Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024: Adult

A unique dessert book and memoir by Abi Balingit, whose food blog, The Dusky Kitchen, started it all.

Yu plays with literary form in new and interesting ways as he tells a story about a Chinese American bit part actor while simultaneously investigating concepts of assimilation, the history of Asian immigration, and how the self fits into society.

The sequel to Clark & Division continues the story of the Ito family, their struggles as they return to Los Angeles from Manzanar, and their attempt to build back their lives in a racist and corrupt post-WWII Los Angeles. Told in the first person viewpoint of a young newlywed nurse's aide, Aki Ito Nakamura, this is an engaging, rich historical novel with strong details. The fascinating views of parts of Los Angeles that are no more: Little Tokyo when it was known as Bronzeville; the melting pot neighborhood of Boyle Heights; and the Japanese American resettlement camps of Burbank.