In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, East Asian Studies at OSU Libraries recently opened a feature book display for the month of May. Focusing on the exchange of ideas, people, and culture between Asia, the Pacific Islands and broader global communities, the display’s theme “Global Asias” draws inspiration from recent scholarship on topics from across the Humanities and Social Sciences in Asian and Asian American Studies. Given the context of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, the display emphasizes Asian-American experiences in the United States. In addition, it showcases OSU’s extensive collections in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Studies while highlighting recently published books on the Asian diaspora in the Pacific Rim. With books available for immediate circulation, the display is located near the stairwell in the east atrium of Thompson Library.

Asian Pacific American Heritage month was first commemorated in 1977.  The idea of celebrating the heritage of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans originated in the US Congress, which originally enacted a week-long of celebration. The heritage event was eventually extended beyond a week to an entire month in 1990. The month of May was chosen in honor of the first Japanese immigrant to arrive in the US, a fourteen-year old fisherman named John Manjiro, in May, 1843. The month was also chosen in commemoration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May, 1869), which was predominantly constructed by Chinese migrant workers. A government web site on the history of these events can be found at asianpacificheritage.gov.

A few titles from the book display include the following:

Cosplay in America by Ejen Chuang, Andrea Letamendi, Liz Ohanesian, and Shikarius (Los Angeles, California: OptikNerve, 2015)

  • Photographer Ejen Chuang spent several years traveling the United States documenting cosplay culture. Within this book, you will find pictures of everything from costume design to fandom conventions. In addition, there are essays from Liz Ohanesian and Dr. Andrea Letamendi on a variety of subjects.

Chinese Americans: the History and Culture of a People by Jonathan H X Lee (Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2016)

  • This book explains the experiences of people of Chinese descent living in the Americas. It is focused on the United States, but also includes North and South America. It contains essays on Chinese Americans’ political, social, and religious experiences in the Americas. This book is wonderful for learning about the daily life and culture of Chinese Americans.

Koreans in North America: Their 21st Century Experience by Pyong Gap Min (Lanham: Lexington Books, ©2013.)

  • Koreans in North America: Their 21st Century Experience goes into detail about the experiences of Korean people in the United States and Canada. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this book explores topics such as immigration, business, and identity.

Turning Japanese by Mari Naomi (Minneapolis, Minnesota: 2dcloud, 2016)

  • Turning Japanese is the illustrated memoir of Mari Naomi and her experiences struggling to connect to Japanese culture. The memoir also explains her life working in illegal hostess bars in San Jose and Tokyo.

The Routledge companion to Asian American and Pacific Islander literature by Rachel Lee (London; New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2014)

  • Rachel Lee’s book introduces the continuously growing Asian and Pacific Islander American field of literature. Through a collection of essays, this type of literature is explored through three different themes: historical periods, geographies, and literary identities.

Come check out the display and join in the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at OSU Libraries!