When I saw the 23 for 23 hashtag on social media, encouraging people to read 23 BIPOC authors during 2023, I snorted. C’mon, give me a real challenge.
I have only two areas of reading expertise: hockey romances and books by Asian authors. I would estimate that about 40% of my reading is Asian authors. Because I spent my teenage years never finding myself or anyone that looked like me in books, now I’m ecstatic to experience the wide range of Asian experience. So, 23 books is easy for me. And sure enough, when I counted I had read more than 50 books by BIPOC authors—Asian, Black and First Nations.
I don’t review books on a regular basis, but I have reviewed Asian authors in May, which is Asian Heritage month. But this year, I’m going to do a year end wrap-up instead. From the notes in my reading journal, here are the books by BIPOC authors that I enjoyed the most, in the order in which I read them:
Counterfeit by Kristin Chen
This was the first book I read in 2023. On the surface it’s about money, status, and counterfeit handbags, but there are more serious themes underneath. The novel combines a Gone Girl vibe with a critique of U.S./China relations and prejudices.
Stay True by Hua Hsu
Despite great personal enthusiasm, I have failed to convince any of my friends to try this moving memoir. So here’s my last attempt!
The best memoirs happen when someone who can write also has a dramatic life. Hsu strikes the perfect self-conscious tones of youth throughout a book about growing up with immigrant parents, yearning for a creative career, and surviving a traumatic event. I was especially charmed by his warm relationship with his parents especially since I’ve had enough of the villainous Asian parent stereotype. Hsu’s memoir combines the story of an ordinary life that’s sheared into two parts by a tragedy. But his voice remains hopeful throughout.
Something More by Jackie Khalilieh
I read this YA romance after learning about it through the Canadian Romance awards. It’s a love triangle centered on an autistic Palestinian Greek Orthodox heroine. If the purpose of reading books by BIPOC authors is to gain empathy for the experiences of others, I would say that the best books don’t merely describe a life, they make you see what you have in common with that character. We’ve all been adolescents who can’t reading emotional signals, but Jessie’s problems are amplified by autism. A very enjoyable read.
This Time It’s Real by Ann Liang
Another YA romance, this time about an aspiring author at an exclusive school in Beijing. She begins a fake romance with a handsome C-drama star in order to land a writing internship. While it’s a fairy tale premise, the romance develops so naturally and realistically that it had me sighing with satisfaction.
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
I’ve read a few nerdy romances by Yardley, but I appreciate the food descriptions and Asian characters more than the gaming, which I don’t understand at all. This mature romance was excellent from their online meeting when he thought she was a grandmother while she thought he was a teenager. Final conflicts can feel forced, but theirs was perfectly built into their characters. And when Aiden—-encouraged by Maggie—-finally stands up to his family, the scene was so satisfying that I reread it three times!
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
There has been a spate of quirky Japanese books lately, but this one is by far my favourite. Maybe it’s the business student in me, but the central theme of finding satisfaction through work is very comforting. The chapters are loosely connected stories of people with problems who stumble into the local library for help. The central character is a mysterious librarian who gives out both book recommendations and tiny felted objects that prove to be life-changing. She’d be a perfect Ghibli character.
I hope that you find something you’d like in this brief overview. I already talked about my two favourite hockey romances this year on the Chippy Chicks Livestream on YouTube. And I post book recs on my Instagram account as well.
And here’s a bonus, some more BIPOC books I’ve read and enjoyed this year:
Throwback by Maurene Goo
Sea Change by Gina Chung
The Boy You’ve Always Wanted by Michelle Quach
Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin
The Comeback by Lily Chu