as ONLY Asian American fiction when they feel their books feature universal themes. Why do you think Asian American teen fiction is important for readers of different backgrounds/ethnicities to read? In other words, why is multicultural fiction important for today's teenagers? 

BANGILAN: Teens of other cultures need to see how the other side lives. Like I was saying earlier literature offers shared experiences. These shared experiences give people common ground, common terms, and common references to then exchange ideas for understanding. I think reading Asian and Asian American literature brings to the table concepts and ideas that Westerners and some others might not be used to. I believe that there is a distinction between Asian literature and Asian American genres. First and foremost is that Asian American literature is American literature. Americans with Asian heritage have a completely different experience, outlook, perspective, and conditioning than the families we left either recently or even generations ago and is different from the cultures we are entering. The Asian American experience is blended and often has a pan-Asian mentality. Millennials tend to exhibit this perspective the most in that they don’t necessarily see themselves as one ethnicity, but that they see themselves as Asian and have a camaraderie with South Asians, Central Asians, and Pacific Islanders. There are now bicultural Asians who are writing and creating books. Theses authors who might be of Chinese and Vietnamese ethnicities or Filipino and Japanese parents tend to exhibit a pan-Asian mentality. The Asian American experience also has hapas in the mix. These are the individuals who are biracial. The Tiger Woods, Apolo Onos, and Kimura Lees of the world are just as Asian and American as those of us with both parents of one ethnicity. Theirs is a growing voice

YOO: Do you have any favorite books or books you think are groundbreaking/important that were written by or about Asian American young adults? Why do you think these particular books are important?

BANGILAN: I think the flood of Manga is a significant milestone in the evolution of Asian American fiction. Although not necessarily by or about Asian Americans, the whole genre of books hit mainstream culture with a big splash. This is a genre that appeals to both boys and girls. The stories are exciting and the themes are universally human that they reach a broad spectrum.   

YOO: Where do you see Asian American fiction going in the future? Do you think it will reach the same level of mainstream acceptance as African American literature has today (witness the mainstream popularity of writers from adult novelist Toni Morrison to children's novelist Julius Lester?

BANGILAN: I think the trend is actually evolving and moving away from the immigrant experience to that of the Asian American experience and the hapa experience. I think teens and children are beginning to identify more as Americans of Asian heritage with a “Pan-Asian” mentality. But their challenges and angst comes from their desire to be seen and be accepted as Americans. Their stories are of a self identity of an American colliding with their roots, heritage, and parents who don’t understand. The United States has often defined itself in terms of Black and White, but Asians are emerging into the conversation. I believe mainstream acceptance is the goal. I think writers like Amy Tan, Ha Jin, Chang Rae Lee, Maxine Hong Kingston, Chitra Divakaruni, Janet Wong, An Na and others are blazing trails for others to follow. Just as with African American fiction these few have planted a seed in readers who will be inspired by these first books. There will be some influences from the mother countries by way of new immigrants, but I see Asian American fiction really embracing our heritages both as Asians and as Americans.

Talking To Sylvia Vardell

2008-01-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Ph.D, is a professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Vardell graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education at the University of Texas and a Ph.D in Children’s Literature/Language Arts at the University of Minnesota. She has taught graduate-level courses in literature for children and young adults as well as multicultural literature. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 published articles and has contributed chapters to more than twenty books including Poetry Aloud Here! Sharing Poetry With Children In the Library (American Library Association) and “The Role of Family in the Novels of Lois Lawry” from Children’s Literature Remembered: Issues, Trends, and Favorite Books. She is President for the United States Board on Books for Young People and a member of the Texas Library Association. Dr. Vardell spoke with author Paula Yoo (Good Enough) in a recent interview.

YOO: Asian American "immigrant"-themed novels were quite "in vogue" in the 1980s and 90s thanks to the popularity of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." Now that trend has spilled into the world of young adult/middle grade novels. Why is this such a hunger and interest for these types of books, especially for young people?

VARDELL: I’m so glad to see this trend in writing and publishing for young people and I’m thrilled to see young readers respond with such enthusiasm. But I’m not surprised. My own children have grown up in classrooms and neighborhoods with close friends who are Black, Asian American, Latino, gay, etc. And we live in Texas! They are comfortable reading about characters like this and embrace trends and arts from other cultures (like anime, manga, bubble tea, and Pei Wei, for example). But I think teens (and younger readers) also respond to the themes of belonging that permeate many Asian American books. The cultural context adds richness and specificity, but all kids relate to the quest to find a place in the world, a sense of identity and fit.

YOO: Some critics feel that there needs to be more broad-based novels featuring Asian American characters in "mainstream" roles where they are not always dealing with the classic issues of immigration/language barriers/racism. How do you feel about that? Are there any new books, especially for teens, that you feel are good examples of this new trend?

VARDELL: Good question. I think this evolves naturally, particularly as we reach a “critical mass” of publishing Asian American writers. It seems to me that these adaptation and prejudice issues are part of what puts new authors on the map, as well as what other mainstream readers expect from authors “of color.” But once we move past that, we begin to see more “color blind” writing and publishing and reading. Still, I appreciate the point of view that authors and illustrators from “parallel cultures” bring to their work for young people. The story or content may not be specifically culturally based, but there are still usually signs of the author’s background in the voice, pacing, details, or art. I like that. I think it can offer as much distinction as any literary device.

YOO: Publishers now realize the importance of diversity in children's literature, particularly for teenagers who are often searching for their identity and place in society. Why do you think it's important - and perhaps necessary - for diversity in teen fiction, especially for Asian American readers?

VARDELL: Teen fiction reflects teen worlds and teenagers today are growing up in a very multicultural, even global society. Most kids live with ethnic and cultural diversity everyday. Certainly images in the media offer this—television, film, the Internet. It just makes sense that books for teens would reflect this too. In addition, young adult literature is famous for being on the cutting edge—the Printz winners (for YA literature) are a perfect reflection of this. All but one of the award winners are written by an author of color or an author from outside the U.S. Multiculturalism and globalism are alive and thriving in YA lit.

YOO: Many Asian American authors (both veteran and up-n-coming) express frustration at being pigeon-holed or labelled as ONLY Asian American fiction when they feel their books feature universal themes. Why do you think Asian American teen fiction is important for readers of different backgrounds/ethnicities to read? In other words, why is multicultural fiction important for today's teenagers?

VARDELL: I like what scholar Rudine Sims Bishop says about this. She says all readers need “mirrors” and “windows”—works that reflect their own reality back to them and validate their experiences, as well as books that provide access to other ways of being and thinking. And one teen’s mirror is another teen’s window!

YOO: Do you have any favorite books or books you think are groundbreaking/important that were written by or about Asian American young adults? Why do you think these particular books are important?

VARDELL: Although there was good work by Asian American authors being published for some time (by Yoshiko Uchida and Taro Yashima, for example), Laurence Yep is a key figure winning Newbery honor distinctions in 1976 and 1994. (He went on to win the 2005 Wilder Award for his entire body of work.) [Ed Young won the Caldecott award in 1990 and Allen Say won it in 1994, but I’m focusing my responses on novels, not picture books.] The year 2002 was a breakthrough year, in my opinion, because Linda Sue Park won the Newbery for A Single Shard, plus An Na won the Printz award for Step from Heaven. That singled a big shift, I think, with a wider acceptance and even appetite for works that reflect Asian American experiences. Park’s acceptance speech at the Newbery banquet brought us all to tears as she invited her dad to the podium and shared her medal with him for taking her to the library all those years and guiding her to read the “best books” from lists from the American Library Association. Although Park’s historical novel and Na’s compelling contemporary story were distinctively different, they both reflected powerful writing and raised important universal questions—both in richly described cultural contexts.

YOO: Where do you see Asian American fiction going in the future? Do you think it will reach the same level of mainstream acceptance as African American literature has today (witness the mainstream popularity of writers from adult novelist Toni Morisson to children's novelist Julius Lester?

VARDELL: Definitely. I think Asian American literature for young people is well on its way to mainstream popularity and success. Not only are there more works available (critical mass is important), but the quality is also very strong with authors and illustrators experimenting with a variety of interesting new formats. Gene Luen Yang’s (Printz winning) graphic novel American Born Chinese, is one example, and Grace Lin’s novels for younger readers beginning with The Year of the Dog blending story and sketches, is another. Next: I’d love to see even more humor and poetry for young people. That would add diversity to the diversity!

Talking To Sarah Park

2008-01-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

Sarah Park is a Ph.D candidate at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She graduated from UCLA with B.A. in history. She earned her M.A. in Asian American Studies, focusing on Korean American children’s literature. An avid reader with a passion for multicultural literature, Ms. Park plans to focus her career in the library and information sciences in research and teaching. Sarah Park spoke with author Paula Yoo (Good Enough) in a recent interview.

YOO: Asian American "immigrant"-themed novels were quite "in vogue" in the 1980s and 90s thanks to the popularity of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." Now that trend has spilled into the world of young adult/middle grade novels. Why is this such a hunger and interest for these types of books, especially for young people?

PARK: Early Asian American children's literature was mostly in the form of folktales and stories about children in Asia – for example, Frances Carpenter's Tales of a Korean Grandmother, which mixes the two genres together. Since the 1950s and 1960s, with more and more critical scholarship on African American children's books, Asian Americans began to look critically at the way Asians are portrayed in children's books and decided that these folktales and stories about Asians in Asia did not provide a holistic – or diverse - portrayal of the Asian diaspora. Authors such as Lawrence Yep began to write historical and contemporary fiction as a way to reinsert our place in American history.

YOO: Some critics feel that there needs to be more broad-based novels featuring Asian American characters in "mainstream" roles where they are not always dealing with the classic issues of immigration/language barriers/racism. How do you feel about that? Are there any new books, especially for teens, that you feel are good examples of this new trend?

PARK: Immigration from Asia has been slowing down in the past couple of decades and more and more Asians are born in the US, so we see much more diversity across all ethnic Asian groups in the United States. Thus we need books dealing with issues related to immigration, language barriers and racism, as well as books informed by but not driven by those issues. Rudine Sims Bishop has a wonderful model of "culturally conscious" stories that are informed but not driven by issues of race and tend to be written by insiders from that community. To have a children's book where an Asian character's Asian heritage does not at least inform the story would be strange and quickly criticized as what Rudine Sims Bishop calls a "melting pot" story, where the ethnic background of the character has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Yangsook Choi's New Cat is a good example of a picture book where Mr. Kim's Korean origin is not the focus but somewhat informs the story. It's a little more difficult to find that type of book for older readers because there's so much more space to explore issues related to race.

YOO: Publishers now realize the importance of diversity in children's literature, particularly for teenagers who are often searching for their identity and place in society. Why do you think it's important - and perhaps necessary - for diversity in teen fiction, especially for Asian American readers?

PARK: Readers of all ages need to see our experiences (mirrors) and the experiences of others (windows) reflected in the books we read. YA fiction is particularly important and necessary for teens because they go through so much identity formation during adolescence. That's not to say that younger or older readers do not, but since we project "teen angst" or that "awkward" period onto them, maybe we should provide some good literature to deal with it J

YOO: Many Asian American authors (both veteran and up-n-coming) express frustration at being pigeon-holed or labelled as ONLY Asian American fiction when they feel their books feature universal themes. Why do you think Asian American teen fiction is important for readers of different backgrounds/ethnicities to read? In other words, why is multicultural fiction important for today's teenagers?

PARK: Multicultural literature is important for all teenagers because no one lives in a bubble. Reading about other people's experiences helps develop our empathetic sensibilities and broadens our worldview. That's sorely lacking in our world today.

YOO: Do you have any favorite books or books you think are groundbreaking/important that were written by or about Asian American young adults? Why do you think these particular books are important?

PARK: Marie Lee's Saying Goodbye, Finding My Voice and Necessary Roughness and Sooknyul Choi's Gathering of Pearls are groundbreaking because they were among the first novels about Koreans in the United States. Personally, I really identified with An Na's A Step from Heaven and Paula Yoo's Good Enough. The trauma and drama of Young Ju and Patti resonated with me in different ways, especially regarding my relationship with my parents and academic expectations. I'm sure they resonate with many Korean American girls. I laugh every time I read David Yoo's Girls for Breakfast because it's just so funny and shows an athletic Korean American, even if Nick's totally awkward in other ways. Tanuja Desai Hidier's Born Confused is an excellent novel about an Indian American teen. Gaskins, Pearl Fuyo's What Are You? Voices of Mixed-Race Young People is also an important work because it brings together the raw and articulate voices of many mixed-race young adults.

YOO: Where do you see Asian American fiction going in the future? Do you think it will reach the same level of mainstream acceptance as African American literature has today (witness the mainstream popularity of writers from adult novelist Toni Morrison to children's novelist Julius Lester?

PARK: I definitely see Asian American fiction expanding into different genres – so much so that it will be difficult for libraries and bookstores to demarcate boundaries between "fiction" and "ethnic fiction." I really hope that Asian American fiction will reach the same level of mainstream acceptance as African American literature. I see it moving towards that now, with Fact on File's Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature (edited by Seiwoong Oh, 2007), and the acceptance of such indicated by that resource receiving an award for the Best Reference Source of 2007 from Library Journal. It takes both the writer and reader to get it to that point, so I hope that more and more Asian Americans, no matter their age or generation, will continue to express themselves creatively through writing, and that readers – of all backgrounds – will read, enjoy and appreciate those stories.

Something I'd like to add: Librarians, teachers and other educators should be careful about using controversial books in APA heritage month celebrations. For example, it's in poor taste to use The Five Chinese Brothers and Rikki Tikki Tembo, given their cultural inaccuracies and orientalist illustrations. However, these two picture books remain incredibly popular because publishers keep them in print and not enough people know about the controversies. This needs to change.

Talking To Dora Ho

2008-01-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Dora Ho has been a Young Adult Librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library (California) since 1995. She is the current president of the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). She is also a member of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and serves as chair of the Literature Award Committee of APALA. Ms. Ho received her Master in Library Science from UCLA and she is very active in the American Library Association (ALA), serving a second term on Council, the governing body of ALA. Dora Ho spoke with YA author Paula Yoo (Good Enough) in a recent interview.

YOO: Asian American "immigrant" themed novels were quite "in vogue" in the 1980s and 90s thanks to the popularity of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." Now that trend has spilled into the world of young adult/ middle grade novels. Why is this such a hunger and interest for these types of books, especially for young people?

HO: Because of the large flock of immigrants from Asian in the late 1970s and 1980s, we are seeing many of their children (young people who are Asian American, or Asian/Pacific Americans) who want to read books that they can identify with. Many Asian American authors commented that when they were growing up there were only a small selection on Asian American literature available to them and that is why they start writing book base on Asian American themes.

YOO: Some critics feel that there needs to be more broad-based novels featuring Asian American characters in "mainstream" roles where they are not always dealing with the classic issues of immigration/language barriers/racism. How do you feel about that? Are there any new books, especially for teens, that you feel are good examples of this new trend?

HO: Sometimes, the theme of immigration/language barriers/racism is not necessary in a good Asian American literature. Readers want to be able to identify with the characters in the books and many of them may not face that kind of discrimination. Rather, I feel that readers want to read about life in America and issues that all teens have to face such as drugs, pregnancy, identify, peer pressure, etc.

YOO: Publishers now realize the importance of diversity in children's literature, particularly for teenagers who are often searching for their identity and place in society. Why do you think it's important - and perhaps necessary - for diversity in teen fiction, especially for Asian American readers?

HO: Teens are very aware of diversity issues in life, especially in school, society and literature. Everyone is trying to embrace and learn about other cultures and different ethnic groups. More often, Chinese and Japanese are taught as foreign language in most American high schools and people celebrate various different holidays: Chinese New Year, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Cesar Chavez Day, etc. Especially for the Asian American readers, we all want to be inclusive of other cultures as well as learning our other.

YOO: Many Asian American authors (both veteran and up-n-coming) express frustration at being pigeon-holed or labelled as ONLY Asian American fiction when they feel their books feature universal themes. Why do you think Asian American teen fiction is important for readers of different backgrounds/ethnicities to read? In other words, why is multicultural fiction important for today's teenagers?

HO: Nowadays, teenagers will read good literature regardless of the author and intended audience. They want to read books that are of interest to them and issues they can relate to. For example, teens interested in vampires will read books by Stephenie Meyer, L.J. Smith, and Annette Curtis Klause. Asian American authors should focus on writing good literature rather than focus on writing only to target the Asian American audience. If it is a good read it will be picked up by teens.

YOO: Do you have any favorite books or books you think are groundbreaking/important that were written by or about Asian American young adults? Why do you think these particular books are important?

HO: As the chair of the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association - Literature Award Committee, I come across a lot of books dealing with Asian cultures. The amount and quality of these titles has increased tremendously in the last 10 years. I am truly impressed with the many authors that bring their characters to life and touch our heart. These books are part of the American culture and reflect our way of life. They are important because they feature characters that are Asian American and they reflect genuine American culture. I have many favorites; it will be too long a list to list everything. Recently I published an article in the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) newsletter on Asian/Pacific American literature listing a number of titles that can be used in a core collection on Asian American literature. Several authors that I have read recently have also became my favorites: Justina Chen Headley, Cynthia Kadohata, Grace Lin, An Na, Linda Sue Park, and Lisa Yee.

YOO: Where do you see Asian American fiction going in the future? Do you think it will reach the same level of mainstream acceptance as African American literature has today (witness the mainstream popularity of writers from adult novelist Toni Morisson to children's novelist Julius Lester?

HO: I really hope to see Asian American fiction flourish in mainstream American literature. We need to promote and publicize books on Asian American as much as we can and I hope that Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association will be a forerunner to heighten the awareness of Asian American literature.