Asian American and Pacific Islander American librarians announced Jan. 27 five books and their authors and/or illustrators as their top picks for books by AAPI authors and themes.
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association, at the annual gathering of librarians in Philadelphia named the winners of the 2020 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (APAAL).
The annual awards promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded to titles published from October 2018 to September 2019 based on their literary and artistic merit.
There are five
categories for the Awards. Each committee selected a winning title for
the category. Here are the winners and honor titles of the 2020 Adult
Literature Awards:
Adult Fiction
The APALA Adult Literature Fiction committee selected The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi Laskar, (pictured above) published by Counterpoint Press as the APALA Adult Fiction winner. The honor title is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, published by Penguin Press.
Adult Non-Fiction
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The Adult Non-Fiction winner is Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H Chang, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The Adult Non-Fiction honor title is Chop Suey Nation, by Ann Hui, published by Douglas & McIntyre.
Young Adult Literature
The Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature winner is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker, published by Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing. The committee selected one Young Adult Literature Honor title Frankly in Love by David Yoon published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Children’s Literature
Stargazing by Jen Wang, published by First Second (Roaring Books Press) is the 2020 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature winner. The committee selected one Children’s Literature Honor title, I’m Ok by Patti Kim, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Picture Book
The Picture Book winner is Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom, written by Teresa Robeson and illustrated by Rebecca Huang, published by Sterling Children’s Books. The committee selected one Picture Book Honor title Bilal Cooks Daal, written by Aisha Saeed and illustrated by Anoosha Syed, published by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Each award will be named and given a plaque during the annual APALA Literature Award Ceremony during the 2020 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition being held in Chicago, June 25-30.
For a complete list of Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature including adult fiction and nonfiction titles, visit http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/ .
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