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The recent shooting in which a white man shot and killed 6 Asian women and 2 others in Atlanta, Georgia finally awoke America to the longstanding discriminatory practices against Asians. While deeply tragic, this shooting did not seem to surprise the Asian American community, as hate crimes against Asians have sharply increased during the Covid-19 era. However, this hate crime differs from others, as it stems from an even more pervasive and dangerous narrative revolving around Asian American women. The root cause of this heinous hate crime cannot be attributed to the shooter having a “bad day,” as the sheriff in charge of the case put it, but rather, the shooter’s misogynistic, racist views, which prompted him to see these 6 women as mere “temptations.” How did this happen? What forces drove him to think this way? Unfortunately, his view of Asian women as exotic sex objects is not an isolated case. This fetishization of Asian women has been perpetuated by Hollywood and the media, leading to phrases such as “yellow fever” gradually becoming part of the public lexicon—films such as Miss Saigon, Tales of a Geisha, and Kill Bill cemented the stereotype of Asian women as exotic, docile sex icons. These movies, alongside many others, helped to solidify the “dragon lady” or “oriental femme fetale” trope in which these women are characterized as submissive, enticing, or willing to use their sexuality to manipulate others, specifically white men characterized as innocent and good-natured. On the flip side to this trope, the growing emergence of the “Asian schoolgirl” trope portrays Asian women, especially young teenagers, as shy, innocent, vulnerable sexual fantasies. The rising popularity of anime has normalized the outward fetishization of female characters and the packaging of misogynistic views about women as mere sexual preferences based on race. The rise in this fetish’s popularity highlights the uncomfortable and demeaning power imbalances, both in race and gender, within our society. The real-life ramifications of these tropes are staggering: since the beginning of March 2020, over 3800 hate crimes have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, of which over 70% were reported by women. Over 3 in 10 Asian Americans have reported being subjected to various racist and sexist slurs. Within the workforce, despite Asian Americans representing around 27% of professionals, they only hold 1.5% of executive positions; thus highlighting the false narrative of the model minority myth and the actual prevalence of the bamboo ceiling. Due to the intersection between racial and gendered stereotypes, Asian women in the professional workplace are presented with an even more challenging dichotomy-- if they express their opinions strongly and brashly, they are seen as difficult, aggressive, and overbearing “Dragon Ladies,” but if they remain reserved they are seen as shy, obedient, worker-bee type “China Dolls.” This dichotomy put Asian women in a uniquely difficult position that hinders them from gaining managerial positions in the workforce. However, despite the media’s past bigoted portrayal of Asian women, we can still effectively curb the false stereotype with more complete, dynamic portrayals of Asian women. Movies such as Mulan and Crazy Rich Asians directly oppose the hackneyed, degrading portrayal of Asian women. These box office successes will hopefully inspire media companies to tell more stories featuring complex, three-dimensional Asian American characters who offer more to the big screen than their sex appeal. We can see this trend already happening. Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, details the story of a Chinese-American woman from New York who visits her extended family in China for the first time. The movie’s refreshing take on Chinese culture and its commentary of the ever-changing identity of Asian American women garnered the movie much commercial and critical success and even helped Awkwafina win a Golden Globe Award for best actress. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before tells the story of a high school romance between a teenage girl and the classic high school jock. This classic Netflix rom-com gave the lead female role, traditionally saved for white women, to Lana Condor, an Asian American woman. Both the movies Farewell and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before show Asian women as they really are -- complex, three-dimensional human beings. Only through more of these accurate depictions of Asian women can we correct misguided, dangerous stereotypes about Asians. Hopefully, the current increased attention placed on Asian American issues will help bring about actual change, so that we will finally get to see Asian women accurately represented on the big screen, and prevent tragedies such as the one in Atlanta from happening in the future. Bibliography: Kramer, Andie. “Why Asian-American Women Aren't Advancing into Senior Leadership Positions.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 22 Jan. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/andiekramer/2020/01/22/why-asian-american-women-arent-advancing-into-senior-leadership-positions/?sh=b2289b873d25. “The Leadership Representation Ceiling for Asian Americans.”Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 27 May 2020, www.bloomberg.com/company/stories/the-leadership-representation-ceiling-for-asian-americans/ Gupta, Alisha Haridasani. “Tales of Racism and Sexism, From 3 Leading Asian-American Women.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/us/racism-sexism-asian-american-women.html.

Despite the pervasive influence of patriarchy globally, women around the world have shown their capability of creating change in the realm of politics through their resilience and perseverance, and Asian women are by no means an exception. From Wu Zhao to Corazon Aquino, no picture of Asia is complete without the inclusion of the women who have shaped it. As the glass ceiling continues to be broken, women continue to act as a force of change across the diverse communities of the Asian continent. Tsai Ing-Wen (Taiwan/Republic of China) President (2016-Present) Tsai is currently one of the most important political figures of our time. Being the current president of Taiwan, Tsai has broken many barriers during her political career. With her election in 2016, Tsai became the country’s first female, first unwed, and first Hakka president. Furthermore, Tsai became the first female head of state in Asia who was not born into a political family. In her first term, Tsai made many accomplishments ranging from instituting crucial pension reform to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Tsai's leadership through the recent Covid-19 pandemic is seen as a global model: her quick response to the outbreak has led to the country of 24 million experiencing only 10 deaths to the Coronavirus and as few as 1,007 confirmed cases. With her reelection in 2020, she has managed to maintain the current status quo with mainland China while continuing to advocate for her people’s right to self-determination. Tsai’s accomplishments make her a role model for progressive politicians across the world and she was ranked 37 in Forbes 2020 edition of Most Powerful Women. Kang Kyung-Wha (South Korea/Republic of Korea) Foreign Minister (2017-2021) In 2017, Kang became the first female foreign minister of South Korea after a long career in politics and foreign affairs. Kang has held several positions in both the United Nations and South Korean government, serving as the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights in the United Nations, as well as the Director-General of International Organizations in the Korean Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade. She served as Minister in her country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations from September 2001 to July 2005, during which period she chaired the Commission on the Status of Women. As the Foreign Minister of Korea, she was praised for her ability to represent Korea’s ability to participate in multilateral diplomacy. This year, Kang stepped down in favor of Chung Eui-Yong due to the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between North and South Korea and the latter’s political expertise in the area. Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar) State Counselor (2016-2021) Aung San Suu Kyi remains one of the most politically relevant and controversial women in the contemporary world. A holder of the Nobel Peace Prize which she won in 1991, she has been a crucial leader in the National League for Democracy -- the largest political organization in Myanmar which seeks to democratize the country -- since the 1990s. Aung San has lived under periods of house arrest since 1988 when she first began speaking out against military rule, finally being released in 2010. After her release, she remained in opposition to the ruling military junta in Myanmar which culminated in the position of State Counselor in 2016; however, as state councilor, she was heavily criticized internationally for her failure to condemn the ongoing genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Many of her statements have even gone as far as to uphold the current genocide, such as when she questioned whether Rohingya could be considered citizens of Myanmar. These statements have called into question her previous commitments to human rights and caused many to call for her Nobel Prize to be rescinded. Recently, she was detained in February following a military coup that resulted in demonstrations across the country. Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh (Vietnam) Vice President of Vietnam (2016-Present) Đặng is the current Vice President of Vietnam, holding the office since 2016. Her long political career began in 1979 when she joined the Vietnamese Communist party, reaching its peak in 2018 when former president Trần Đại Quang died in office and she became sitting president for two days until his successor was sworn in. This made her the first woman to hold the title of president in Vietnam and the second woman to become head of state in a communist country. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury (Bangladesh) Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad (2013-Present) In 2013 Chaudhury became the first female Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, the highest legislative body in Bangladesh. Before holding this position, she was an advocate in the Bangladesh Supreme Court for 15 years, while also being a strong supporter of gender issues throughout the country. She was awarded Asia Society's Humanitarian Service Award in June 2010 in recognition of her role as a world leader in female empowerment and combatting violence against women. Ramya Haridas (India) Member Parliament (2019-Present) Haridas is an Indian politician and social worker, who has served as Member of Parliament (MP), from Alathur, Kerala, since May 2019. She is the only female parliamentarian to be elected from the state of Kerala in the 2019 election. She is also the second-ever Dalit woman MP to have been elected from Kerala. Due to her humble background and respect for the support that she received in her campaign, she announced that she would donate a majority of her salary back to the people of Alathur. Recently, Haridas wrote a letter to Narendra Modi seeking to conduct a free COVID-19 test of international air travelers arriving in India. Akja Nurberdyeva (Turkmenistan) Chairperson of Assembly of Turkmenistan (2006-2018) Nurberdyeva was the speaker of Turkmenistan's parliament for over a decade from 2006 to 2018. During her time in office, Nuberdyeva took key steps to open up Turkmenistan, including organizing and promoting dialogue between her country and the European Union. Her work in strengthening Turkmenistan’s diplomatic ties was also shown in 2018 when she represented Turkmenistan in a meeting meant to prompt regional cooperation amongst the 5 post-Soviet states of Central Asia. Roza Otunbaeva (Kyrgyzstan) President (2010 - 2011) Roza Otunbaeva is one of the most impressive politicians of this age. Beginning in the 1980s, Otunbaeva held various political positions in the Soviet Union which ranged from local posts to being the Soviet ambassador to Malaysia. After Kyrgyzstan's independence from the Soviet Union, she was made the country’s ambassador to the United States before becoming the country’s Foreign Minister in 1994. In 2010, after a political revolution that ousted the previous president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, she was named the interim president of Kyrgyzstan and became Central Asia’s first and only female president. The beginning of her presidency was marked by a rise in ethnic violence and instability in the country that was eventually quelled, much to her credit. In 2011, she stepped down from her position in favor of Almazbek Atambayev, completing Kyrgyzstan's first peaceful transfer of power. Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan) Member of Parliament (2005-Present) Koofi currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) and is the Vice President of the National Assembly. Koofi began her political career in 2001 after the fall of the Taliban, promoting the right to education of girls in her "Back to School" campaign. From 2002 to 2004, Koofi worked with UNICEF as a Child Protection Officer in order to protect children from violence, exploitation, and abuse. She was re-elected in the parliamentary elections of 2010 and then elected MP from a total of 69 female members of the Assembly. Koofi is one of the most influential advocates for women’s rights and democracy in Afghanistan, while also playing an active role in the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban. Reem Al Hashimi (United Arab Emirates) Minister of State (2008-Present) Al Hashimi is a current Emirati administrator. She has held the title of Minister of State since 2008 and is also the Managing Director for the Dubai World Expo 2020 Bid Committee. She has managed the International Affairs Office of the UAE Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Additionally, she holds responsibility within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the UAE’s bilateral relations with India, Pakistan, and Sub-Saharan African countries. While much of her work has been focused on the international sphere, Al Hashimi is also an advocate for expanding female employment opportunities in the U.A.E. and, in an interview with VOGUE magazine, explained her strong belief that female empowerment has the ability to “break down the barriers that perpetuate the cycle of poverty.” Marilyn Strickland (United States) House Representative (2021-Present) Born in South Korea, Strickland is both the first African-American to represent Washington State at the federal level and one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress. Before her election into Congress, Strickland was Mayor of Tacoma, where she played a fundamental role in the city’s recovery after an economic recession. As a member of Congress, Stricklan is on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, in addition to the House Armed Services Committee. She is also a Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges, and Universities Caucus, the Democratic Women's Caucus, and the New Democrat Coalition. Her current work has largely focused on strengthening the economy and advocating for marginalized groups. Judy Chu (United States) House Representative (2009-Present) Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009. Currently, Chu serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare. In this committee, Chu is a member of the Subcommittees on Health, giving her oversight on healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight. Chu is the elected Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. With her position, Chu helps lead the Tri-Caucus, a joint effort with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She has been successful in introducing and passing a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, worked with President Obama to declare the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument, and revived the Small Business Administration’s 504 loan refinance program. Works Cited Al Jazeera. “Myanmar Military to Bring Fresh Charges against Aung San Suu Kyi.” Myanmar News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, March 18, 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/18/myanmar-military-brings-fresh-charges-against-aung-san-suu-kyi. Albert, Melissa. “Roza Otunbayeva.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roza-Otunbayeva. Anghelescu, Ana-Maria. “Three Take-Outs from the Central Asian Presidential Meeting.” DAVA, April 17, 2018. https://davastrat.org/2018/04/17/three-take-outs-from-the-central-asian-presidential-meeting/. “Aung San Suu Kyi.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, December 11, 2019. https://www.biography.com/political-figure/aung-san-suu-kyi. Baktybaev, Zairbek. “Roza Otunbaeva 10 Years After Deadly Ethnic Clashes: Some Forces 'Took Advantage Of The Moment To Try To Start A Fire'.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Roza Otunbaeva 10 Years After Deadly Ethnic Clashes: Some Forces 'Took Advantage Of The Moment To Try To Start A Fire', June 11, 2020. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-roza-otunbaeva-10-years-after-deadly-ethnic-clashes-some-forces-took-advantage-of-the-moment-to-try-to-start-a-fire-/30663727.html. “Biography of Speaker.” Bangladesh Parliament , 2021. http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/2013-01-22-23-24-34/biography-of-speaker. “Biography.” Congresswoman Judy Chu, November 13, 2020. https://chu.house.gov/about/full- biography. “Conduct COVID-19 Test of International Travellers Arriving in India for Free: Cong MP Urges PM Modi.” ANI News, February 25, 2021. https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/conduct-covid-19-test-of-international-travellers-arriving-in-india-for-free-cong-mp-urges-pm-modi20210225053342/. “A Conversation with H.E. Reem Al Hashimy.” Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, July 18, 2018. https://agsiw.org/programs/conversation-h-e-reem-al-hashimy/. Day, Emma. “Exclusive: HE Reem Al Hashimy on the Importance of Empowering Women and Children.” Vogue Arabia, September 24, 2018. https://en.vogue.me/culture/lifestyle-and-travel/he-reem-al-hashimi-op-ed-gates-foundation/. Hollingsworth, Julia. “Taiwan Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage in Historic First for Asia.” CNN. Cable News Network, May 17, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/asia/taiwan-same-sex-marriage-intl/index.html. Joseph, Neethu. “Remya Haridas Wins Alathur, Becomes Second Dalit Woman MP from Kerala.” The News Minute, May 23, 2019. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/remya-haridas-wins-alathur-becomes-second-dalit-woman-mp-kerala-102266. “Kang Kyung-Wha.” World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www.weforum.org/people/kang- kyung-wha. “Meet Marilyn.” Representative Marilyn Strickland, March 17, 2021. https://strickland.house.gov/about. “National Assembly Elects New Vice President, Top Judicial Officials.” vietnamnews.vn, April 8, 2016. https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/295021/national-assembly-elects-new-vice-president-top-judicial-officials.html. Office of the President Republic of China. “Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan).” President Tsai, 2021. https://english.president.gov.tw/Page/40. Pannier, Bruce. Why This Central Asian Summit Could Be Different, March 14, 2018. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2018/03/mil-180314-rferl03.htm. Paul, Cithara. “Ramya Haridas: Singing Her Way to Victory.” The Week. The Week, June 15, 2019. https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2019/06/15/ramya-haridas-singing-her-way-to-victory.html. “Pension Funds Online.” Pension system in Taiwan - Pension Funds Online. Accessed March 25, 2021. https://www.pensionfundsonline.co.uk/content/country-profiles/taiwan. Pletcher, Kenneth. “Tsai Ing-Wen,” 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tsai-Ing-wen. “South Korea to Replace Kang Kyung-Wha, the Nation's First Woman Foreign Minister:NK News.” NK News - North Korea News, January 22, 2021. https://www.nknews.org/2021/01/south-korea-to-replace-kang-kyung-wha-the-nations-first-woman-foreign-minister/. “Tsai Ing-Wen.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/profile/tsai-ing-wen/? sh=73b908263e71. 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As Americans reckon with the realities of race relations and systemic hate against Asian Americans, the world at large watches as democratic backsliding in Myanmar descends into violence. On February 1st, the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, began a coup that forced out the country’s democratic government and instated a ruling military junta. The military, claiming that the country’s election results from the past November are invalid, faces both international scrutiny and domestic outrage. Throughout the country, protests have broken out over the return of military rule, a memory still fresh in the minds of many Myanmarese citizens. The country only began to take steps towards semi-democratization in 2010, and its progress towards democracy is eclipsed by a lengthy regime of military dominance. Among the actions taken by the Tatmadaw are a series of arrests of government officials in Myanmar’s National League for Democracy, a pro-democracy political party that rose to power in landslide election victories in 2015. Some of the more powerful officials detained include then-President Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi, a state councilor serving as the country’s leader. Suu Kyi, the daughter of independence activist and military leader Aung San, previously spent over 15 years under house arrest for her pro-democracy campaigns that earned her the Nobel Peace Prize. Though she has come under fire in the past few years over her handling of the Rohingya displacement crisis in Rakhine State, her arrest is still a worrisome sign for supporters of democracy in Myanmar. Outside politics, other targets of the military include high-profile public figures who wield considerable social influence in resistance. In the last week, over 60 celebrities, musicians, and artists were arrested, and the military has implemented various measures of quelling virtual unrest, including television broadcast suspension, WiFi blackouts, and social media bans. The Tatmadaw has shown little mercy towards resistance. After several weeks of largely peaceful protests, crackdowns by the military amount to a death toll that has now surpassed 500 deaths. In their demonstrations, protesters have taken to various means of expression beyond conventional protests, including painting messages on Easter eggs and holding three-finger salutes reminiscent of The Hunger Games. The latter has been a symbol of protests elsewhere in the region and throughout the world, including recent protests in Hong Kong and Thailand. The deaths in Myanmar come as a disheartening reminder of the Tatmadaw’s extensive political grasp on the country. Resistance efforts to reinstate democratic governance, however, have held out, as organizers resort to older methods of communication like radio broadcasting. Amidst the chaos, civilian resistance has also accompanied a rise in concern over state collapse and civil war, with some minority groups traditionally repressed by the Tatmadaw threatening action through armed militias. Though the Bamar ethnic group comprises the majority of Myanmar, a plethora of minority groups live in the country and many of them claim mistreatment, including the unrecognized Rohingya people who are subject to persecution by the Tatmadaw. With the added threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, Myanmar’s stability is particularly precarious. The coup has significantly reversed efforts at combating the spread of the virus: testing has plummeted, and vaccinations, which had begun merely days before the coup, have stopped completely. As the people of Myanmar grapple with a growing political crisis that further upends their lives, the international community is considering possible actions in response, though some experts estimate that the efforts so far are not intense enough. Regardless, it seems that the people of Myanmar are willing to engage in the long struggle to put their country back on the path to democratization.

When people picture farming in America, oftentimes the first image that comes to mind are white men in overalls in rural fields––not an Asian female. According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, this stereotype might hold some accuracy: Asians make up less than one percent of farmers in America, and Asian females make up less than half of that one percent. Unfortunately, in a field with limited diversity, many Asian American female farmers like Mai Nguyen have faced racism and sexism in their lives as farmers. Mai Nguyen, born in California to Vietnamese refugees, has always had a passion for food-related processes. They studied soils in college but wanted to physically get more involved in the food systems, so they focused their attention on the local community. Besides working on their farm to produce cultural and environmentally sustainable crops, Nguyen contributes greatly in other areas as well: they run the California Grain Campaign to educate people about healthy and sustainable grain production as well as supports inclusive, fair, sustainable, and cooperative new farmers in the National Young Farmers Coalition. Previously, they worked for the California Center for Cooperative Development to help farmers collaborate on sustainable solutions. Because of their isolation in a white- and male-dominated field, Nguyen founded the Asian American Farmers Alliance to build a strong, like-minded community. This network of farmers forms relationships through shared knowledge and advocates for social justice and equity in the agricultural sector. Because they share similar struggles, working together creates more power and change that would not be achievable if they stood alone. For example, they helped to successfully pass the Farmer Equity Act of 2017 which strives to provide improved resources and technical assistance to socioeconomic and racially underserved farms facing prejudice. Nguyen values not just the products of farming but also the environmental and social implications that are involved. On their website, Farmer Mai, their philosophy is highlighted as shaping a “diversified farming for a diversified California”. This overarching statement is further broken down into specific goals: “organic and holistic, drought-resistant, healthy soil, renewable energy scientific methods, and solidarity and justice”. Exploring these ideas provides a better understanding of how we transform nature, which goes far beyond the tangible commodities that only directly benefit us. I stumbled upon an interesting podcast interview with Nguyen, and one thing that they highlight is this idea of borderlands. While borders signify division between different groups, borderlands eliminate the sharp distinction which allows for a space of mixing cultures and connections. Borderlands can be physical, but in a sense, they are more about defining one’s identity and place in the world through exploration and possibilities of growth in relationships. Another point that they emphasize is the restriction of the white-rural stereotype that is placed on the farming community. Because many tend to categorize food production in this narrow view, the identities of people of color are overshadowed and unacknowledged. This creates a dissociation with values and cultures that are more difficult to reach and limits voices that form the foundation to our survival. Mai Nguyen’s story and unique perspective, which stands out from the “traditional” farmer’s narrative, deserves more recognition. Their noteworthy accomplishments and continued efforts are vital for diversity and social justice in food production. Overall, Nguyen is a role model for their community and embraces their Asian American identity. To learn more, check out their website https://farmermai.com/! Sources: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2019/2017Census_Asian_Producers.pdf https://food.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/3-changemakers-mai.pdf https://californiagrown.org/blog/meet-a-farmer-mai-nguyen-of-farmer-mai/ https://soundcloud.com/cal-ag-roots/podcast-6-digging-deep-a-conversation-with-farmer-organizer-mai-nguyen (podcast)

This piece is the first in a series of reviews and reflections on Asian literature. “I loved reading as a child, but I haven’t finished a book out of enjoyment in ages.” Sound familiar? This sentiment is not uncommon among college students, especially at rigorous institutions such as Georgetown. Reading more for pleasure is always a New Year’s resolution that slips under piles of academic articles and essay assignments, so when COVID-19 gave me the precious gift of time, I knew what to do with it. As an Asian woman, I cannot help returning to literature by authors who share this aspect of my identity. Art by Asian women unravels me, leaves me raw and bare, exposes my facades, and forces me to deal with my identity in a unique way. It is no wonder that 30 of the 113 books I read in 2020 were by Asian women. Here are two pieces of literature that have particularly struck me: The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Author Rebecca F. Kuang was just 21 years old when she published her debut novel, The Poppy War. Halfway through her undergraduate degree at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, she took a gap year in China, where she wrote the book as a method of exploring her family history. Set in a fantasy world inspired by 20th-century and Song Dynasty China, The Poppy War follows dark-skinned orphan Fang Runin through her training at Sinegard, the Nikara Empire’s elite military academy. While she enters disadvantaged compared to her wealthy classmates, she discovers that she possesses shamanic powers, which help her survive at Sinegard. But when she is called to the front lines in a conflict between Nikara and the Federation of Mugen, she is forced to make an impossible choice: winning the war or keeping her humanity. I could not stop talking about this book after reading it. I had read historical fiction set in Asia and fantasy that deals with geopolitical and moral themes, but The Poppy War was the first novel I found that blended the two: think Ender’s Game set during the Opium Wars, then throw in elements of Chinese folklore. While reading, I played a game of finding allusions to history, Chinese mythology, and competitive debate. In addition to worldbuilding, Kuang’s characters are beautifully crafted. I fell in love with them not in spite of their personality flaws, but because of them. However, don’t be mistaken thinking The Poppy War is a young adult novel. It details brutal atrocities based on the Rape of Nanking, drug addiction, self-harm, genocide, ableism, torture, sexism, and other difficult themes surrounding war appropriate for a mature audience. It will make you tear your heart to pieces. Some chapters are so horrific you might need to set the book down. But once you get started, five hundred pages will never pass by so quickly. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri In this collection of nine short stories that won the Pulitzer Prize, Jhumpa Lahiri crafts several poignant tales about the diverse Indian immigrant experience. She explores themes of love, politics, class differences, food, and grief, which English professor Noelle Brada-Williams encourages readers to treat as intentionally-connected motifs. She notes that in doing so, readers are “not only [receiving] the additional layers of meaning produced by the dialogue between stories but a more diverse and nuanced interpretation of members of the South Asian diaspora.” For me, short stories are almost always a hit or a miss. The endings of most leave me wanting more, unsatisfied by the sudden termination of a tale I was just becoming immersed in. Admittedly, a few of the stories in this collection leave me with this sentiment. But because the stories fit so well together as a whole — each one flowing seamlessly into the next — my dissatisfaction quickly disappeared. After finishing the last story, I felt warm and whole. Another problem I have with many short stories is that due to their short lengths, I often feel detached from their characters. Thankfully, Lahiri smoothly dodges this bullet. As she explores her characters’ qualms and heartfelt desires, she dives deep into their thought processes — even deeper than most novels. Her characters are human. They are raw. Multidimensional. For a society that continues to dehumanize South Asians, and for an Asian community that privileges East Asian heritage, Lahiri’s stories are a must-read.