It's AAPI month! Any piece of media (book, show, movie, podcast...) to recommend us?
The Farewell, Directed by Lulu Wang - Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself.
The characters are funny, heartwarming, and believable. The cinematography is moving. My older sister cried in the theatre and has re-watched it several times. ...my family is not Chinese, but my husband is half!
Wayfinders: A Pacific Odyssey, Directed by Gail K. Evenari - This award-winning PBS documentary sweeps viewers into a seafaring adventure with a community of Polynesians, as they build traditional sailing canoes, learn how to follow the stars across the open ocean, and embark upon a 2,000-mile voyage in the wake of their ancestors.
Papa Mau: The Wayfinder, Directed by Nāʻālehu Anthony - Papa Mau: The Wayfinder is a feature-length documentary that takes a retrospective look at the influence of Mau Piailug, a native from the tiny Micronesian atoll of Satawal, on reviving the art of non-instrument navigation in Polynesia. In Satawal, navigators are chosen at birth and begin training at an early age, and Mau was recognized as a master.
Moananuiākea: One Ocean, One People, One Canoe, Directed by Nāʻālehu Anthony - Moananuiākea is a feature-length documentary film telling the story of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage of legendary canoe Hōkūleʻa. The three-year voyage connected countless individuals and communities from around the globe. Purchase it on Blu-Ray here.
I highly, highly recommend watching these documentaries and watching them in this order. They're online! Wayfinders is a 1-hour brief history of this significant part of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance in the 1970s, the preceding Western skepticism of Polynesian navigation, historical Polynesian cultural genocide, and the difficulties in reconnecting with the lost art of wayfinding. Mau Piailug is mentioned in the first documentary, but Papa Mau dives deeper into this amazing Micronesian man and how none of this could have happened without his patience and passion. Moananuiākea documents the results of unbelievable hard work to circumnavigate the globe using traditional techniques. It's about the next generation of navigators, environmental advocacy, and a celebration of indigenous cultures and pride around the world.
Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, & Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan - Chinese-American Rachel Chu travels with her boyfriend Nick Young to his home in Singapore for his best friend's wedding. Unknown to her, Nick not only belongs to one of the top ten wealthiest families in Asia but is possibly the sole heir to his family's great fortune.
I've watched the movie many times, and it's WONDERFULLY FUN, and yet the books are even better! The narrator is really funny, the side characters get a ton more interesting (particularly Colin Khoo and Kitty Pong). China Rich Girlfriend focuses more on Astrid, her husband Michael, and her ex-fiance Charlie.
The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang - Yang recounts her family's escape into Thailand during the Vietnam War, their immigration to America, and the challenges they faced adapting to a new place and language.
This was a required text before going to college, and it was definitely one of the best books I have ever read in my life. I met the author at a guest speaker college event, and she is one of the most beautiful people I have ever been blessed to hear and see. I couldn't believe her handle of language...it was like spoken poetry yet she was really just talking.
I have much more stuff I could recommend, but that's enough. Seriously, if you watched and enjoyed the Disney movie Moana, then you should watch the wayfinding documentaries.
