Want more books from Asian writers? Here’s a recommended reading: Backpacking Around Southeast Asia With 11 Books From 11 CountriesĪlso, make sure to check out my contributor page for more Asian content.Nia Imani is a woman out of place and outside of time. These are only five of the most-anticipated reads from Asian writers this year. Like other Filipino works, like the hit comic series Trese (soon to be a Netflix anime series), this collection also incorporates Philippine mythology and folklore. Ante, who was brought by her mother to the United Kingdom as a child, explores identity, culture, and language in this debut collection. And I don’t see a lot of women Asian poets making it this big, so this one definitely makes this list.Īntiemetic for Homesickness is a perfect read for every immigrant who straddles two worlds. We don’t get enough poetry collections by poets who are a women of color and Asian. Antiemetic for Homesickness by Romalyn Ante (July 23rd, 2020) This debut also documents Ortile’s social awakening when it comes to issues on race and ethnicity.

It explores what every gay immigrant faces when moving to the West: the search for identity and sexual exploration. The Groom Will Keep His Name is a collection of essays–slash-memoir from a gay Filipino immigrant in the United States.

This is another queer Filipino writing on the list. The Groom Will Keep His Name by Matt Ortile (June 2nd, 2020) At times, it feels like a novel, but it can feel a lot like memoir, too. Riverrun is a coming-of-age story that follows a young gay boy growing up under the government’s tyranny in 1960s Philippines. Previously published by a local Philippine publisher, Penguin Random House Southeast Asia is re-releasing an extended and international edition of this poignant tale from one of the pioneers of gay writing in the Philippines. Riverrun by Danton Remoto (April 4th, 2020) In the age of forced migration and displacement, this one hits home the most.

The dilemma is whether to report it to the authorities and risk being sent back to Sri Lanka, or let the justice do its own job.

Amnesty by Aravind Adiga (February 18th, 2020)įrom the author of the Booker prize winner The White Tiger comes a relevant and timely tale.ĭanny, an illegal immigrant in Australia-after being denied a refugee status-just witnessed a horrendous crime.

Riverrun danton remoto