May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Did you know that there are more than 24 million people who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander in the United States today? The U.S. Census defines Asians as people whose backgrounds are from East, Southeast, and South Asia. This includes countries such as China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam among many others. The largest groups of Pacific Islanders are communities native to Hawaii, Guam, and Samoa.
Emory Libraries takes this opportunity to honor the contributions and experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. Last year, we put together a series of blog posts highlighting key resources in our collections. We invite you to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with us this year by revisiting these posts. Don’t forget to also check out our Research Guide for Asian American Studies at Emory!
John Chinaman on the Railroad. 1832. New York Public Library Digital Collections, New York.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Primary Sources
Check out this blog post to learn more about:
- Published Diaries, Letters, Memoirs & Autobiographies
- Oral Histories
- Visual Materials
- Community & Organizational Records
- Newspapers and Print Media
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Scholarly Journals and E-books
Check out this blog post to learn more about:
- Databases
- E-journals
- E-books
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Streaming Video and Multimedia Resources
Check out this blog post to learn more about:
- Streaming Video Platforms
- Internet Media
We also invite you to check out Overdrive! Overdrive a great source of popular e-books and audiobooks. It is especially handy if you’re looking for some summer reading! Many local libraries will also offer you access to OverDrive and may even have a larger selection of titles. Here are a few of their great Asian and Pacific Islander American titles:
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
by Cathy Park Hong
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative—and its relentless and riveting pursuit of vital questions around family and friendship, art and politics, identity and individuality, will change the way you think about our world.
by Parag Khanna
If the nineteenth century featured the Europeanization of the world, and the twentieth century its Americanization, then the twenty-first century is the time of Asianization. From investment portfolios and trade wars to Hollywood movies and university admissions, no aspect of life is immune from Asianization. With America’s tech sector dependent on Asian talent and politicians praising Asia’s glittering cities and efficient governments, Asia is permanently in our nation’s consciousness. We know this will be the Asian century. Now we finally have an accurate picture of what it will look like.
by Celeste Ng
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.
By Gautham Reddy, South Asian Studies and Religion librarian