7 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Books

This month's national celebration of Americans hailing from Asia and the Pacific Islands was first recognized by Congress in the late 1970s. It was planned for May to commemorate the first Japanese immigration to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad—built primarily by Chinese immigrant laborers—on May 10, 1869. Today, 6 percent of people in the United States identify as Asian or Pacific Islander, from over 20 main national and ethnic subgroups. Their cultures and contributions enrich American life in innumerable ways. The books featured here, from one side of the Pacific to the other, offer readers an on-ramp to new worlds, cultures, families and situations, illuminating the Asian-American experience.