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.