Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a time to pay tribute to the generations Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who have contributed to and enriched U.S. history, progress, innovation, and culture.
It’s also important to use this month to continue bringing awareness to the ongoing discrimination and inequities facing Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans in the workplace, especially within the broader context of rising anti-Asian violence and hate crimes in the past year. In 2021, 58% of Asian Americans said that racism in the workplace has damaged their relationship with their employer — up 13% from the previous year. As a group, Asian American and Pacific Islander American women are paid just $0.85 for every dollar paid to white men. Stats like these are why Syndio is committed to providing actionable solutions to improve workplace equity outcomes related to pay, representation, and opportunity.
To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we sent out a request to the Syndio team on our #diversity-inclusion-heritage-pride Slack channel. Below, we’ve curated a collection of our team’s favorite memoirs, novels, graphic novels, documentaries, movies, and tv shows that showcase Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, voices, achievements, and stories.
Nonfiction books
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
by Michelle Zaumer
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life
by Ali Wong
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
by Cathy Park Hong
Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story
by Mazie K. Hirono
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir
by Elizabeth Miki Brina
Brown Skin, White Minds: : Filipino -/ American Postcolonial Psychology
by E.J.R. David
Fairest
by Meredith Talusan
Fiction
The Bonesetter’s Daughter
by Amy Tan
When You Trap a Tiger
by Tae Keller
How Much of These Hills is Gold
by C Pam Zhang
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
by Ken Liu
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
by Ocean Vuong
Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
by Ken Liu
House of Many Gods
by Kiana Davenport
Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu
The Sympathizer: A Novel
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Snow Falling on Cedars
by David Guterson
Things We Lost to the Water
by Eric Nguyen
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
by Jung Chang
Stories of Your Life and Others
by Ted Chiang
Portrait of a Thief
by Grace D. Li
The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
Graphic novels
They Called Us Enemy
by George Takei
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir
by Thi Bui
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations
by Mira Jacob
Poetry & essays
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
by Ocean Vuong
Go Home!
Edited by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
Rose
By Li-Young Lee
Trick Mirror
by Jia Tolentino
Documentaries & comedy specials
Take Out with Lisa Ling
Watch on: HBO Max
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video
Kusama – Infinity
Watch on: Apple TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Flavorful Origins
Watch on: Netflix
Hasan Minaj: Homecoming King
Watch on: Netflix
Naomi Osaka
Watch on: Netflix
Movies
Minari
Watch on: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Youtube, Google Play
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video
Turning Red
Watch on: Disney+
The Namesake
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Crazy Rich Asians
Watch on: HBO Max, Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
The Joy Luck Club
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Bao
Watch on: Disney+
Saving Face
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video
Tigertail
Watch on: Netflix
Moana
Watch on: Disney+
The Farewell
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu
Always Be My Maybe
Watch on: Netflix
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
Watch on: Netflix
TV shows
Kim’s Convenience
Watch on: Netflix
Pachinko
Watch on: Apple TV
