Simone seems to have everything. He is one of the Glitterati, fashionable elites who are so wealthy that their every whims are catered to without even being aware of things like servants and money. The Glitterati world is one defined by strict codes of fashion and conduct with styles and trends cycling through at a rapid speed. Memories are wiped any time anything unpleasant happens to prevent frown lines and worry wrinkles. Simone, his wife Georgie and their Glitterati friends live always in the near future of the next fashion trend they are chasing. Ugly people are to be avoided and pitied. Langmead fills the world with creative and whimsical details like water beds filled with living fish and a house that can be any of the seasons its owner chooses. This helps offset that for much of the novel Simone, Georgie and their friends are thoroughly unsympathetic characters and the novel meanders a bit before forming a plot. However, humanity (and a plot point) is brought into their lives with the child, a toddler who appears one day in their garden. Their efforts to understand this new addition bring in humor and caring; I came away appreciating my ugly, messy life more than I had before. Besides Giltterati available from eBCCLS, which was released yesterday, you can read two of Langmead’s previous works Dark Star and Metronome from Hoopla.
Written by: Aimee Harris Information and Digital Services Manager
Check out a variety of terrific adult fiction and nonfiction books for AAPI Heritage Month available as ebooks from eLibraryNJ, eBCCLS, and Hoopla. Also available in print from BCCLS libraries.
Adult Fiction Interior Chinatown Charles Yu A deeply personal story about race, pop culture, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play. Willis Wu discovers the secret history of Chinatown & the buried legacy of his own family.
Win Me Something Kyle Lucia Wu A nuanced coming-of age debut story about a biracial Chinese American woman in NJ who asks what it really means to belong and how she might begin to define her own life.
The Verifiers Jane Pek A young Chinese American woman is hired by a detective agency to verify people’s online dating personas. But when a client turns up dead, she investigates.
My Year Abroad Chang-Rae Lee An entertaining story of a young American whose life is transformed when a Chinese American businessman suddenly takes him under his wing on an adventure across Asia.
A Song Everlasting Ha Jin A timely story that follows a famous Chinese singer severed from his country as he tries to find his way in the U.S. and reclaim his ethnic identity and maintain his art.
Homeland Elegies Ayad Akhtar A Muslim-American family struggles to survive in the U.S. following the tragedy of 9/11. The compelling story takes us from palatial suites in Europe to guerilla lookouts in the Afghan mountains.
Pachinko Min Jin Lee A saga that follows a Korean family from the 1900s through 8 decades & 4 generations. A Korean girl’s unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame her family so she leaves Korea starting a chain of events.
Searching for Sylvie Lee Jean Kwok A drama untangling the complicated ties that bind two Chinese sisters and their mother as the eldest daughter disappears and family secrets emerge.
Adult Non-Fiction Rise: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now Jeff Yang A mass media and pop culture tribute to Asian Americans. This vivid scrapbook focuses on voices, emotions and memories from an era in which Asian culture was transformed.
On Monday, May 23 at 6:00 pm, join us for a special AAPI Book Club discussing “Rise” led by Jennie Pu, Hoboken Public Library Director in the Small Programming Room (lower level, 500 Park Ave, Main Branch). See the HPL calendar for other great AAPI Heritage Month events!
Crying in the H Mart Michelle Zauner A powerful memoir from the indie rock star of Japanese Breakfast fame about growing up Korean-American, losing her mother & finding herself.
The Groom Will Keep His Name Matt Ortile A collection of tender essays on sex, dating, and identity from a gay Filipino immigrant learning to navigate race, resistance, and romance in America.
This is What America Looks Like Ilhman Omar An intimate memoir by the first African refugee, first Somali-American, & one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Facing the Mountain Daniel James Brown A true story of the Japanese-American heroes in WWII. Interviews with the families of 4 soldiers who were part of the Japanese-American Army unit that overcame brutal odds in Europe.
Flying Free Cecilia Rodriguez Aragon The compelling story of how Filipino Cecilia Aragon broke barriers and became the first female Latino pilot on the U.S. Aerobatic Team.
Book List Adapted from 2022 AAPI Heritage Month Brochure created by: Ethan Galvin Information and Digital Services Librarian
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 