The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has announced its finalists for the 2026 awards, highlighted by Asian and Asian American voices across nearly every category. As reported by The American Bazaar , the shortlist reflects how diasporic perspectives and Asian narratives have become increasingly central to America’s literary landscape. Prominent nominees include Vietnamese American author Viet Thanh Nguyen for his work in criticism, To Save and to Destroy , and Japanese Ame

Asian American literature has gone mainstream. Finally. What started as a few trailblazing voices has become a full-on literary movement reshaping how our country understands family, identity, and belonging. Here are ten books that didn’t just tell great stories. They changed the culture. 1. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989) Amy Tan’s interwoven tales of Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters gave voice to an experience that millions recognized but had

Disney’s 1942 classic Bambi defined an entire generation, and after years of re-releases on home video, in theatres and on streaming, you probably have no problem picturing its dreamy forest filled with soft pastels, drifting mist, and sunlight melting through trees that look more like a painting than a cartoon. You might be surprised to learn this beautiful, ethereal look came from the vision of one man: Tyrus Wong, a Chinese-born artist whose name appeared in the credits s

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl has never fit neatly into anyone’s box. As the first Asian American to be ordained as both a rabbi and a cantor (and the first woman to lead New York City’s historic Central Synagogue in its 185-year history) Buchdahl spent her career expanding the idea of who gets to belong in Jewish life. Her new memoir, Heart of a Stranger , tells that story in full. Born in Seoul in 1972 to an American Jewish father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Buchdahl grew up in T

Kevin Nguyen’s novel, Mỹ Documents , might be speculative fiction, but the world it imagines feels uncomfortably close to home right now....

As you walk through Chinatown, it hits you. Neon signs in both English and Chinese, the savory smell of roasted duck, aunties chatting in...

Bruce Lee may have been known for lightning-fast kicks, nun chucks spinning like a blur, and that legendary one-inch punch, but Jeff...

What does it mean when we say “Asian American literature”? Is it every book written by someone of Asian descent? Only works that directly...

Arthur Sze, the son of Chinese immigrants who has been quietly shaping American poetry for half a century, has just been named the 25th...

Kaila Yu’s Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty  sounds like one of those books that will make you laugh,...