Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month With These Reads!
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Originating in 1978, the first ten days of May were celebrated as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. This time was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of two events: on May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant, Nakahama Manjirō, arrived in the US; and on May 10, 1869 the first transcontinental railroad was completed, which was constructed with Chinese labor. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush declared the month of May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and in 2021 under President Joe Biden it was declared Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Listed below is a small collection of books celebrating the voices of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, which can be checked out with your Grayslake Library Card. Adult Memoir and Biography I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Se-hŭi Paek Stay True: A Memoir by Hua Hsu Messy Roots: A Graphic