As we approach the end of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month, the team at Womanly wanted to leave you with a list of different media that expands representation and gives folks around the world something to see themselves in. It kicks off with a reading list by our Editorial Director, Sarah Cuddie, followed by a watchlist from our Creative Director, Cara Elise Taylor.
BOOKS TO READ
Here are 5 books to check out this AANHPI Heritage Month! — Sarah Cuddie
Hammajang Luck by Makena Yamamoto
The comparisons to heist movie and book classics are totally warranted, and Hammajang Luck is also in a league of its own. This book has queer joy and resistance, extremely well crafted characters, deep ties to Hawaiian culture, and a futuristic heist. It’s also an amazing audiobook narrated by Jolene Kim. If you’re ready to throw up a shaka in space with a crew of trans, queer, and nonbinary people out to rob an evil billionaire, this book is for you.
The Chosen and the Beautiful and Don’t Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo
“Celebrate” the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby by reading this and listening to New Money from the Broadway Musical. The magic, the wit, the actual depth of the female characters, and the direct look at the explicit racism that my high school English teacher just breezed right past… To say I was excited to see that a companion novel came out at the beginning of April would be an understatement.
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
There are locked room mysteries, and then there are mysteries where the locked room is a spaceship on a multi-year mission to save humanity and repopulate a new planet. This is a book where the characters really come to life on the page, and I got deeply invested in whether they were going to survive this mission. Come for the sci-fi and the intrigue and stay for the chosen family and friendship.
I Hope We Choose Love by Kai Cheng Thom
Kai Cheng Thom has written personal essays, poems, and even a picture book, and I have a real soft spot for this book of “Notes from the End of the World.” The mix of formats combined with the wide range of topics comes together to create something that reveals new things each time you read it. This is a tiny book that unfolds into the kind of conversations and reflections that I love to have over several cups of tea with good friends.
Denison Avenue by Christina Wong
This book has a special draw for anyone who has ever lived near Toronto’s Chinatown, and I think a lot of the themes and stories would have meaning for anyone who has watched their neighborhood change due to development and gentrification. The main character felt like a fresh perspective for me, and the emotions in this book hit me hard. Get your tissues out, and when you get to the end, flip the book over for a series of accompanying illustrations that tell a little more of the story.
*I can’t choose only 5 books for this list, so here are a few more that are definitely worth the read as well:
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo
Babel by R.F. Kuang
FILM AND TV SHOWS TO WATCH
If, like me, you’re excited by the power of cultural representation in film/television, watch this collection of AANHPI-made films/shows. — Cara Elise Taylor
Sort Of (Bilal Baig) - This modern sitcom follows Sabi (played by creator Bilal Baig), a gender-fluid millennial dealing with dating, working, finding their purpose, and breaking down restricting generational patterns. I fell in love with this show instantly due to its dry humor, authentic relatability, and portrayal of care and the obstacles that come with loving someone, whether they’re blood or chosen family. Watch it on HBO Max.
Pachinko (Soo Hugh) - Pachinko is a dramatic series adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s award-winning novel of the same name. Spanning over 80 years, this intergenerational saga follows the lives of a family starting with the matriarch Sunja, born in Busan before Japanese occupation, and ending in the late 20th century with her grandson Solomon trying to navigate corporate life in NYC and Tokyo. It’s visually stunning, has incredible acting, and is historically significant. The show also provides real faces and names to the experiences of Koreans during Japanese occupation. In the end credits of season 1, stay tuned for a 10-minute documentary with interviews of Korean women who haven’t been home since before the second world war. Watch it on Apple TV+.
Joy Ride (Adele Lim) - After watching this energetic friendship comedy on a plane last year, I was shocked that I hadn’t heard more people talking about it. Joy Ride stars Ashley Park as Audrey, an adoptee of white parents who seems to have it all figured out - except where she comes from. When her firm sends her to close a deal in China, she decides to use it as a chance to find her birth family. She enlists the company of her creative yet lost childhood best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), her allegedly reformed wild college friend Kat (Stephanie Hsu), and Lolo’s awkward K-Pop fanatic cousin known as Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). The four of them embark on a hilarious, raunchy Hangover-like journey through China with some heartfelt lessons about identity, friendship, and family learned along the way. Rent or buy online, or watch with a Starz subscription.
Actual People (Kit Zauhar) - Actual People is a movie starring, written, and directed by young filmmaker Kit Zauhar about a soon-to-be college grad dealing with pressure to decide what to do with her life. After meeting a cute guy from her hometown, she goes back to find him and is forced to confront her own listlessness and a complicated relationship with the people and place that raised her. If you’re a fan of works like Chewing Gum or Shiva Baby, you’ll like this one. Watch it on Mubi.
Vai (Becs Arahanga) - Vai is a film that features a series of dramatic, funny, and emotionally raw motifs following the lives of different women across seven Pacific islands. Through the empowering nature of each of their cultures, Vai portrays a tapestry of incredible and layered women. Watch it on Tubi for free, or on Peacock with a subscription.
Tiger Stripes (Amanda Nell Eu) - I’m in awe of this body-horror about a young Muslim girl who gets her period and starts experiencing strange changes to her body. By strange, I mean the growing of whiskers, claws, and a tail - just like a Tiger. As she confronts what it means to start becoming a young woman in a patriarchal society, this unique thriller takes our main character on a journey to understanding and claiming the power of girlhood. Rent for $2 on Fandango or watch on AMC+ with a subscription.
*Honorable Mentions:
Fire (1996) by Deepa Mehta
Sis (2020) by Hanelle Harris
Eid Mubarak (2024) by Mahnoor Euceph
