ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION
ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE
(APAAL) 2008
PRESS RELEASE
APALA AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
May 11, 2008
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) today
announced the winners of the 2007 Asian/Pacific American Awards
for Literature. The prizes promote Asian/Pacific American culture
and heritage and are awarded based on literary and artistic merit.
This year, APALA is presenting awards in three categories: Adult
Non-Fiction, Illustration in Children's Literature, and Young Adult
Literature.
Adult Non-Fiction
Winner
Pfaelzer, Jean. Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese
Americans. New York: Random House, 2007
Jean Pfaelzer's Driven Out brings to light forgotten events from
nineteenth-century American history. Drawing upon a number of sources,
she details the racial tensions that forced many Chinese immigrants
from California and the Pacific Northwest. The Chinese were targeted
by white laborers, who burned down their homes, banished residents,
and drove them from their shops. However, the Chinese fought back
and resisted. They asked for reparations, organized strikes, and
demanded civil rights. Pfaelzer's research is an important contribution,
and she sheds light on a history that has been perhaps too little-known.
Honorable Mention
Furiya, Linda. Bento Box in The Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood
in Whitebread America. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2007.
This story is lovingly told by Linda Furiya in her first book.
Linda is a syndicated newspaper columnist who has written about
the Asian American scene in the San Francisco Bay area and also
writes travel and food-related articles and a sex advice column.
In Bento Box in the Heartland, she recalls her childhood as a young
girl in the only Japanese family in her Indiana town. She deals
with bigotry, racism, and racial insecurities as she grows up. As
such, she feels self-conscious about herself and is sensitive to
the differences between herself and her classmates. One of the differences
highlighted in the book is the food that her mother carefully prepares
for her family. The essentials of Japanese cooking were difficult
to come by in rural Indiana in the 1960's. Her parents grew their
own vegetables and drove for hours to the big city to shop in supermarkets
that stocked Japanese foods. As she grows up, she comes to appreciate
the hardships her parents faced and develops pride in herself, her
family, and culture.
Illustration in Children Literature
Winner
Crowe, Ellie. Surfer of the Century. Illustrated by Richard
Waldrep. New York: Lee and Low, 2007
This book tells the story of "the Father of Modern Surfing,"
Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, from his childhood on Waikiki Beach, to his
participation in five Olympics, through his lifelong promotion and
development of surfing, and to his becoming the official State of
Hawai'i Ambassador of Aloha. Each page of text describing his life
has an opposite full-page painting-style illustration that shows
the progression of his successes in spite of discrimination and
his achievements through his creed of Aloha. The final two pages
in the book are a timeline of Duke Kahanamoku's life and legacy
and a world map showing the major cities of his lifetime accomplishments.
The author includes a bibliography of her sources on the back of
the title page.
Honorable Mention
Barasch, Lynne. Hiromi's Hands. New York: Lee and Low, 2007.
This first-person narrative tells the story of Hiromi's breaking
away from the Japanese tradition in the male dominated sushi culinary
and becoming an itamae san, professional sushi chef. The author
vividly depicts two generations, beginning with her father's long
and grueling training as an apprentice before emerging as a successful
sushi chef in a Tokyo restaurant. Hiromi is very enthusiastic in
learning about fish as she goes to the fish market with her father
in New York. At thirteen, she wants to know how to make sushi. Her
father, a man receptive to American ideas, says, "And this
is America. Girls can do things here that they cannot do in Japan."
So begins the sushi career for Hiromi.
The story spans two cultures, Japanese and American. The quiet
style of narration complemented by the soft ink and watercolor drawings
of two fish markets in Tokyo and Manhattan, the New York subway,
and an array of sushi convey authenticity.
Young Adult Literature
Winner
Easton, Kelly. Hiroshima Dreams. New York: Dutton, 2007
Hiroshima Dreams portrays the family dynamics of three generations
living under one roof: a grandmother adjusting to life in America,
a mother who has let go of her roots, and two sisters, one quiet
and shy, the other defiant. The struggles and joys of growing up
in an interracial family and coping with loss are important issues
in the book.
The focus of the story is the relationship between the grandmother,
Obaachan, and granddaughter, Lin. Both are resistant to change-Lin
to her grandmother's presence at home and her grandmother with her
longing for Japan-but they soon find themselves inseparable and
share the gift of seeing the future. Obaachan's guidance allows
Lin to apply Japanese beliefs and meditation to help her overcome
her fears. Through touches of mysticism, careful observation, and
reflection, Lin learns to accept and understand the changes and
consequences of one's actions. The wisdom of Obaachan is explained
with meaningful, descriptive examples that create a sense of calmness
and security for Lin.
Honorable Mention
Sheth, Kashmira. Keeping Corner. New York: Hyperion, 2007
Keeping Corner provides an enriching and eye-opening view of the
cultural and social dynamics within a family and community in India
during the early 20th century. As a daughter in a high-ranking Brahman
family, Leela is overindulged and carefree of worries. Married at
the age of nine, Leela, now twelve, prepares for her move to her
husband's home. Her world is turned upside down when her husband
dies, and instead of donning a silk wedding sari, she is given a
chidri, a coarse widow's sari. She is confined to her house for
a year, thus "keeping corner." Tradition holds her to
having a shaved head, no hope of remarrying, and being viewed and
shunned as a burden.
Leela's growth and her frustrations of being a child-widow is portrayed
in a heartfelt and realistic way. She is able to overcome her confinement
by continuing her studies, reading, and journaling. The social reform
ideologies of Ghandi and Narmad take hold in her heart, and with
the help and permission of her family, she is determined to become
a voice in society.
The imagery and sensory perceptions are told so vividly that it
creates in the reader a sense of familiarity and longing to be a
part of that time period. Sheth's usage of Indian words flows well,
and she provides good, short explanations and a glossary. This is
definitely a fascinating read.
Dora Ho, Chair
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Committee
Young Adult Librarian
Los Angeles Public Library - Young Adult Services
630 W. Fifth St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-228-7518
fax 213-228-7529
dho@lapl.org
Members of the committee: Joel Bangilan, Houston Public Library
(TX); Angela Boyd, University of California Santa Barbara (CA);
Shu-Hsien Chen, Professor Emerita, Queens College, CUNY, Roxanne
Hsu Feldman, The Dalton School (NY), Karen Fernandez, Highline Community
College Library (WA), Suhasini L. Kumar, University of Toledo (OH),
Jody Lovaj, Brown County Library, (WI), Marina Perez, San Diego
Public Library (CA), Kate Vo Thi-Beard, University of Wisconsin,
Madison (WI), Janet Tom, San Francisco Public Library (CA), Sandy
Wee, San Leandro Public Library (CA), and Warren Wright, Chinese
American International School (CA).
* annotations are contributed by committee members