Unaccustomed Earth, by Pulitzer prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, is a collection of eight beautifully crafted short stories, featuring a set of three interwoven stories detailing the fates of two families. Lahiri's prose is simple yet beautiful and she has a remarkable ability to illuminate the inner lives of her characters. In this book, Lahiri focuses on the intricacies of family relationships. Many of her characters are Bengali-Americans, and Lahiri recounts their struggles as they come of age and craft identities, torn between the expectations of their more traditional Indian-born parents and their experience growing up American. In the titular story, Lahiri dissects the relationship between a woman and her father in the wake of her mother's death: Ruma feels she should take care of her father, yet he is on a journey of his own. This is a beautifully crafted book, at turns heartwarming and tragic, with characters so vivid the reader is left wanting to learn more about their lives.

The two narrators who stand out are a father and daughter, who have generational and cultural differences. The father was born in China and the daughter was born in the United States.

Jack Moon Szeto is a romantic character, and though tied to tradition from China, he defies stereotypes of men in general, and Chinese men in particular. The emotional picture that is painted of Jack is beautiful and heartbreaking.Veda grows up in a San Francisco Chinatown more known to most current readers, although it is not the caricature many find today. Chinatown has actual human relationships and actual poverty, and not just t-shirt shops and restaurants. Ultimately, Veda's insights into Jack are not tidy, but give a complicated view of our elders and how they survive emotionally.

Lee, Jennifer 8. Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the Word of Chinese Food. New York: Twelve, 2008.

Jennifer 8 Lee was born in NYC and went off to Harvard College. To continue her long line of successes, she joined The NY Times two years after graduation. Jennifer developed an obsession with food in her teenage years and is now writing about it. This book has it all - a writer who keeps one turning the pages, anecdotes and factoids for one to relish. With extensive research and carefully verified facts, this book gives readers the great knowledge of the history and background of Chinese restaurants in the United States. Here is a fact: when there are more Chinese restaurants in the United States than there are McDonalds, Burger Kings and Wendy's combined! Readers will enjoy the quick humor and dense information contained within these eighteen chapters.

With "Eaves of Heaven: a Life in Three Wars," Andrew X. Pham returns us to Vietnam, this time picking up the threads of his father's life, which he first introduced in his 1999 award-winning memoir, "Catfish & Mandala." His story shuttles back & forth through time, weaving vignettes of Thong Van Pham's experience into the background of three decades of social, cultural & political upheaval from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Pham's narrative is told in his father's voice, adding a feeling of immediacy and authenticity to each brief and vivid chapter. With great skill and patience Pham draws the reader into his father's world, combining tantalizing glimpses of Thong's experiences with pictures of the broad tapestry of history unfolding around him. From a childhood of privilege in French Indo-China under colonial rule, to his family's flight from Hanoi to Saigon after the country is partitioned, to his years as a teacher, husband and reluctant soldier during the conflict that became the Vietnam War, Thong's story remains intensely personal and deeply moving. "Eaves of Heaven" is the story of a common man in uncommon circumstances; a beautifully woven tale of joy & sadness, fulfillment & regret, but with a delicate thread running throughout -- an audacity of hope.

Reibstein, Mark. Wabi Sabi. Art by Ed Young. New York: Little Brown, 2008.

This vertical book tells the story of a cat named Wabi Sabi in Kyoto, Japan who seeks the meaning of her name. "Using spare text and haiku", Mark Reibstein weaves an extraordinary story about finding real beauty in unexpected places." Artist Ed Young's magical watercolor paintings and collage from various media give readers and listeners a unique view of Wabi Sabi's perspective of Japan and its culture. On every page, the illustrations, story, and haiku nicely complement each other. A separate haiku in Japanese characters is included in each spread. These haiku were written by Basho and Shiki and are translated at the end of the book. The committee was captivated by Young's intrinsic artwork in Wabi Sabi and selected this title as the winner in the Picture Book category.

Sheth, Kashmira. Monsoon Afternoon. Illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi. New York: Peachtree, 2008.

A young boy wants to play outside in a monsoon shower, but everyone in his family is too busy. At last, the boy's dadaji (grandfather) is free for fun, and together they sail toy boats in courtyard tubs. After the rain subsides, the two stroll through the streets, and Dadaji reminisces fondly about the monsoons of his youth.
The full circle of life seeps in as the rainy season echoes the story's larger themes of time's passage and the links between generations: Dadaji remembers swinging on the same village banyan tree where the boy plays, and as he listens to his grandfather's stories, the boy begins to imagine his own future: "Will monsoon come when I become a dadaji?"
Children of all backgrounds will easily recognize both the boy's delight in the dramatic rainstorm and the warm intergenerational relationship.

Grace is a Cambodian American teenager from Pennsylvania who has been kept in the dark about her family's past. When her grandmother passes away, she convinces her mother to go back to St. Petersburg, Florida to give her grandmother a traditional funeral. Once they arrive, a series of events unravel as Grace tries to learn the identity of her father, how she ended up in a community without many Cambodians, and what her mother and grandmother experienced before they came to America and before they moved away from Florida.

Many elements of Cambodian culture and history are captured in this book, including rituals, celebrations, and traditions. The story weaves these elements with Grace's experiences living in America that forms the Cambodian American experience. It is a perspective and story that has rarely been told in children's literature and touches on issues such as diaspora, assimilation, and the role of shame. Roots and Wings is more than a Cambodian American experience, but an experience that Asian Americans can relate to, as well as an experience everyone can understand and appreciate

Naomi Hirahara's 1001 cranes is a story of 12 year old Angela "Angie" Michiko Kato who is going through a tough time. Angela is being sent to stay with her grandparents in Gardena, Los Angeles for the summer to shield her from the pain of her parent's possible divorce, but she wants to stay home in Mill Valley, a San Francisco suburb. She doesn't feel that being away from her parents will help her feel any better and she thinks that staying in her grandparents place would be boring and uncomfortable. She is not thrilled with the arrangement, but in the Kato family, one is not permitted to "monku" - to complain. Her Grandpa, Grandma Michi and Aunt Janet keep Angela occupied in their flower shop folding 1001 origami cranes for wedding displays. She has to learn how to make it and more so, to make it as best she can. At first, Angela is reluctant to learn the craft and makes friends with the people who come to the shop. Then, Angela meets a cute young skateboarder named Tony and their evolving relationship has to be kept secret from her family. There is also a younger adopted girl, Rachel, who Angela observes as Grandma Michi's favorite. Soon, she learns the craft and as her folding skills improve so does her relationships with family and friends. In the end, Angela finds comfort, hope and understanding, along with a greater appreciation for the elders in her family, all of which helps her transform and keep her life in the right perspective as she moves on

This is a very delightful, touching, funny, well-written story. Naomi Hirahara has a wonderful grasp on the 12-year-old mind set, emotions and clearly portrays in her writing. Her descriptions of Angie's grandparents' home and lifestyle are vivid. Readers will learn a lot about Japanese culture, Japanese-American family traditions, about the 1001 origami crane displays, considered good luck for weddings and anniversaries, with "Michi's 1001-crane folding tips" wonderfully interspersed in different chapters. A step-by-step instruction on how the cranes are made is included. The issues that young Angie is experiencing - parental divorce, adoption, pre-teen boy/girl relationships, infidelity, illness, and family relations are the kind of things kids face every day. The author treats them with compassion and a touch of humor. Angela's experience of her family's support, her discovery of the value of her Japanese heritage and her appreciation of the various ways love is shown, enable her to overcome her troubles. Angela is transformed into a spirited and caring person. This heartwarming and inspiring story of adjustment is highly recommended for all pre-teens, teens, young adults and even adults.

Yoo, Paula, Good Enough. New York: Harper Collins, 2008.

Patti Yoon's parents want her to be the perfect daughter and perfect student. That is to score a perfect 2400 on the SAT and get into Harvard/Yale/Princeton. If she doesn't achieve that, then she is simply not "good enough" to be her parents' perfect Korean-American daughter. However, Patti has a total different perspective after she encounters the cute trumpet guy at the rehearsal for the All State Concertmaster competition. She "merely" scores a 2300 on her SAT and runs off to New Haven for a rock concert without telling her parents. Now, all she wants is to live the life the way she wants and to get the attention of the trumpet boy. Yoo's excellent writing and character development on Patti will capture your attention from beginning to end. The book is full of humor and drama makes it an engaging coming of age story.