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RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now
By Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Philip Wang
In this intimate, eye-opening, and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and beyond, the authors chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging, interactive graphics (like a step-by-step walk-through of a typical night out in Koreatown...for those who probably won’t remember it the day after), charts (how much has yellowface fluctuated decade over decade?), graphic essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons, and moreRise is an informative, lively, and inclusive celebration of community, and will remain a cultural touchstone for years to come.
Available now for pre-orders at hmhbooks.com.
About the Authors
Cultural critic Jeff Yang, blogger Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man, and Wong Fu Productions’ Philip Wang teamed up to produce this graphic novel.
The Many Meanings of Meilan
By Andrea Wang
Meilan Hua’s world is made up of a few key ingredients: her family’s beloved matriarch, Nai Nai; the bakery her family owns and runs in Boston’s Chinatown; and her favorite Chinese fairy tales. But after Nai Nai, passes, the family has a falling-out that sends Meilan, her parents, and her grieving grandfather on the road in search of a new home in Redbud, Ohio. In this predominantly white town, Meilan’s principal suggests that it would be easier for everyone if Meilan just told people her name was Melanie.
In order to adapt to this new world, Meilan uses the many meanings of the Chinese characters that make up her name to create new selves. Sometimes her name means Mist – invisible at school – and other times it means Basket – filled to the brim with her parents hopes and expectations. And most reluctantly she is Melanie, a girl pretending to fit in. But when the school invites Vietnam Veterans to be honored in a special ceremony the principal assumes Meilan’s grandfather fought against the Americans, and he is disinvited from the ceremony. Finally, enough is enough, and Meilan has to stand up and demand that people respect her family, her heritage, and learn to say her name!
Kokila (Penguin Young Readers)
Middle Grade (8-12)
On Sale August 17, 2021
About the Author
Andrea Wang is the award-winning author of the picture books The Nian Monster (Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Honor), Magic Ramen (Freeman Book Award Honor), and Watercress. The Many Meanings of Meilan is her debut middle-grade novel. The first character in Andrea’s Chinese name is an archaic one that means fragrant, but her parents’ friends all thought it was the character for jade, which sounds exactly the same. That sparked her lifelong interest in names and identity. She’d much rather be a rock than smelly. Andrea likes to write about family, food, and culture. She spent her childhood in Ohio and Boston and now lives in Colorado with her family.
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