Third State Books

“A riveting behind-the-scenes account about the investigation, capture, and prosecution of the Golden State Killer.”
—Paul Holes, bestselling author of Unmasked

In The People vs. the Golden State Killer, Thien Ho, the current District Attorney of Sacramento, recounts his harrowing and exhilarating experience as the lead prosecutor responsible for capturing and prosecuting Joseph DeAngelo. Referred to at various times by law enforcement and the media as the Visalia Ransacker, the East Bay Rapist, the Original Nightstalker, and finally the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo, a former policeman, is widely considered “one of the most notorious serial predators in American history.”

Ho’s book is the first official account of how the Golden State Killer was apprehended and put behind bars for life. Ho led an elite team of law enforcement from six California prosecutor's offices, using a newly developed tool known as “investigative genetic genealogy” to connect DeAngelo to multiple cold cases stretching back nearly a half century.

Many previous narratives about DeAngelo, including two bestselling books and multiple documentaries, focused largely on the killer and his heinous crimes. This book not only provides hundreds of facts and details never revealed to the public about the Golden State Killer’s crimes, it also presents the real-life story of the people who worked tirelessly to bring DeAngelo to justice. It also offers the unprecedented authorized perspective of three survivors of DeAngelo's crimes who courageously turned their pain into empowerment and activism. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated both by the author and Third State Books to Phyllis’s Garden, a nonprofit advocating for victims’ rights begun in honor of a GSK survivor.

The People vs. the Golden State Killer also recounts Ho’s fascinating personal journey, from escaping communist Vietnam with his family as a child to working his way up from an internship to an elite homicide division and eventually becoming one of only ten Asian American district attorneys out of 2,400 nationwide.

Tony has been told his whole life that he is TOO MUCH: Too curious. Too loud. Too messy. Too full of big feelings and even bigger ideas.

He tries to shrink himself to fit in, but that leaves him feeling lonely and unseen. To cope, he retreats into his imagination, until a chance meeting changes everything. For the first time, Tony realizes that being "TOO MUCH" may not be so bad after all. Through a new friendship, Tony learns to use his own big energy to connect with other kids and help them feel seen. Together, Tony and his friends make the world a little less lonely for everyone.

This tender, empowering picture book celebrates neurodiversity, emotional awareness, and the courage it takes to be yourself. Rooted in the psychological insight and everyday parenting truth that “children don’t need to be fixed, they need to be understood,” Too Much Tony is a warm, affirming book about friendship, courage, and the healing power of being ourselves.

Tony has been told his whole life that he is TOO MUCH: Too curious. Too loud. Too messy. Too full of big feelings and even bigger ideas.

He tries to shrink himself to fit in, but that leaves him feeling lonely and unseen. To cope, he retreats into his imagination, until a chance meeting changes everything. For the first time, Tony realizes that being "TOO MUCH" may not be so bad after all. Through a new friendship, Tony learns to use his own big energy to connect with other kids and help them feel seen. Together, Tony and his friends make the world a little less lonely for everyone.

This tender, empowering picture book celebrates neurodiversity, emotional awareness, and the courage it takes to be yourself. Rooted in the psychological insight and everyday parenting truth that “children don’t need to be fixed, they need to be understood,” Too Much Tony is a warm, affirming book about friendship, courage, and the healing power of being ourselves.

In Across the Lines: A Life in Cross-Racial Solidarity, civil rights attorney Stewart Kwoh draws on a lifetime of advocacy to tell a rarely told American story. Progress has come not from isolated struggle, but from communities standing together across racial lines.

From the Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers who joined forces in the Delano grape strike of the 1960s, to Thai and Latino garment workers who challenged modern-day sweatshops in Los Angeles decades later, Kwoh traces a powerful tradition of multiracial organizing. Along the way, he introduces figures such as George Takei, a longtime family friend and actor best known for the Star Trek series, whose childhood incarceration shaped his civil rights activism; we also meet Julie Su, the first Asian American to serve as Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, whom Kwoh first hired as a law student. Woven through these histories is Kwoh’s own journey. The son of pioneering actress and activist Beulah Quo, Kwoh came of age during the Civil Rights era. He went on to found Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which is now one of the nation’s largest Asian American civil rights organizations. With his wife, Patricia Kwoh, he later co-founded the Asian American Education Project, bringing untold histories of Asian American struggle and solidarity into classrooms across the country.

Written for readers seeking to understand how progress has been made in America, this book shows why solidarity remains essential to our future. This book is both a record of what multiracial unity has achieved and a guide for how it can be built further in this country At a time when democracy feels increasingly fragile and communities are encouraged to see their struggles as separate, Across the Lines offers a clear reminder: None of us advances alone.

Everyday Americans: Asians in the U.S. Today tells the story of the fastest growing—and most transformative generationally—racial and ethnic group in the U.S. As the only demographic group that is majority immigrants or children of immigrants, 24 million Asian Americans are on a journey of understanding of what it means for them to be American. They represent dozens of ethnic groups with different origins, languages, cultures, and traditions.

But much of American culture, including social science research, treats Asian Americans as a monolith. This book is the culmination of Pew Research Center’s multi-year initiative to make Asian Americans more visible by filling those data gaps. The research team heard their voices through the largest nationally representative survey of Asian Americans to date, a focus group study conducted in 18 different languages and interviews conducted inside their homes. What resulted is a comprehensive understanding of how Asian Americans navigate the U.S., and how they understand their unique identities, experiences, and struggles. The landmark study found that Asian Americans have the same values, dreams, and aspirations as everyday Americans. Despite this, fewer than half consider themselves “typical Americans,” underscoring the persistent gap between self-perception and societal acceptance.

Through the voices of both immigrant and U.S.-born generations, this book expands on the published statistics, connecting data points to human voices and experiences. It tells the story of how Asian Americans, being in between two worlds, navigate what it means to be both: Asian and American.

In Across the Lines: A Life in Cross-Racial Solidarity, civil rights attorney Stewart Kwoh draws on a lifetime of advocacy to tell a rarely told American story. Progress has come not from isolated struggle, but from communities standing together across racial lines.

From the Filipino and Mexican American farmworkers who joined forces in the Delano grape strike of the 1960s, to Thai and Latino garment workers who challenged modern-day sweatshops in Los Angeles decades later, Kwoh traces a powerful tradition of multiracial organizing. Along the way, he introduces figures such as George Takei, a longtime family friend and actor best known for the Star Trek series, whose childhood incarceration shaped his civil rights activism; we also meet Julie Su, the first Asian American to serve as Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, whom Kwoh first hired as a law student. Woven through these histories is Kwoh’s own journey. The son of pioneering actress and activist Beulah Quo, Kwoh came of age during the Civil Rights era. He went on to found Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which is now one of the nation’s largest Asian American civil rights organizations. With his wife, Patricia Kwoh, he later co-founded the Asian American Education Project, bringing untold histories of Asian American struggle and solidarity into classrooms across the country.

Written for readers seeking to understand how progress has been made in America, this book shows why solidarity remains essential to our future. This book is both a record of what multiracial unity has achieved and a guide for how it can be built further in this country At a time when democracy feels increasingly fragile and communities are encouraged to see their struggles as separate, Across the Lines offers a clear reminder: None of us advances alone.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in America. Since the year 2000, the US Asian population has more than doubled, with the vast majority identifying as either immigrants or the children of immigrants. As the population rapidly grow, it has become clear that there is no singular Asian American experience. Now more than ever, it is imperative to understand the cultural diversity within the diaspora. 

The Pew Research Center offers a snapshot of that diversity in Everyday Americans: Asians in the US Today. Pulling from twenty-five years of data, the Pew analyzes various factors that shape one’s lived experience in the US, such as generational divides and wealth disparities. The book also features the voices of the most prominent Asian Americans in our culture, including actress Olivia Munn, who writes about her relationship with her identity in the foreword.

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"
—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. Yet, according to The Asian American Foundation, better education about AANHPI history in K–12 schools is one of the best ways to combat racism.>

Fighting to Belong! Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History, 1970–Present, written by bestselling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man), Alexander Chang, and The Asian American Education Project and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format. 

Fighting to Belong! Volume III helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

"The chemistry and banter are fire." —Kirkus Reviews

Dani Tsai and Parker Tran grew up inseparable in middle-of-nowhere Silverpine, Oregon. She was the bookish girl, introverted and dreamy. He was the quintessential boy next door: charming, popular, and destined to be a football star. They were an unlikely pair of best friends—until they left for college and their friendship came to an unexpected end.

Seven years later, Dani is pursuing a writing career in New York City when a chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Parker again. He’s now a hotshot sports marketing director on a temporary assignment in New York, having traded his jersey and cleats for designer suits. Even more puzzling is that he seems to think they can be friends again, and try as she might, Dani can’t resist his pull. An impulsive kiss leads to heated nights in his hotel suite. They make a tentative agreement: For three months, they’ll keep things casual, with no strings attached.

It isn't long before the line between lust and something deeper starts to blur. These two were never meant for casual.

"I have watched every Dumbfoundead battle so many times that I have most of the insults memorized."
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker 

“Jonnie ‘Dumbfoundead’ Park's story is the definition of winning life on hard mode: Start as an undocumented Korean immigrant from Argentina and become a once-in-a-generation battle rapper and artist in Los Angeles.”
—Ronny Chieng, Comedian

SPIT is the raw and electrifying memoir of Jonnie Park—better known by his rap moniker, Dumbfoundead—whose rise from an unruly childhood in Los Angeles’s iconic Koreatown to international rap stardom is as unlikely as it is exhilarating.

Born in Argentina to Korean parents and smuggled by a coyote across the US-Mexico border at age three, Park grew up in L.A. amid cultural dislocation, his father’s violent alcoholism, and the turbulent protests and riots of the early 1990s. 

Searching for belonging, he found salvation in the highly competitive underground world of battle rap, where he was among the only successful Asian American battle rappers. He honed his freestyle superpowers at Project Blowed, the legendary South Central L.A. open-mic venue, amid a motley crew of characters who took him in as one of their own. 

Told through the lens of his life’s greatest battles—his father’s rage, racist stereotypes, the “model minority” myth, the pressures of fame, and his own addictions—Park tells his story with his trademark humor, lyrical style, and unflinching honesty.

Like Eminem’s 8 Mile, SPIT charts the author’s course from high-school dropout to cultural pioneer, one verse at a time. Featuring a dozen vivid graphic novel–style illustrations that bring his journey to life, SPIT visualizes the inner demons and outer adversaries Park faced along the way. From open-mics in South Central to freestyle cyphers in Seoul to music festivals across the globe, Park’s memoir is a testament to creativity, grit, and the power of speaking your truth—even when the world isn’t ready to hear it.

More than just a chronicle of an artist’s path to success, SPIT is a groundbreaking story of identity, resilience, and reinvention. It is also the story of an American outsider who turned life’s challenges into his stage and battled his way to triumph.

"The chemistry and banter are fire." —Kirkus Reviews

Dani Tsai and Parker Tran grew up inseparable in middle-of-nowhere Silverpine, Oregon. She was the bookish girl, introverted and dreamy. He was the quintessential boy next door: charming, popular, and destined to be a football star. They were an unlikely pair of best friends—until they left for college and their friendship came to an unexpected end.

Seven years later, Dani is pursuing a writing career in New York City when a chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Parker again. He’s now a hotshot sports marketing director on a temporary assignment in New York, having traded his jersey and cleats for designer suits. Even more puzzling is that he seems to think they can be friends again, and try as she might, Dani can’t resist his pull. An impulsive kiss leads to heated nights in his hotel suite. They make a tentative agreement: For three months, they’ll keep things casual, with no strings attached.

It isn't long before the line between lust and something deeper starts to blur. These two were never meant for casual.

"I have watched every Dumbfoundead battle so many times that I have most of the insults memorized."
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker 

“Jonnie ‘Dumbfoundead’ Park's story is the definition of winning life on hard mode: Start as an undocumented Korean immigrant from Argentina and become a once-in-a-generation battle rapper and artist in Los Angeles.”
—Ronny Chieng, Comedian

SPIT is the raw and electrifying memoir of Jonnie Park—better known by his rap moniker, Dumbfoundead—whose rise from an unruly childhood in Los Angeles’s iconic Koreatown to international rap stardom is as unlikely as it is exhilarating.

Born in Argentina to Korean parents and smuggled by a coyote across the US-Mexico border at age three, Park grew up in L.A. amid cultural dislocation, his father’s violent alcoholism, and the turbulent protests and riots of the early 1990s. 

Searching for belonging, he found salvation in the highly competitive underground world of battle rap, where he was among the only successful Asian American battle rappers. He honed his freestyle superpowers at Project Blowed, the legendary South Central L.A. open-mic venue, amid a motley crew of characters who took him in as one of their own. 

Told through the lens of his life’s greatest battles—his father’s rage, racist stereotypes, the “model minority” myth, the pressures of fame, and his own addictions—Park tells his story with his trademark humor, lyrical style, and unflinching honesty.

Like Eminem’s 8 Mile, SPIT charts the author’s course from high-school dropout to cultural pioneer, one verse at a time. Featuring a dozen vivid graphic novel–style illustrations that bring his journey to life, SPIT visualizes the inner demons and outer adversaries Park faced along the way. From open-mics in South Central to freestyle cyphers in Seoul to music festivals across the globe, Park’s memoir is a testament to creativity, grit, and the power of speaking your truth—even when the world isn’t ready to hear it.

More than just a chronicle of an artist’s path to success, SPIT is a groundbreaking story of identity, resilience, and reinvention. It is also the story of an American outsider who turned life’s challenges into his stage and battled his way to triumph.

“Choi's true-crime biography adds much-needed detail and perspective to Noguchi's unusual and compelling story.”
—Booklist

L.A. Coroner is a gripping true crime biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the controversial “Coroner to the Stars,” who performed the autopsies of Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Natalie Wood, and hundreds of other notable personalities. Choi, an award-winning historian and professor, deftly blends Los Angeles history, death investigation and forensic science, and Asian American history in a feat of exquisite storytelling.

L.A. Coroner is the first-ever biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the Chief Medical Examiner–Coroner of Los Angeles County from 1967 to 1982. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Noguchi conducted the official autopsies of some of the most high-profile figures of his time. His elaborate press conferences, which often generated more controversy than they did answers, catapulted him into the public eye.

Noguchi was also the inspiration for the popular 1970s–80s television drama Quincy, M.E., starring Jack Klugman. Featuring never-before-published details about Noguchi’s most controversial cases, L.A. Coroner is a meticulously researched biography of a complex man, set against the backdrop of the social and racial politics of the 1960s and 1970s and Hollywood celebrity culture.

“A riveting behind-the-scenes account about the investigation, capture, and prosecution of the Golden State Killer.”
—Paul Holes, bestselling author of Unmasked

In The People vs. the Golden State Killer, Thien Ho, the current District Attorney of Sacramento, recounts his harrowing and exhilarating experience as the lead prosecutor responsible for capturing and prosecuting Joseph DeAngelo. Referred to at various times by law enforcement and the media as the Visalia Ransacker, the East Bay Rapist, the Original Nightstalker, and finally the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo, a former policeman, is widely considered “one of the most notorious serial predators in American history.”

Ho’s book is the first official account of how the Golden State Killer was apprehended and put behind bars for life. Ho led an elite team of law enforcement from six California prosecutor's offices, using a newly developed tool known as “investigative genetic genealogy” to connect DeAngelo to multiple cold cases stretching back nearly a half century.

Many previous narratives about DeAngelo, including two bestselling books and multiple documentaries, focused largely on the killer and his heinous crimes. This book not only provides hundreds of facts and details never revealed to the public about the Golden State Killer’s crimes, it also presents the real-life story of the people who worked tirelessly to bring DeAngelo to justice. It also offers the unprecedented authorized perspective of three survivors of DeAngelo's crimes who courageously turned their pain into empowerment and activism. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated both by the author and Third State Books to Phyllis’s Garden, a nonprofit advocating for victims’ rights begun in honor of a GSK survivor.

The People vs. the Golden State Killer also recounts Ho’s fascinating personal journey, from escaping communist Vietnam with his family as a child to working his way up from an internship to an elite homicide division and eventually becoming one of only ten Asian American district attorneys out of 2,400 nationwide.

Winner of the Asian American Writers' Workshop Pages in Progress Prize

"A delightful and perceptive jaunt into the heart of the Indian American community of New Jersey, Edison is a charming, often hilarious novel brimming over with life, laughter, and dreams worthy of the most outrageous Bollywood movies.”
—Chitra Divakaruni, author of Independence and Mistress of Spices

"A sparkling epic worthy of Bollywood's silver screens."
—Kirkus Reviews

Edison is a Bollywood-style epic tale brimming with song and dance, action and comedy, love and pathos, and cameos by dozens of real Indian stars of yesterday and today—a hilariously entertaining masala film in the guise of literary fiction. 

Along the way, we glean bits of Bollywood history and fall in love with an improbable cast of characters that inhabits Edison’s “Little India.” Edison is a wild, romantic, laugh-out-loud love letter to the Indian American community of Edison, New Jersey, where author Pallavi Dixit grew up.

The unlikely star of Edison is Prem Kumar, the hapless youngest son of a titan of New Delhi industry. Obsessed with Hindi movies—what the world calls Bollywood—he is uninterested in joining the family business or marrying the spear-wielding heiress chosen by his father. He runs away to chase his filmmaking dreams in America, but his plans are immediately derailed. Instead, he finds himself crashing on a mattress and working at an Exxon gas station in the Indian immigrant community of Edison, New Jersey.

Although life is not going according to script, Prem finds a happy rhythm in this bewildering setting. When the beautiful and ambitious Leena Engineer bursts onto the scene, she and her grocery store–owning father upend Prem’s short-term plan to do as little as possible, launching him on an epic adventure to make something of himself. Supported by an unruly cast of roommates, aunties, murderous yet orderly mobsters, and film stars at once glamorous and ludicrous, Prem test-drives the role of hero, and along the way, he witnesses around him the transformation of an ordinary suburb into a bustling "Little India."

ABA Regional Bestseller

"Ambitious . . . themes of family, friendship, and personal integrity shine."

—Kirkus Reviews

"A highly engaging journey of connection and transformation and an innovative read for this present age." —Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of One Crazy Summer

Welcome to The Vale, a world that grows by the power of imagination

A magical new phenomenon from the New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of the Loveboat, Taipei series (adapted to the Netflix film Love in Taipei).

Thirteen-year-old Bran Joseph Lee has spent half his life building the Vale, an immersive, AI-generated, virtual-reality environment using technology created by his inventor parents. It's a lush fantasy world complete with a Blue Forest, a Castle, and adventures with his mushroom-obsessed Elf named Gnomly—a much better place to spend his days compared to his real life, where his parents have suffered through the failed launches of one invention after another. 

Bran wants nothing more than to see his Elves come fully to life, a hope that seems on the brink of reality when he enters the Vale in a multi-million-dollar competition to fund its further development. But instead, things in the Vale begin to go wrong: The sunlight is fading. A beautiful girl appears from nowhere. A wizard is stealing from the Vale’s inhabitants. And the strangest part of all is that none of this is the young inventor’s doing. 

Can Bran and Gnomly uncover the truth of what is happening before both their worlds are destroyed?

Look out for The Vale—Origins, the short film prequel to The Vale starring three-time Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, coming to film festivals and screenings near you!

"Exposes both the wonder of AI and its pitfalls, and the elastic boundary between. Storytelling at its best!"
—Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor author of The Underneath

Ezra is a seven-year-old boy who likes cheese-flavored ice cream, flying off the couch with his superhero cape, and peeling dried glue off his fingers. And he LOVES making art. Every day at Braddock Elementary, he doodles, draws, paints, and crafts with abandon. When he makes something, the entire world melts away, his heart feels warm, and his entire body wants to wiggle. But there is one problem. Even though he loves making it, no one understands it.

In this heartwarming picture book, little Ezra questions whether he should continue to make art when his parents, teachers, and classmates don't seem to get, or even like, his creations. What in the World Is Ezra's Art explores the question: Can he feel good about his art when no one else does?

KIRKUS’ BEST OF 2024 PICKS

Library Journal's Best Books of 2024

Named Booklist’s Top 10 Romance Fiction of 2024

"In a world with so many Pride & Prejudice adaptations, a new one has to be truly special to stand out, and this one is... A warm, sweet story with all the witticisms Austen fans savor." — Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews 

When perspiration meets privilege, love might just school them both. 

She’s working two jobs to get through college. He’s the golden boy who doesn’t know the meaning of struggle.

One fateful night at the family’s restaurant, Lissie Cheng accidentally serves a dish containing shellfish to an allergic customer, running afoul of the wealthy Lin family and wonder boy Preston in particular. Preston Lin, star swimmer and Stanford Ph.D. student, who is as handsome as he is self-righteous. When his response to the incident threatens the family livelihood, Lissie must scramble to outwit him. If only he didn’t keep popping up in her life, so she could despise him in peace!

Preston’s life hasn’t always been picture-perfect. Before Lissie came on the scene, he worked hard not only at school and at swimming, but also at burying a few things he’d rather forget. But that girl–! The past isn’t the only thing she’s stirring up.

In this sparkling contemporary riff on Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, the beloved story gets a fresh spin. Who will prevail over Lissie’s heart? Her pride or Preston Lin?

"Compulsively readable." — Publishers Weekly

"Like Crazy (not) Rich Asians meets Jane Austen, Pride and Preston Lin is a delightful retelling of a beloved classic that had me smiling from page one." — Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Hundred Loves of Juliet

"I loved reading this story inspired by the real Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken of Chinatown!  Kids will be encouraged to seek clever solutions for the problems they see being ignored."  
—Grace Lin, award-winning author of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

"An imaginative retelling of a true story, Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is something to squawk about!"
—Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of and the A Boy Called Bat series

New York City is not a great place for a chicken to live. It’s crowded and loud and busy. But you can find the city’s most famous chicken, Lillie, a.k.a. the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, in Chinatown.

When tourists ask, “Where’s the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken?” locals point them to a video-game arcade on Mott Street, where Lillie plays games of tic-tac-toe against anyone who wants to play against her.

But eight-year-old Beatrice worries that the dark arcade is just not a good place for Lillie to live. She devises a clever plan: She will challenge the arcade’s Big Boss in a game of tic-tac-toe. Will Beatrice win Lillie’s freedom?

Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is a picture book inspired by the true story of Lillie, a real chicken trained to play tic-tac-toe in New York's Chinatown Fair arcade, and her relocation to a farm for rescued animals. Featuring vibrant paintings of Chinatown by the award-winning illustrator Louie Chin (Bodega Cat, Fighting to Belong!  Vols. I and II), Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken showcases a local cultural touchstone and shows how children can stand up for what they believe in and solve tough problems with ingenuity and heart.

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"

—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

For many Americans of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander descent who grew up in the United States, there continues to be a startling lack of opportunity to learn about our own history in our country. Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. 

Fighting to Belong! Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders from the 1700s Through the 1800s, written by best-selling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man) and Alexander Chang and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format.

In this book, the first volume of a three-book series, our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history. 

They witness the arrival of the "Manilamen" to the United States in the eighteenth century and fly through significant moments in the next 150 years. Fighting to Belong! helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

"I loved reading this story inspired by the real Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken of Chinatown!  Kids will be encouraged to seek clever solutions for the problems they see being ignored."  
—Grace Lin, award-winning author of A Big Mooncake for Little Star and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

"An imaginative retelling of a true story, Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is something to squawk about!"
—Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of and the A Boy Called Bat series

New York City is not a great place for a chicken to live. It’s crowded and loud and busy. But you can find the city’s most famous chicken, Lillie, a.k.a. the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken, in Chinatown.

When tourists ask, “Where’s the Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken?” locals point them to a video-game arcade on Mott Street, where Lillie plays games of tic-tac-toe against anyone who wants to play against her.

But eight-year-old Beatrice worries that the dark arcade is just not a good place for Lillie to live. She devises a clever plan: She will challenge the arcade’s Big Boss in a game of tic-tac-toe. Will Beatrice win Lillie’s freedom?

Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken is a picture book inspired by the true story of Lillie, a real chicken trained to play tic-tac-toe in New York's Chinatown Fair arcade, and her relocation to a farm for rescued animals. Featuring vibrant paintings of Chinatown by the award-winning illustrator Louie Chin (Bodega Cat, Fighting to Belong!  Vols. I and II), Tic-Tac-Toe Chicken showcases a local cultural touchstone and shows how children can stand up for what they believe in and solve tough problems with ingenuity and heart.

ABA Regional Bestseller

"Ambitious . . . themes of family, friendship, and personal integrity shine."

—Kirkus Reviews

"A highly engaging journey of connection and transformation and an innovative read for this present age." —Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor author of One Crazy Summer

Welcome to The Vale, a world that grows by the power of imagination

A magical new phenomenon from the New York Times bestselling author and executive producer of the Loveboat, Taipei series (adapted to the Netflix film Love in Taipei).

Thirteen-year-old Bran Joseph Lee has spent half his life building the Vale, an immersive, AI-generated, virtual-reality environment using technology created by his inventor parents. It's a lush fantasy world complete with a Blue Forest, a Castle, and adventures with his mushroom-obsessed Elf named Gnomly—a much better place to spend his days compared to his real life, where his parents have suffered through the failed launches of one invention after another. 

Bran wants nothing more than to see his Elves come fully to life, a hope that seems on the brink of reality when he enters the Vale in a multi-million-dollar competition to fund its further development. But instead, things in the Vale begin to go wrong: The sunlight is fading. A beautiful girl appears from nowhere. A wizard is stealing from the Vale’s inhabitants. And the strangest part of all is that none of this is the young inventor’s doing. 

Can Bran and Gnomly uncover the truth of what is happening before both their worlds are destroyed?

Look out for The Vale—Origins, the short film prequel to The Vale starring three-time Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, coming to film festivals and screenings near you!

"Exposes both the wonder of AI and its pitfalls, and the elastic boundary between. Storytelling at its best!"
—Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor author of The Underneath

Ezra is a seven-year-old boy who likes cheese-flavored ice cream, flying off the couch with his superhero cape, and peeling dried glue off his fingers. And he LOVES making art. Every day at Braddock Elementary, he doodles, draws, paints, and crafts with abandon.

When he makes something, the entire world melts away, his heart feels warm, and his entire body wants to wiggle. But there is one problem. Even though he loves making it, no one understands it.

In this heartwarming picture book, little Ezra questions whether he should continue to make art when his parents, teachers, and classmates don't seem to get, or even like, his creations. What in the World Is Ezra's Art explores the question: Can he feel good about his art when no one else does?

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"
—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. Yet, according to The Asian American Foundation, better education about AANHPI history in K–12 schools is one of the best ways to combat racism. 

Fighting to Belong! Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History, 1900–1970, written by bestselling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man), Alexander Chang, and The Asian American Education Project and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format. In this book, the second volume of a three-book series, our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, and his grandfather, Frankie, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history, from the Philippine-American War to the incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

Fighting to Belong! Volume II helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

“Choi's true-crime biography adds much-needed detail and perspective to Noguchi's unusual and compelling story.” —Booklist

L.A. Coroner is a gripping true crime biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the controversial “Coroner to the Stars,” who performed the autopsies of Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Natalie Wood, and hundreds of other notable personalities. Choi, an award-winning historian and professor, deftly blends Los Angeles history, death investigation and forensic science, and Asian American history in a feat of exquisite storytelling.

L.A. Coroner is the first-ever biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the Chief Medical Examiner–Coroner of Los Angeles County from 1967 to 1982. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Noguchi conducted the official autopsies of some of the most high-profile figures of his time. His elaborate press conferences, which often generated more controversy than they did answers, catapulted him into the public eye.

Noguchi was also the inspiration for the popular 1970s–80s television drama Quincy, M.E., starring Jack Klugman. Featuring never-before-published details about Noguchi’s most controversial cases, L.A. Coroner is a meticulously researched biography of a complex man, set against the backdrop of the social and racial politics of the 1960s and 1970s and Hollywood celebrity culture.

Winner of the Asian American Writers' Workshop Pages in Progress Prize

"A delightful and perceptive jaunt into the heart of the Indian American community of New Jersey, Edison is a charming, often hilarious novel brimming over with life, laughter, and dreams worthy of the most outrageous Bollywood movies.”
—Chitra Divakaruni, author of Independence and Mistress of Spices

"A sparkling epic worthy of Bollywood's silver screens."
—Kirkus Reviews

Edison is a Bollywood-style epic tale brimming with song and dance, action and comedy, love and pathos, and cameos by dozens of real Indian stars of yesterday and today—a hilariously entertaining masala film in the guise of literary fiction. 

Along the way, we glean bits of Bollywood history and fall in love with an improbable cast of characters that inhabits Edison’s “Little India.” Edison is a wild, romantic, laugh-out-loud love letter to the Indian American community of Edison, New Jersey, where author Pallavi Dixit grew up.

The unlikely star of Edison is Prem Kumar, the hapless youngest son of a titan of New Delhi industry. Obsessed with Hindi movies—what the world calls Bollywood—he is uninterested in joining the family business or marrying the spear-wielding heiress chosen by his father. He runs away to chase his filmmaking dreams in America, but his plans are immediately derailed. Instead, he finds himself crashing on a mattress and working at an Exxon gas station in the Indian immigrant community of Edison, New Jersey.

Although life is not going according to script, Prem finds a happy rhythm in this bewildering setting. When the beautiful and ambitious Leena Engineer bursts onto the scene, she and her grocery store–owning father upend Prem’s short-term plan to do as little as possible, launching him on an epic adventure to make something of himself. Supported by an unruly cast of roommates, aunties, murderous yet orderly mobsters, and film stars at once glamorous and ludicrous, Prem test-drives the role of hero, and along the way, he witnesses around him the transformation of an ordinary suburb into a bustling "Little India."

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"
—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. Yet, according to The Asian American Foundation, better education about AANHPI history in K–12 schools is one of the best ways to combat racism. 

Fighting to Belong! Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History, 1900–1970, written by bestselling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man), Alexander Chang, and The Asian American Education Project and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format. In this book, the second volume of a three-book series, our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, and his grandfather, Frankie, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history, from the Philippine-American War to the incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

Fighting to Belong! Volume II helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

Amplify! My Fight for Asian America offers a meaningful look at the real stories behind the headlines, providing Asian Americans and allies of all backgrounds a vital resource to broaden their perspective on anti-Asian hate and contribute to positive social transformation.

February 24, 2020, started out like any other day for journalist and television anchor Dion Lim of San Francisco’s ABC News. Planning her pitches for the morning’s editorial meeting, she checked her Instagram account and saw a message from someone she didn’t recognize. Attached was a horrifying video in which men were beating and yelling racist slurs at an elderly Asian man who had been collecting cans in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco. Lim felt compelled to investigate the story, help the man who “looked freakishly like my dad,” and bring the perpetrators to justice. Thus began Lim’s four-years-and-counting quest to bring attention to the appalling rise of anti-Asian hate and violence in America. Amplify! My Fight for Asian America brings readers on an eye-opening journey alongside Lim, who has unwittingly become a national hero for her relentless fight for Asian American visibility. 

Through deeply personal anecdotes about her own life as a Chinese American, exclusive interviews with survivors, activists, and historians, and incisive historical context, she provides the very first book to tackle one of the biggest political and social controversies of this century from the perspective of the AAPI community. 

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

For many Americans of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander descent who grew up in the United States, there continues to be a startling lack of opportunity to learn about our own history in our country. Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. 

Fighting to Belong! Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders from the 1700s Through the 1800s, written by best-selling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man) and Alexander Chang and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format.

In this book, the first volume of a three-book series, our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history. 

They witness the arrival of the "Manilamen" to the United States in the eighteenth century and fly through significant moments in the next 150 years. Fighting to Belong! helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

"Historic contributions and stories of resilience are shared in this dynamic graphic novel. An informative and engaging read!"
—Maia and Alex Shibutani, two-time Olympic medalists and authors of Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is American history. The unique experiences, challenges, and contributions of AANHPIs are an integral part of our country’s development, but they are rarely taught in American schools.

For many Americans of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander descent who grew up in the United States, there continues to be a startling lack of opportunity to learn about our own history in our country. Even today, over 70% of Americans have little knowledge about AANHPI history or confuse it with Asian history. Fighting to Belong! Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders from the 1700s Through the 1800s, written by best-selling writer Amy Chu (Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Man) and Alexander Chang and illustrated by Louie Chin (Bodega Cat), shares this important and dynamic part of the American experience in an accessible and engaging graphic novel format.

In this book, the first volume of a three-book series, our middle school protagonists Padmini, Sammy, Joe, and Tiana and their guide, Kenji, embark on an amazing journey through time to witness key events in AANHPI history.

They witness the arrival of the "Manilamen" to the United States in the eighteenth century and fly through significant moments in the next 150 years. Fighting to Belong! helps new audiences young and old, AANHPI and non-AANHPI, understand how these stories are truly interwoven within the fabric of America.

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2024 Picks
Library Journal s Best Books of 2024
Booklist Top 10 Romance Fiction of 2024

"In a world with so many Pride & Prejudice adaptations, a new one has to be truly special to stand out, and this one is... A warm, sweet story with all the witticisms Austen fans savor." — Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews 

When perspiration meets privilege, love might just school them both. 

She’s working two jobs to get through college. He’s the golden boy who doesn’t know the meaning of struggle.

One fateful night at the family’s restaurant, Lissie Cheng accidentally serves a dish containing shellfish to an allergic customer, running afoul of the wealthy Lin family and wonder boy Preston in particular. Preston Lin, star swimmer and Stanford Ph.D. student, who is as handsome as he is self-righteous. When his response to the incident threatens the family livelihood, Lissie must scramble to outwit him. If only he didn’t keep popping up in her life, so she could despise him in peace!

Preston’s life hasn’t always been picture-perfect. Before Lissie came on the scene, he worked hard not only at school and at swimming, but also at burying a few things he’d rather forget. But that girl–! The past isn’t the only thing she’s stirring up.

In this sparkling contemporary riff on Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, the beloved story gets a fresh spin. Who will prevail over Lissie’s heart? Her pride or Preston Lin?

"Compulsively readable." — Publishers Weekly

"Like Crazy (not) Rich Asians meets Jane Austen, Pride and Preston Lin is a delightful retelling of a beloved classic that had me smiling from page one." — Evelyn Skye, New York Times bestselling author of The Hundred Loves of Juliet