Contact:
Candice Wing-yee Mack
LitAwards@apalaweb.org
Release Date:
January 30, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2023 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Winners
NEW ORLEANS – The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the 2023 winners of its Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature today at 8 a.m. CT, during ALA LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience, held Jan. 27-30, 2023.
The Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature celebrate Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage. Winner and Honor books were chosen from titles by and about Asian Pacific Americans published between September 2021 through August 2022. The awards are based on literary and artistic merit in the following categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, Youth Literature, Children’s Literature, and Picture Book.
The 2023 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature are:
Adult Fiction Winner: American Fever written by Dur E Aziz Amna, and published by Arcade Publishing, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. 9781950994496.
Dur E Aziz Amna has written an extraordinary coming-of-age story showcasing the experiences of a Pakistani Muslim girl coming to America. The novel uses brilliant storytelling to immerse readers and sheds light on the realities of what it is like being a foreigner living in a rural American town and the harsh emotional tension it entails.
Adult Fiction Honor: Nuclear Family written by Joseph Han, and published by Counterpoint. 9781640094864.
Adult Non-Fiction Winner: The Loneliest Americans written by Jay Caspian Kang, and published by Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. 9780525576228.
Jay Caspian Kang chronicles the upward movement of his Korean American parents and his upbringing alongside the political history of Asians in America. Kang identifies the root cause of loneliness in relation to America and challenges the reader to consider a new narrative of Asian Americans.
Adult Non-Fiction Honor: Beautiful Country written by Qian Julie Wang, and published by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House. 9780385547215.
Young Adult Winner: Himawari House written and illustrated by Harmony Becker, and published by First Second, an imprint of Macmillan. 9781250235565.
Japanese-born, American-assimilated Nao moves into a shared home in Tokyo during her gap year to reconnect to her Japanese roots. Becker’s innovative use of various languages and accents perfectly and efficiently captures the heartbreak of feeling alienated from one’s heritage and full identity due to language barriers, as well as the familiar warmth that comes from being in a vibrant, diasporic space where cultural exchange and mixing is the norm.
Young Adult Honor: The Silence that Binds Us written by Joanna Ho, and published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins. 9780063059344.
Children’s Winner: Maizy Chen’s Last Chance written by Lisa Yee, and published by Random House Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Penguin Random House. 9781984830258
Maizy Chen has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota, until a decline in her grandfather’s health has her and her mom driving across the country to help with his care and her family’s restaurant, the Golden Palace. Yee’s heartfelt novel celebrates the stories of immigrants by blending past and present experiences as she shares the importance of family, friendship, history, and more.
Children’s Honor: Troublemaker written by John Cho, with Sarah Suk and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. 9780759554474.
Picture Book Winner: From the Tops of the Trees written by Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Rachel Wada, and published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. 9781541581302.
Yang’s sensitive prose and Wada’s naturalistic palette aptly embrace the gifts of a beloved tree, the perspective of a young child, the everlasting strength of a father and the eternal love and hopefulness of their unity.
Picture Book Honor: Nana, Nenek & Nina, written and illustrated by Liza Ferneyhough, and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House. 9780593353943.
Each title will be presented and given the award seal during the annual APALA Literature Award Ceremony taking place during the 2023 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, IL.
For a complete list of Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, including awardees from previous years, please visit http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/.
The 2023 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature committee members include:
Award Committee Co-Chairs: Helen Look, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Candice Wing-yee Mack, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA; Zoë McLaughlin, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Adult Fiction Award Jury: Chair Jonathan Khan, CGC Comics, Sarasota, FL; Jaena Rae Cabrera, Ocean View Branch of San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA; Rose Chou, American University, Washington, DC; Erika Fitzpatrick, Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Stafford, VA; Helen Lee, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA.
Adult Non-Fiction Award Jury: Chair, Jen Woo, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA; Young-Joo Lee, George Mason University Libraries, Fairfax, VA; Zoë McLaughlin, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Youth/Young Adult Literature Award Jury: Chair Sandy Wee, San Mateo County Libraries, San Mateo, CA; Jade Alburo, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA; Helen Li, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, MO; Nicole Shibata, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, CA; Xuemin Zhong, LA County Library, Los Angeles, CA.
Children’s Literature Award Jury: Chair Jamie Kurumaji, Fresno County Public Library, Fresno, CA; Danilo Madayag Bayen, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA; Hanna Lee, First Regional Library, Hernando, MS; Lamonica Sanford, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA; Neha Thakkar, The Avery Coonley School, Downers Grove, IL.
Picture Book Award Jury: Chair Karen Nguyen, San Diego Public Library, San Diego, CA; Janet Mumford,Janet Mumford Consulting, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada; January Sanalak, Dag Hammarskjöld Library, United Nations, New York, NY; Quinn Tomlinson, (Formerly) Oakland Public Library, Oakland, CA.
APALA’s Literature Award Committee is currently accepting submissions published between September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023 for consideration for the 2024 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. More information may be found by contacting LitAwards@apalaweb.org and on APALA’s Literature Award Guidelines & Nomination page (https://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/literature-award-guidelines/).
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) was founded in 1980 by librarians of diverse Asian/Pacific ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities.
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