Celebrated in October, Filipino American History Month honors the history, pursuits, accomplishments, and legacy of Filipinos in the United States. It also serves to provide a link between Filipinos in the U.S. and Filipinos in the Philippines by showcasing their shared culture and heritage. Celebrate with these books by Filipino American authors.
My Heart Underwater by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo
Reeling from her father’s coma and kissing a female teacher, seventeen-year-old Corazon suddenly finds herself in the Philippines with a half-brother she had never met.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
When seventeen-year-old Jay Reguero learns his Filipino cousin and former best friend, Jun, was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, he flies to the Philippines to learn more.
Once Upon a Sunset by Tif Marcelo
Mourning her grandmother’s passing and an unexpected breakup, a doctor from a prestigious Washington, D.C. hospital travels to the Philippines to reconnect with her long-lost family only to discover herself in the process.
In the summer between middle school and high school, Aiden Navarro is away at camp where he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can not stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance.
Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
When all her older siblings are away, Cora’s mother finally lets her help make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish. Includes recipe for pancit.
Halina Filipina by Arnold Arre
Halina Mitchell is half-Filipino, half-American. She’s also a native New Yorker–sophisticated, beautiful and confident. On her first visit to the Philippines, she arrives in Manila to reconnect with relatives only to encounter a world of surprises that turn all her assumptions on their head. With the intrepid film critic Cris as her guide, she discovers a Manila that few others get to see!
Filipino recipes from the the creator of the legendary Eggslut in LA, host of the hit online series The Burger Show, and the most prominent Filipino chef in the U.S.
Through a bedtime story to her daughters, a woman weaves together her immigration story and Pilipino mythology.
A young girl spends song-filled summers with her music-loving grandmother in the Philippines, but when her beloved Lola starts slipping into silence and stillness, the girl helps her grandmother hold on with music and the joyful memories the songs bring.
Any Day with You by Mae Respicio
During the summer before seventh grade, Kaia, who enjoys living in Southern California, visiting the beach with her family, and creating movie make-up effects, makes a film with her friends to win a contest and hopefully prevent her beloved great-grandfather from moving back to the Philippines.
A laugh-out-loud, fearlessly honest memoir by the award-winning Filipino-American comedian uncovers the true family experiences behind his popular routines, discussing his mixed heritage, struggles with family mental illness and eventual embrace of his identity.
Love, Dance & Egg Rolls by Jason Tanamor
As the only minority in school, sixteen-year-old Jamie grapples with honoring his Filipino heritage while still trying to fit in, but as racial tensions increase, he sometimes wonders if it would be easier to forget his birthright altogether instead of trying to embrace it.
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
As the Rot plagues the kingdom, Remy Pendergast, the only son of the Duke of Valenbonne—and an elite bounty hunter of rogue vampires—must decide where his loyalties lie when he joins two vampires in their quest to find the truth about this mutating virus—and develops complicated feelings for them.
She’s Nice Though by Mia Mercado
Pondering her identity as an Asian woman living in the Midwest, including what“nice” means—and why anyone would want to be it, the author, in this thought-provoking and funny collection of essays, offers a mind-bending glimpse into our misperceptions and misconceptions as humans.
