By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“The Case of the Missing Servant”
By Tarquin Hall
Simon & Schuster, 2010
As the founder and managing director of Most Private Investigators Ltd. in Delhi, Vish Puri makes a living by screening and investigating prospective marriage partners.
But the portly, “self-confessed master of disguise” did not receive the 1999 Super Sleuth plaque from the World Federation of Detectives by following unfaithful fiancés and digging up bad financial reports. He won the title by taking on cases that appear unsolvable or do not seem to need solving.
In “Servant,” Puri is presented with the latter when an honest public litigator from Jaipur is accused of murdering his maidservant. The local police have no doubt about the man’s guilt, but Puri digs deeper to find the truth. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Yasmin’s Hammer”
Written by Ann Malaspina, Illustrated by Doug Chayka
Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2010
Most children take their education for granted and would rather be anywhere but at school.
For a young Bangladeshi girl named Yasmin, however, going to school is all she wants to do. Unfortunately, getting an education is not an option for her.
Although her father drives customers in his rented rickshaw around Dhaka and her mother cleans wealthy people’s homes, Yasmin’s family needs her and her sister, Mita, to help support the family. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Love, Unexpectedly”
By Susan Fox
Kensington Publishing Corp., 2010
As the second oldest of four sisters at age 31, Kat Fallon can’t help but feel a little jealous of her younger sister Merilee’s upcoming nuptials.
With a less-than-stellar relationship history and a family constantly pointing out this fact, Kat asks her Indian neighbor and best friend Naveen Bharani to go with her. She hopes that her family will finally approve of the man she is “dating.”
Nav, however, has been in love with Kat since they met two years ago and sees the invitation as a chance to take their relationship to the next level.
He disguises himself as a different person on each leg of the train ride from Montreal to Vancouver, pretending to be a sexy stranger Kat meets on her trip. The two friends begin an affair with the understanding that what happens on the train will never be discussed. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter”
By Adeline Yen Mah
Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1999
In every child’s life, there is a time when they feel unwanted. Whether they’re in deep trouble or a new baby has joined the family, these feelings of not being wanted usually pass quickly.
This is not the case for Adeline Yen Mah.
In “Chinese Cinderella,” which chronicles the first 14 years of her life, Mah has no doubts that she is seen as nothing more than a burden and a nuisance in her family’s life. Her mother died giving birth to her. Mah is blamed and considered bad luck as a result. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Gladiator”
By Dan Clark
Scribner, 2009
Many people have heard of ‘roid rage. It often comes up when people discuss steroids and its side effects.
But what is it?
In “Gladiator,” Dan Clark — also known as Nitro of the original “American Gladiators” — gives readers a firsthand account of what ’roid rage is. He opens up about his life and his 20-year battle with steroid addiction.
Born to a Japanese mother and a white father, Clark’s story begins when his parents get a divorce. Clark and his older brother Randy move to Minnesota with their father (who leaves them with an aunt and uncle after he goes to Vietnam for work). Clark’s younger sister Christine stays with their mother in California. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
Year of the Dog
By Henry Chang
Soho Press, Inc., 2008
From the outside, New York’s Chinatown may appear to be a united community filled with not just Chinese — both immigrants and American-born residents — but an array of individuals with many different backgrounds.
But NYPD detective Jack Yu from the Ninth Precinct knows better. Having grown up in the neighborhood, he knows that there is a difference between individuals with roots planted in Mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, especially when it comes to the local gangs. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Train Man”
By Hitori Nakano
Del Ray Books, 2004
What would you do if you came across a cute girl (or guy) and had the opportunity to see them again, but didn’t know how to make it happen?
Most people would turn to their friends, but in the case of Nakano’s protagonist, he turns to the Internet.
After defending some women on a Tokyo train from an obnoxious drunk, the nameless protagonist immediately shares his experiences on an online message board of self-proclaimed geeks. He doesn’t think much of it until he receives a pair of Hermes teacups from the 20-something woman who had been sitting next to him on the train.
Train Man — as he soon comes to be known as — doesn’t know what to make of the gift and immediately turns to his online comrades. What follows is an ever-growing message board as the geeks respond to him. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya”
By Nagaru Tanigawa
Little, Brown and Company, 2009
The SOS Brigade is back and still on its mission to keep Haruhi Suzumiya — a high school student who unknowingly has the power to destroy the world — happy.
In this sequel to “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” Kyon and the rest of the brigade (whose name stands for Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya) members go along with Haruhi as she takes on the task of making a movie for their school’s cultural festival. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“The Scent of Sake”
By Joyce Lebra
HarperCollins, 2009
“Let a woman enter the brewery and the sake will go sour.”
All her life, Rie has heard these words. But as the sole heir to the House of Omura, one of the most respected families of sake brewers in Kobe, Japan, she knows she must learn as much as possible about the trade in order to carry on the tradition.
Unfortunately, things are not that simple in 19th century Japan. In this male-dominated society, Rie learns from her mother that she must “kill the self,” swallow her feelings, and push her personal desires aside. This becomes especially true when her parents arrange for her to marry Jihei, the son of another brewing family. Read the full story
A girl learns book-smarts isn’t everything, a boy learns basketball isn’t everything, and a dragon and goldfish befriend a girl
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Millicent Min, Girl Genius”
By Lisa Yee
Scholastic, 2003
You’d think being a genius would make life easier. School would be a breeze. Your career choice could be based on your passion instead of merely what you’re good at. And all the answers to your problems would lie inside your own head.
However, as Millicent Min learns in “Girl Genius,” having a high IQ does not equal a perfect life.
At the tender age of 11, Millicent has just finished her junior year in high school and decides to take a class at a local college to keep busy over summer break.
Unfortunately for Millicent, her mother thinks she needs more of a normal childhood by socializing with people of her own age. Read the full story
By Samantha Pak
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story”
Written by Paula Woo, illustrated by Lin Wang
Lee & Low Books, June 2009
Being Asian American in the early days of show business was not easy.
Roles were limited and small, and more often than not, Asians and Asian Americans were portrayed in a negative light. At times, these small roles were given to white actors or actresses.
But this didn’t stop Anna May Wong, whose love for television and film started at a very young age. Read the full story
