Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll be honest, romance is not my favorite genre in books or movies. Although I had to read her works in high school and college, I was never a huge fan of Jane Austen. I am, however, a huge fan of Soniah Kamal. She took the classic “Pride and Prejudice” and added all of my favorite elements to it. I could not put this book down. Unmarriageable is much more interesting to me than any Jane Austen book because of these special elements. Kamal sets the story in present-day Pakistan. As a South Asian woman, I highly relate to this setting, so I was immediately drawn into her world. I connected to the characters because I saw my own family in them. I connected to the environment because it reminded me of my place of birth. Other than the setting, Kamal adds humor to the story. As a humor writer, I believe that adding humor elevates any piece of writing. The quirky characters and the funny experiences Kamal put them through, made this one of my favorite books of all time. I can see this movie turn into the next Hollywood rom-com. So, again, I’m not a huge fan of romance or Jane Austen, but when you add a Desi twist and humor to a story, I’m all in. I highly recommend this book!

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Tales from la Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology by Frederick Luis Aldama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tales From La Vida: A Latinx Anthology is a graphic novel filled with some of the most talented Latinx artists and writers in the country and edited by distinguished Ohio State University professor Frederick Luis Aldama. This is the type of book you read in one sitting. The vast variety of styles in cartooning and intimate storytelling make it impossible to put down. Artists like Crystal Gonzalez and Jamie Crespo explore their struggle with identifying as Latinx. Artists like Breena Nuñez Peralta and Carlos “Loso” Pérez explore the complicated experience of being labeled and identifying as Afro-Latinx. Artists like Ivan Velez Jr. and Kelly Fernandez explore family traditions and folklore. The stories are a beautiful expression of what it means to be Latinx for each individual artist and writer involved. Through their experiences, they show us how they are viewed in the United States by the non-Latinx community as well as within their own families. The unapologetic authenticity of the stories made this one of my favorite graphic novels to date. I highly recommend this book!


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If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since I heard that Fatimah Asghar had a book on the way, I was ecstatic. I am a huge fan of hers from her Emmy-nominated webseries Brown Girls, and now I have another reason to love her. If They Come For Us is a beautiful book with stories about war, womanhood, sexuality, religion, identity, race, family, etc. But most importantly, it is a story about us. The story of South Asian-American women. It’s my story. The history she talks about in this book, is the history of my family, the identity crisis she faced growing up in the United States, is my identity crisis. The struggles with womanhood, beauty, and culture she talks about in this book, are my struggles. It is so rare for me to find a book where my story is being told. This is the reason I became a writer. I also love how she finds a way to intertwine tragedy and humor in this book. Humor is not often found in South Asian-American literature, but is often found in our lives and our homes. This book felt like home. My favorite poems were Oil and Microaggression Bingo. Oil, for it’s poignant truthfulness of the moment her existence became a danger to the country she grew up in on 9/11. Microaggression Bingo for its humor. Although I read this book in one sitting, it is not a book to read once and put away. Whenever I feel invisible in this country as a South-Asian American woman, I can pick up this book and feel less alone. I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll stop here. Although I could personally relate to this book, it has something for anyone and everyone from all walks of life. Go read it now!

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Hate You Give lives up to the hype. It is a well-written beautiful story that is both timeless and topical. Starr Carter’s character is on one hand a very relatable teenage character who like most teenagers has an identity crisis and is trying to find a place to belong between the kids in her neighborhood and the kids in her predominantly White school. On the other hand, Angie Thomas puts Starr’s character through extremely difficult and tragic situations that are a reality for many African-American kids growing up in this country today. In addition to her typical teenage problems, Starr also has to deal with being the only witness in the brutal murder of her best friend at the hands of a police officer. Her family also deals with issues within the community where Maverick Carter, Starr’s father is a leader, role model, and a target for a local gang. The extreme situations that Starr and her family face in this book are unimaginable for many Americans, but also a reality for many. Not only does this book raise awareness for the issues of police brutality and excessive violence in our country, but it also humanizes these issues so the readers can understand them from a more sympathetic perspective. I highly recommend reading this book before the movie comes out in October!

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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter should be required reading for every young woman in her teenage years. Erika L. Sánchez takes us through the familiar struggles of American teenagers such as making friends, dealing with parents and siblings, feeling lonely, and navigating romantic relationships. The main character Julia deals with all of these typical teenager issues along with some not so typical life experiences such as the death of her older sister Olga whose life was a mystery, the cultural gap between her and her traditional Mexican immigrant parents, and living with depression. Olga had a mysterious life which Julia discovers in pieces throughout the whole book. Olga’s mystery not only keeps the reader hooked, but it is also how Julia learns about herself and gains a deeper understanding of her family’s struggle. Julia’s character also has a snarky somewhat judgmental teenage voice which makes the book a fun read. Mystery, humor, and drama. This book has it all. I highly recommend it!


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Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime” is an original and authentic memoir that takes you through a range of emotions from sadness, disgust, and horror, but through it all, it continues to make you laugh. The most important factor for having a memoir feel authentic is for the writer to bare their soul. Trevor Noah is not afraid to share his most vulnerable moments from his childhood to young adulthood and share the confusing and terrifying state of growing up in a world where his mere existence was evidence of a crime. The richest character in the book is his mother who made the bold decision to follow her heart to date a white man and have a child with him when it was illegal to do so in South Africa during apartheid. She then raised Trevor in her own way as a single mother with the help of her family and community. She hid him from the world until apartheid ended and gave him opportunities that she didn’t have. Trevor Noah’s deep love and respect for his mother is what makes this book more than just a fun read. It makes it a richer and much more compelling read. The writing and humor is so authentic to his on screen personality that I as I read the book, I heard his voice telling me the story. I highly recommend this book!


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The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Best We Could Do is a beautiful illustrated memoir by Thi Bui about the hardships of life in wartorn Vietnam and immigration to the United States. This graphic novel contains flowing illustrations in black and white with red accents that show the heartbreaking emotion of the beautiful story of Thi Bui’s family. She isn’t afraid to share the devastating occurrences her family faced from her parents strained relationship to her own complicated relationship with her parents. These hardships are flashbacks throughout the novel and are paralleled with her current journey of becoming a mother for the first time. Through all of the heartbreak and devastation, there is a silver lining at the end of the book. She is able to redefine motherhood and growing up in an immigrant family while she raises her own son who carries none of the family’s harrowing past. I highly recommend this book, but make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby while reading.



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All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

bell hooks’ All About Love is a must-read for all of humanity. bell hooks explores all types of relationships and how society tells us to participate in them versus how we should approach them. She breaks down the good and the bad aspects of relationships, like honesty, commitment, greed, and spirituality, and digs deep into how we should handle each of these aspects. The most powerful part of the book for me was when she breaks down the difference between "being taken care of" versus "being loved." We all think that our family loves us because they take care of us and provide us with basic necessities. However, bell hooks argues that being taken care of is vastly different from being loved. Love, she says, isn’t about providing the basic necessities for survival. Love is about nurturing one’s spirit and helping them become the best possible version of themselves. This book completely changed the way I thought about love and relationships. It is food for the soul. I highly recommend it!

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Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Crazy Rich Asians is unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It has all the best characteristics of my favorite books: humor, suspense, drama, interesting characters, etc. However, no one else could have written this book other than Kevin Kwan. He takes us into this secret world none of us would have ever known about if it wasn’t for this book. Not only is this a fun story to read, it also has educational components to it. I learned so much about Southeast Asian culture, traditions, and secret history that I couldn’t have learned any other way. Despite being crazy, filthy rich and from a different cultural background than me, I found the characters extremely relatable. Whether it was family drama, marital issues, jealousy, or culture shock, they were dealing with the same issues we all deal with, just on a different level. As I was reading this book, I realized that this book was made for film. There were scenes in here, especially the slapstick comedy scenes, that I thought would be even more funny on the big screen. I can’t wait to read the other two books in this series, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. I can’t wait to watch the feature film and see some of my favorite Hollywood actors bring these characters to life.


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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who turned into a patient himself when he was diagnosed with aggressive stage IV lung cancer when he was 36 years old. Knowing he didn’t have long left to live, he began reevaluating the meaning of life and death and started writing this beautiful book. He died at 37 before he could complete the book, so his wife finished the book and published it posthumously. He reflects on his relationship with his patients, his family, his wife, and his baby daughter who is too young to remember him after his death. The way Kalanithi reorganizes his priorities in life when he knows he only has a few months to live is eye-opening. It made me think about how I would approach my life if I knew it was coming to an end way sooner than expected. If you have ever experienced the untimely death of a loved one who was sick for months before finally crossing over, this book will give you new perspectives to their experience. It will also make you reevaluate your own priorities in life. A beautifully written memoir through the life and death of Paul Kalanithi.


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