Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Library

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, and we are commemorating the occasion with a month full of programs and displays at the library. In our programs, you'll hear from Asian Americans in the Henrico community as they share their personal immigration experiences, learn about Japanese plants, gardening, and flower arranging, and discuss books and films with stories from Cambodia, India, and China. Read on to learn more about our upcoming programs and browse our list of recommended titles by AAPI authors and about AAPI Heritage!

We look forward to learning about Asian American and Pacific Islander culture and history, and hope you’ll join us for our upcoming programs:

ADULT PROGRAMS

• Portraits of Immigrant Voices
  • Mon., May 22, 7-8PM at Tuckahoe Library
  • Hear from new Americans hailing from a variety of countries who were profiled in the book Portraits of Immigrant Voices, published by the Asian American Society of Central Virginia (AASoCV). In this hour-long panel discussion, panelists will share their experiences settling in the Henrico area, and answer questions from a moderator and the audience. Copies of the book Portraits of Immigrant Voices will be available for sale, benefiting the AASoCV. This program expands on our discussion of Chinese American heritage started at All Henrico Reads with Jamie Ford to celebrate the diversity of our community. It is sponsored by the AASoCV, HCPL, and the Friends of Henrico County Public Library.

• Great Plants from Japan… and Some to Avoid
  • Sat., May 6, 11AM-12PM at Tuckahoe Library
  • Did you know that Blue Mophead Hydrangeas, along with many other common landscape plants, originate from Japan? Join presenter Peggy Singlemann to learn about plants from Japan, how they came to America, and why some have become invasive. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

• Exploring Japanese Gardens
  • Sat., May 6, 2-3PM at Varina Library
  • Enjoy a photo essay presentation by Peggy Singlemann of public and private gardens in central Japan including Tokyo and Kyoto, and other, smaller communities. Discover the beauty of a variety of different gardens and their unique design elements. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.  Image courtesy Peggy Singlemann.

• Remembering the Past: The Killing Fields of Cambodia
  • Wed., May 10, 7-8PM at Fairfield Library
  • Amanda Prak was six years old when the Khmer Rouge forces of Marxist dictator Pol Pot marched her and her family into the Cambodian countryside for reeducation and back-breaking labor. While she survived, some two million human beings would not, losing their lives at the hands of a genocidal regime. Join us as Ms. Prak discusses Cambodia’s Holocaust and the message of hope she draws from so much suffering.

• Introduction to Sangetsu Ikebana
  • Sat., May 20, 2-3PM at Tuckahoe Library
  • Ikebana means "flowers that have life" or "life-filled flowers." Helena Arouca, Master at the Sangetsu School of Ikebana, will introduce the concepts of this centuries-old Japanese art form in a lecture-style presentation embedded with live demonstrations of her flower arranging work. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

BOOK DISCUSSIONS

• Libbie Mill LGBTQIA+ Book Discussion
  • Tues., May 2, 7-8PM at Libbie Mill Library
  • Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed

• Gayton Afternoon and Evening Book Discussions
  • Mon., May 8, 1PM and 7PM at Gayton Library
  • Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anaparra

• Forever Young Book Discussion
  • Wed., May 10, 7-8PM at Libbie Mill Library
  • The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

• Libbie Mill Afternoon and Evening Book Discussions
  • Tues., May 16, 1PM and 7PM at Libbie Mill Library
  • Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

• Not Just for Kids Book Discussion
  • Tues., May 23, 7-8PM at Tuckahoe Library
  • The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

FILMS

• Monday Morning Matinee
  • Mon., May 1, 10AM – 12PM at Libbie Mill Library
  • Crazy Rich Asians

• Feel Good Films
  • Mon., May 8, 10AM – 1PM at Twin Hickory Library
  • The Big Sick

COLLECTION

EASY

• Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed
• Danbi Leads the School Parade by Anna Kim
• Drawn Together by Minh Lê
• Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani
• Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale
• I Am Golden by Eva Chen
• I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne
• ‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis
• Ojiichan’s Gift by Chieri Uegaki
• Thread of Love by Kabir Sehgal
• When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling

KIDS

• Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
• Amazing: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Inspire Us All by Maia Shibutani
• Any Day with You by Mae Respicio
• The Boy Who Became a Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story by Jim Di Bartolo
• Green Lantern Legacy: Volume 1 by Minh Lê
• Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series by Sayantani DasGupta
• Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte
• The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang
• Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun
• Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki

 TEENS

• A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
• A Thousand Beginnings and Endings: 15 Retellings of Asian Myths and Legends edited by Elsie Chapman
• Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
• Ichiro by Ryan Inzana
• It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura
• The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
• The Knockout by Sajni Patel
• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
• Messy Roots: A Graphic Novel of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
• Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
• Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
• Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

 ADULTS

• All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews
• Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So
• Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner
• Dial A for Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto
• The Farm by Joanne Ramos
• Good Talk: Conversations I Am Still Confused About by Mira Jacob
• How Much of these Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
• The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
• Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
• Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
• Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns