Description

From three-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat and award-winning historian Erika Lee comes a middle grade nonfiction that shines a light on the generations of Asian Americans who have transformed the United States and who continue to shape what it means to be American.

Asian American history is not made up of one single story. It’s many. And it’s a story that too often goes untold. 

It begins centuries before America even exists as a nation. It is connected to the histories of Western conquest and colonialism. It’s a story of migration; of people and families crossing the Pacific Ocean in search of escape, opportunity, and new beginnings.

It is also the story of race and racism. Of being labeled an immigrant invasion, unfit to become citizens, and being banned, deported, and incarcerated. Of being blamed for bringing diseases into the country.

It is also a story of bravery and hope. It is the story of heroes who fought for equality in the courts, on the streets, and in the schools, and who continue to fight in solidarity with others doing the same.

This book is a stirring account of the ordinary people and extraordinary acts that made Asian America and the young people who are remaking America today.

About the Author

Erika Lee is an award-winning historian, author, and advocate. The Bae Family Professor of History and Radcliffe Alumni Professor at Harvard University and Past President of the Organization of American Historians, she is the author of several prize-winning books including The Making of Asian America, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Adult Non-Fiction, and America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States, winner of the American Book Award. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Erika and her family now live in Massachusetts. 

Christina Soontornvat is the award-winning and bestselling author of over twenty books for young readers. She is a three-time Newbery Honor recipient, whose works include All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, which was also awarded the Sibert Honor and the Kirkus Prize for Young People’s Literature. Born and raised in Texas, Christina currently resides in Austin with her family. 

Praise For…

“This is a book that will change lives. Immensely readable and intensely relatable, Made in Asian America details the depth and breadth of Asian American history, spanning centuries, wars, laws, and social movements in a way that’s accessible to readers, young and old. In doing so, Lee and Soontornvat show that although our story may have begun a long time ago, our current dreams and struggles remain deeply connected not only to the ongoing promise of equality and justice in this country but also to our fellow marginalized communities as we all fight for that promise to be redeemed.” — Traci Chee, author of Printz Honor Book We Are Not Free

“This book is the missing piece—a book I desperately needed as a child, a book that would have given me a sense of place in the world, a feeling of belonging, the comfort of connectedness. Christina Soontornvat and Erika Lee's powerful book corrects centuries of erasure and shines a light on the Asian American story, on our story. Groundbreaking, deeply moving and empowering, Made in Asian America: A History for Young People is one of the most important books I've ever read.” — Supriya Kelkar, award-winning author of Ahimsa and And Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and Resistance

“Made in Asian America is moving, educational, and engaging—what history for middle graders must be. This book on how Asian Americans transformed the United States will transform readers. It is that good.” — Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You 

“This is the book I wished I'd had when I was younger. That I wished my children had had in middle school and I'm so grateful for its existence now. A powerful, inspiring, and necessary history of the Asian American experience that has long been ignored, filled with amazing stories of our young people working to change the world for the better. This book is a gift.” — Ellen Oh, founding member of We Need Diverse Books and acclaimed author of Finding Junie Kim

“Clear, engaging, and passionate: a must-read, not just for young readers, but for anyone with a love of the U.S. and a hope for what it could be at its best." — Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author of A Long Walk to Water

"Made in Asian America tells the necessary history of the heartbreak and hope that has marked and made possible the diversity of the Asian American experience. It is a tender telling of the painful truths that govern race in this country, and an inspirational sharing of how different individuals and communities have shifted the possible. This is a work that can cultivate greater equity in the hands of everyone who understands that our histories are united." — Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Song Poet

"An eminently readable, consciousness-raising U.S. history told from a fresh perspective." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Despite tragedies and injustices, readers will discover centuries of courage, survival, and resilience that also shaped what it means to be Asian American today. As compelling and thoughtful as it is necessary." — Booklist (starred review)