EPL Picks: Celebrate Lunar New Year with Asian-Canadian ReadsLike this list

14 items

• Paper Teeth

  Chow, Lauralyn

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  Ten interconnected short stories, each named after an item on a Chinese restaurant menu, explore the lives of a Chinese-Canadian family and friends and their non-Chinese-speaking children in Edmonton and Calgary.

• The Space between Here & Now

  Suk, Sarah

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  Aimee has a condition that causes her to time travel into memories when she comes across certain nostalgic smells. One of these memories motivates her to travel to Korea to search for her estranged mother. This novel explores family dynamics, mental…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Were Dreamers

  An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

  Liu, Simu

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  Simu Liu's parents immigrated to Canada, leaving him with his grandparents in China until he was 5. He then experienced a huge culture shock as he tried to live up to his parents' expectations and become an accountant, and then followed his dreams…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Language We Were Never Taught to Speak

  Lau, Grace, 1989-

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  This book of honest, relatable poetry takes on themes like religion, queerness, immigration, racism, and capitalism.

• Denison Avenue

  a Novel

  Wong, Christina (Christina M.)

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  Grief, loss, loneliness, change, and gentrification are the themes in this graphic novel that is set in Toronto's Chinatown.

• Sunshine Nails

  Nguyen, Mai

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  A family of Vietnamese refugees has spent 20 years building their nail business in Toronto when a well-funded salon opens across the street. Not only that, but their landlord doubles their rent! Will the family business survive the gentrification of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ru

  Thúy, Kim

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  First published in French, this short but powerful semi-autobiographical novel of vignettes describes life in Vietnam, escaping on a boat to a refugee camp in Malaysia, and arriving in Québec.

• The Stand-in

  Chu, Lily

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  Gracie's life is pretty dismal - grieving her father, paying for her mother's medical care, losing her job because of the toxic work environment - until she is offered a job pretending to be a famous Chinese actress. A job that entails being out and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Chop Suey Nation

  The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants

  Hui, Ann

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  Ann Hui drove across Canada to explore the history of Chinese restaurants throughout the country, and also learned about her own family's experiences immigrating to Canada and running their own restaurant. You'll be hungry after reading this book!

• Two Trees Make a Forest

  In Search of My Family's Past Among Taiwan's Mountains and Coasts

  Lee, Jessica J.

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  Nature, family history, and the history of Taiwan are interwoven in this deeply personal book, narrated by the author.

• The Double Life of Benson Yu

  A Novel

  Chong, Kevin

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  This novel is about a graphic novelist trying to write about his childhood. It becomes more difficult as the gap between the polished story he wants to tell diverges from reality.

• You Are Eating An Orange. You Are Naked.

  Sheung-King, 1994-

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  If you like melancholy with a touch of surrealism, this might be the book for you. Interwoven with folk tales and footnotes, this slow-moving second-person narrative is good for fans of Haruki Murukawi.

• The Storm We Made

  A Novel

  Chan, Vanessa

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  Malaya (now Malaysia) was occupied by the British and then the Japanese. This is the story of a mother who collaborated with a Japanese general before the occupation and the brutality and violence experienced by her three children during WWII.

• Falling Back in Love With Being Human

  Letters to Lost Souls

  Thom, Kai Cheng

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  Poems, letters, and essays, rooted in love and compassion, to people and things that have been hurtful and traumatic.