The only child of parents continually battling drug and alcohol addictions, Madden confronted her environment alone. But under the surface was a wild instability. I researched as best I could on this front but I know this is a mistake I make often! I do, of course, also recommend checking out many other books by authors of Asian descent, be they Asian, Asian-Canadian, etc., including The Henna Wars and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco, Hard Sell by Hudson Lin, and Blood Water Sister by Zen Cho.) Books to Read Now Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira MaddenĪcclaimed literary essayist T Kira Madden’s raw and redemptive debut memoir is about coming of age and reckoning with desire as a queer, biracial teenager amidst the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida, a place where she found cult-like privilege, shocking racial disparities, rampant white-collar crime, and powerfully destructive standards of beauty hiding in plain sight.Īs a child, Madden lived a life of extravagance, from her exclusive private school to her equestrian trophies and designer shoe-brand name. (My apologies in advance if I’m incorrect about any of these authors being American. Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month! May is a fabulous month to celebrate all these books and authors, so if there are any missing from your bookshelf, please use the links below to rectify that! (They are indeed affiliate links, so a percentage of your purchase goes to supporting LGBTQReads.) See a fave of yours that is or isn’t mentioned here? Please recommend it in the comments!

Final Draft by Riley Redgate