ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION
ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE
(APAAL) 2007
PRESS RELEASE
APALA AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
June 24, 2007
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association proudly announces
the following books as winner and honor books in the three categories
of the 2006 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature that promotes
Asian/Pacific Americans culture and their heritage, based on literary
and artistic merit.
The committee had a lively discussion in each of the categories.
After careful consideration, the committee selected the following
winners and honor titles in the three categories.
Adult Fiction Winner
Chen, Da. Brothers. New York: Shaye Areheart Books, 2006.
Two brothers. One illegitimate borne of pain, struggle, poverty,
and humility. The other born to privilege, stability, wealth, and
pride. One brother a product of lust; the other a product of love.
Both are ignorant of each other until their lives crash in a cataclysmic
event that is set in a volatile time and place. Their lives are
intertwined both by blood and by heart. In this Post- Mao Tsetung,
"prince and the pauper" novel is full of passion and emotion.
Da Chen creates voices of each character that are as diverse as
the people of China. The novel encompasses a full range of human
emotions. The unique setting of China and its Cultural Revolution
and movement into the current time is believable, and reveals a
China that does not often emerge from the news. We see both sympathizers
and rebels of China's government. And there is a heart to the novel
that touches all of humanity.
Honorable Mention for Adult Fiction Literature
Hamamura, John. Color of the Sea. New York: Thomas Dunne Books,
2006.
Hamamura's debut novel follows the life of Sam Hamada who was born
in Hawaii to Japanese parents. He leaves Japan at age nine to be
reared by a Japanese language teacher in Hawaii. With traditional
schooling and martial arts under his belt, Sam attends college in
California where he meets Keiko, a American born daughter to Japanese
immigrants and the two fall in love as war begins. Conflicts result
as Keiko is sent back to Japan to finish school and marry a man
chosen by her grandparents. Sam is recruited by the U.S Army whereas
family and friends are incarcerated in internment camps. This powerful
coming-of-age story during this time period follows the conflict
between two cultures and at the same time focuses on the security
of love and honor between two worlds.
Illustration in Children Literature Winner
O'Brien, Anne Sibley. The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin
Hood of Korea. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2006.
In her first graphic novel for Charlesbridge Publishing, Anne Sibley
O'Brien, who grew up bilingual and bicultural in South Korea, relates
the classic tale from early seventeenth-century Korea of the son
of a powerful minister who uses martial arts, magic, and the wisdom
of the I Ching to lead a band of followers to right the wrongs of
rulers during the Chosun dynasty. The text narrative is fluid and
well set around the accurately portrayed cultural details and he
effectively conveys varied moods by simple changes of each facial
feature.
O'Brien uses the characters and definitions of the I Ching to accompany
this visually exciting story and effectively conveys varied moods
by simple changes of each facial feature. Three pages of personal
notes and cultural notes accompany the story. This graphic representation
of the first novel written in the Korean language, which is reproduced
in archaic Korean woodblock characters on the endleaves of the book,
is a great introduction and addition to Korean history and folklore
for libraries.
Honorable Mention for Illustration in
Children Literature
Yin. Brothers. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. New York: Philomel.
2006.
The story of Chinese immigrants living in the US is continued in
this sequel to the award-winning picture book Coolies. Ming, the
younger brother of Shek, comes to San Francisco to help his brother
in their store in Chinatown. When Shek has to leave the store to
find more work, Ming gets tired of the days with no customers and
decides to chance a visit outside of Chinatown. He is quickly befriended
by an Irish boy, and the two of them become fast friends, helping
each other with language and getting more business for the store
in Chinatown. The book also contains a final page of historical
references and resources. Because of their large size and intricate
detail, each one of Chris Soentpiet's one-and-a-half page illustrations
is a story in itself that is added to by Yin's text. This optimistic
story of young immigrants from different cultures working together
to create a better life in the US makes this book useful and worthy
of attention as an educational resource at many levels.
Text in Children and Young Adult Literature Winner
Youth Literature Winner
Headley, Justina
Chen. Nothing But the Truth. New York. Little, Brown, and Co.,
2006.
Nothing but the Truth is the story of high school sophomore Patty
Ho, who, half-white, half-Asian, doesn't fit comfortably in either
high school or at home. Her strict Taiwanese mom dictates everything
from her study habits to her social life and sends Patty to math
camp at Stanford for the summer. There she meets people who like
her and understand her. She spends time with her aunt, who tells
her the real story about her parents. The book deals with humor
and understanding on important themes: growing up as a mixed race
teenager, dealing with both peer and parental pressure, and the
importance of close friendships.
Honorable Mention for Text in Children
and Young Adult Literature
Lin, Grace. Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown
and Co., 2006.
This delightful story of school and family life, friendship, cultural
heritage, and self-discovery chronicles young Pacy's (Grace's) experience
as she grows to understand and appreciate herself and her heritages
during the Year of the Dog. Frustrated by not "having a special
talent," Grace's wish for the new year is to discover her hidden
gift. Would she become a "red-egg" colorist? or an actress?
How about a scientist? In the end, her love for words and pictures
shine the brightest. Being a daughter of recent immigrants, Pacy
is also keenly aware of her sometimes contradicting American and
Taiwanese upbringings. Readers can easily see how Grace enriches
her life by integrating both traditions. Each light-hearted vignette,
often humorously told, is interwoven with the family stories of
life back in Taiwan from her parents. The festive red-and-gold cover
design and black-and-white childlike illustrations further enhance
the appeal of this title.
Please extend our congratulations to the authors and/or illustrators.
If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me below.
Dora Ho, Chair
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Committee
Young Adult Librarian
Los Angeles Public Library - Young Adult Services
630 W. Fifth St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
213-228-7518
fax 213-228-7529
dho@lapl.org
Other members of the committee: Joel Bangilan, Houston Public Library
(TX), Shu-Hsien Chen (GA), Roxanne Hsu Feldman, The Dalton School
(NY), Marina Perez, San Diego Public Library, Janet Tom, San Francisco
Public Library, Sandy Wee, San Leandro Public Library (CA), Warren
Wright, Chinese American International School (CA)
* annotations are contributed by committee members.