Books
BOOKS TO READ FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Compiled by Mary Jeneverre Schultz
With March as Women’s History Month, we are sharing this list of Asian American women authors. Women’s History Month highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.
1
The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
A debut novel inspired by Chinese mythology, this middle-grade fantasy follows an outcast as she embarks on a quest to save the world from demons. As a member of the Jade Society, 12-year-old Faryn Liu dreams of honoring her family and the gods by becoming a warrior. But the Society has shunned Faryn and her brother; Alex ever since their father disappeared years ago, forcing them to train in secret. Faryn sets off on a daring quest across Chinatowns, but becoming the Heaven Breaker will require more sacrifices than she first realized. What will Faryn be willing to give up to claim her destiny?
2
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey Sujata Massey (Agatha and Macavity award-winning author) brings a delightful mystery set in 1920s India. Perveen
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March 2020 | Books
Books For All Ages Written by Asian American Women
Mistry, Bombay’s first female lawyer, is investigating a suspicious will on behalf of three Muslim widows living in full purdah when the case takes a turn. Explore 1920s Bombay alongside crime fiction’s most appealing new heroine, the plucky and determined Perveen Mistry. She has a passion for the law and for helping people, but she also has a dark secret in her past that makes her uniquely suited to her career—an abusive marriage that ended in violent tragedy. As a member of India’s Zoroastrian minority, she can never divorce or remarry, but she can devote her life to helping other women in trouble.
3
Talon by Julie Kagawa Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragonslayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have
become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
4
The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah Drops of Gold – les gouttes d’or: that’s the name of the wine Kate’s family has been making for generations. But Kate’s life in San Francisco is half a world away from the French vineyard her mother turned her back on a generation ago, and Kate has instead spent years building her career as a sommelier. And so Kate returns to the vineyard, ostensibly to help her cousin Nico and his wife Heather with les vendanges --- the annual grape harvest --- and brush up on her knowledge. Her unspoken goals are to avoid as best as possible both the bittersweet memories of her childhood and JeanLuc, a neighboring winemaker and her first love. As she learns more about her family, her long-lost aunt, and the reality of life in Vichy
France, Kate also finds that the line between resistance and collaboration is razor thin. And she becomes consumed with a new goal for her time in Burgundy: discovering who, exactly her family aided during the difficult years of the war.
5
The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan’s Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe This book written by journalist Naoko Abe tells the remarkable 1,200-year history of the Japanese cherry blossom tree and the fascinating story of how it was saved from extinction by English gardener Collingwood “Cherry” Ingram.
Ingram first fell in love with the sakura, or cherry tree, when he visited Japan on his honeymoon in 1907. He was so taken with the plant he brought back hundreds of cuttings with him
