Journey to Tomioka

 

Rating: 4  for Studio Ghibli like artwork and supernatural, fantastical power of children

My Thoughts:

If you are a studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki fan and a fan of  Rhoald Dahl, Journey to Tomioka has a similar vibe of tragedy, fantasy and the strength of children. Osamu and his older sister Akiko live with their grandmother. They once lived in Fukushima, but the tsunami hit Fukushima, killing their parents and destroying their home, In addition, the effects of the tsunami started a nuclear meltdown in the area and former residents were displaced. If readers are interested in the real story in Fukushima, direct readers to the graphic novel Meltdown: Six Days of Disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. 

The small family is as content as they can be even if they can no longer go home. Osamu lives in his own lonely world where he befriends imaginary friends known as yōkai, or spirits. See the connection to Hayao Miyazaki? When Bāchan dies, though, Akiko and Osamu are adamant that they need to return grandmother's ashes to their home

From the Publisher:

For fans of This Was Our Pact and Hayao Miyazaki films comes a breathtaking graphic novel about siblings who risk everything to return their grandmother's ashes to her home inside the Fukushima Exclusion Zone.

Osamu hasn't been the same since that day. When the tsunami hit Fukushima prefecture, it killed his parents, destroyed his home, and triggered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters. Now, all Osamu has left is his grandmother, Bā-chan, and his big sister, Akiko. As he withdraws into his own world, he befriends friends yōkai―spirits only he can see.

Then, tragedy strikes again, and Bā-chan dies. Osamu and Akiko are determined to return her ashes to their family farm in Tomioka, a town within Fukushima's forbidden zone. There, the siblings will face dangerous radiation and yōkai, both friendly and deadly―but they're willing to risk it all to make it home.

Publication Information:

Author: Laurent Galandon

Illustrator: Michael Crouzat

Translators: Owen Smith, Anne Smith

Publisher: First Second (June 9, 2026)

Print length: 112 pages

Grade level: 4-6

See You In Memories

Rating: 4 out of 5|Artwork and artist reflection is fabulous

My Thoughts:

It feels like the first 50 pages are just artwork, but the fine line drawings are fabulous and the more pictures you look at, the closer you look at them. At first I was rushing through to get to the story, but keep your binoculars on and see what story the pictures are telling. I had to "read" this book 3 times. The first time, I got about 10 pages in and realized I was reading my pdf backwards. 

The second time I read it, I understood the weird time lapse in the sketchbook and was not surprised when she fell, but I was sad about what "See You in Memories" meant to the two characters. Time in this story is very confusing. Read it more than twice. 

The third time, I read the sketches at the beginning: people out, people in. 

This was a lovely experience and I appreciated the ability to read for three different purposes.

From the Publisher:

A lost memory. A mysterious sketchbook. A city full of secrets. See You in Memories is a lyrical journey through loss, art, and self-rediscovery. Billie, once an online music sensation, is found unconscious and amnesic, clutching a sketchbook of Hong Kong’s streets. Following her own drawings, she retraces a city she no longer remembers, blurring the lines between past and present, reality and imagination, until she uncovers the truth of who she is.

A once promising singer-songwriter is found unconscious on the street with only a sketchbook full of drawings of Hong Kong, sending her on a profound journey as she rediscovers what she's lost and what is to come.

Billie once basked in the spotlight as an internet singer-songwriter until her fame faded and her songs drew only harsh criticism. Urged by her father to give up her “star dream,” she fled home in a storm of emotion. Three years later, she wakes up and discovers she was found unconscious on the street with no memory of her disappearance, clinging to a sketchbook filled with evocative drawings of Hong Kong’s streetscapes. As Billie retraces the vivid locations within her sketches, she embarks on a profound, otherworldly journey through memory and place—seeking not just what she has lost, but who she has become.

This slipcase edition includes both See You In Memories and a reproduction of Billie's sketchbook, inviting readers to follow her through her Hong Kong.

Publication Information:

• Author: Pen So
• Translator, Letterer: Book Buddy Media
• Publisher: Nakama Press
• Publication Date: May 26, 2026
• Print Length: 124 pages

 

Magical Girl Dandelion, Volume I

 

Rating: 3 out of 5| Both creepy and cute?

My Thoughts:

Tampopo (dandelion in Japanese) loses both her parents when they were killed by a fiend. She is raised by her grandfather and her "best friend" Shade, who is himself a fiend. He has always protected Tampopo by killing other fiends, which is both creepy and cute because again, he is a fiend, complete with razor sharp teeth and psychopathic smile. 

As she gets older, she is sought after because she will be a magical girl. Her scores are off the charts. This is not good for Shade. How can he keep her to himself if they are going to make her into a fiend killer? 

Read more volumes as Tampopo learns about her growing "magical girl" powers. 

From the Publisher:

Tanpopo Ohanami’s quiet days are interrupted by a life-changing offer to become a magical girl! But she has one big, bad, serrated-toothed secret: Her best friend, Shade, is a fiend in a world where fiends are villains to humankind.

Shade is none too pleased with the idea of Tanpopo joining the ranks, but there’s more than their friendship at stake when Tanpopo’s grandpa falls victim to fiendhood!

Publication Information:

• Author: Kaeru Mizuho
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
• Publication Date: March 3, 2026
• Print Length: 160 pages

Eva to the Max

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 | girl power, feminist, novel in verse

My Thoughts:

Yes to girls on dirt bikes and the families who sacrifice for them! 

Hurray for Title IX!

This novel in verse by Rebecca Caprara packs in action, fear, heartbreak, character growth and heart-expanding friendship all within poems and words that race across the page. 

 Outside of school, Eva gets to live her passion through racing, while also hanging out with her dad, her best friend and his dad. In the garage, she is safe.  Eva can be the muddy, hard driving, competitive "Eva Knievel". But at home with her mom, as well as in her new middle school, Eva has the same fears of fitting in, not standing out, wanting to disappear. She has already moved schools to get away from the bullying of girls that teased her about her love for motocross. She has to face her mother's disappointment that she cannot be the kind of daughter that will focus on school and find a hobby that is safe.

What helps her grow is that she has a great pit crew who can give her space to fail upward in both her personal life as well as her racing life. This is a feel good story because Eva has to learn to balance disappointment and upheaval  without further sacrificing her dream and her relationships. 

Finally, stay for the historical notes on the actual history of female motocross. I am noticing more girls on dirt bikes in our middle schools. This is definitely not just a boy's world. 

From the Publisher:

Motocross is Eva’s life. Nothing beats the rush she feels ripping it up on the course—except maybe the moment just after the race when she removes her helmet, and the other riders realize they just got smoked by a twelve-year-old girl.

While fear of bullying leads Eva to keep her passion a secret at school, she’s known in the local racing circuit as “Eva Knievel,” a brazen competitor willing to risk it all to win. But when her daredevil behavior leaves her with a bruised ego and a busted bike, Eva is forced to reckon with the high costs of her beloved sport—financial, physical, and emotional.

As if that reality check weren't harsh enough, there's a new girl at school whose arrival not only threatens Eva's carefully crafted school persona, but her place on the podium, too.

Publication Information:

• Author: Rebecca Caprara
• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication Date: May 19, 2026
• Print length: 400 pages
• Reading age: 10 years and up

An Expanse of Blue

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 |  for a big "mirror, window and sliding glass door" -- in verse -- for ʻopio kanaka.

My Thoughts:

Finally, a novel in verse, similar to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez but for Pacifica, and specifically Hawaiian teens. The characters are in the diaspora (Western Washington), but they are in a Hawaiian community. Aouli lashes out at her father, at her sister, at her mother, at the church. There is so much going on and no one really sees her. . .until Nalu.

• The good: This novel in verse uses poetic elements like white space and concrete poetry strategies to help the reader feel her frustration and the breaking of the pieces of her. This is perfect for reluctant female readers as Nalu is dreamy and Aunty Ehu is someone we all have in our family.

• The tolerable, but unfortunate: While the story is contemporary, the cover art feels disconnected; the character appears older than Aouli and Kaia, and the styling, from the earrings to the perfectly neat tita bun--doesn't quite capture the raw, youthful energy of the vere.

• The relatable: I think the characters and situations will be very relatable to local teens. It is both global and ʻāina grounded. That is the highest praise I can give.

From the Publisher:

Aouli Elizabeth Smith is adrift: unheard at home and an unbeliever at church, fighting her sister and losing her best friend. Overflowing with feeling, she pours her secrets and herself into her song journal when the world threatens to sweep her away. The one place she feels tied down to earth is at her Aunty Ehu’s house. Those joyous Saturdays with her extended Native Hawaiian community living in Western Washington are precious to her. Under the maple trees, the fragments of her life fit together, if only for an afternoon.
Then, an unspeakable truth about her father shatters this one perfect corner of her life.
As Aouli’s world constricts around what others wish she could be, language fails her. But when a new boy, Nalu, turns up with eyes that seem to pierce right into her soul, maybe it’s love that can give her the words to set herself free.

Publication Information:

• Author: Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams
• Publisher: Heartdrum
• Publication date: May 19, 2026
• Print length: 464 pages
• Reading age: 13 years and up

Mahalo to Heartdrum books, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Earth Day Reads

Outdoor Sculpture Museum, Hakone, Japan 

 UNLESS someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” —The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

Earth Day usually falls on April 22. While these recommendations aren't necessarily traditional "tree hugger" reads, they explore the land as a central character-- acknowledging what happens when we forget that the Earth is a vital protagonist in our own mo'olelo. 

In Hawaiian thinking, if kānaka, humanity, leaves the earth alone, it will heal itself. The action the earth asks for  is to pay attention and try not to "F" it up. Otherwise, we have only ourselves to blame. Some of these books explore worlds where we have already reached that breaking point. 

Recommended Titles:

• Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier -- While this is a fantasy, this is also about limited resources, man’s arrogance over all living things, and the ways of knowing that come from living on an island. 

• ‘Āina Hānau: Birthland by Nālani McDougal-- In this collection, the kānaka ʻōiwi poet weaves her ‘āina through her pieces like a comfort blanket.

• Braiding Sweetgrass for YA by Robin Wall Kimmerer (adapted by Monique Gray Smith) -- an Indigenous biologist by trade, Kimmerer shares a perspective of nature that reveals ancient intelligence and gifts for the modern world. 

• Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown in Fukushima by Deirdre Langeland --A multi-genre non-fiction account of the “perfect storm” that hit Fukushima. 

• Journey to Tomioka  by Laurent Galandon (upcoming) is a graphic novel, fantasy about a brother and sister who live with their grandmother because of the Fukushima disaster. When they lose their grandmother, they need to bring her back into the closed off zone that was their neighborhood. It is not out yet, but this will be linked when the book publishes.

• Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto -- Queer heist adventure with familiar local values and pidgin. This "mahudystopianfuturism" takes place in space because we surely lost the planet. 

 

Black Girl Unlimited

 

Rating: 3/5 -- this one speaks to fans of Renee Watson Piecing Me Together and Ibi Zoboi's American Street

My Thoughts: 

This coming of age story by Echo Brown puts the protagonist, "Echo" in  a family and a community that is falling apart at the seams, whether it is from drug addiction, violence, sexual exploitation, or all of the above. This is a semi autobiographical novel about the author's own coming of age story as she balances two worlds and finds her magical wizard powers. 

It is a story of black girl magic, and it is also a story of the magic that is in every young woman. This story is about healing and resilience through tapping into unlimited power/magic and releasing the black veil that threatens to choke us out. Don't let the subtitle, "The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard," lull you into thinking that this is a fantasy book. The emotions are raw and biting, but her coming into her own power is worth the read.

From the Publisher: 

Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism―all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson's Piecing Me Together and Ibi Zoboi's American Street.

Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic . . . everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor.

Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realizes there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything she’s worked for.

Publication Information:

• Author: Echo Brown
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)
• Publication Date: January 14, 2020
• Print length: 304 pages
• Grade level: 10-12

High Class Homos, Volume 2

 

Rating: 3 out of 5 - If students read the first one, they are going to need to read this one, obviously. 

My Thoughts:

Princess Sapphia is staying in Phthia until Prince August can finally propose. It is a little early and they are too young, but at least they have fooled their parents and everyone else. But have they? Just because they have the perfect engagement plot (based on Volume 1), they are still pretty clueless on navigating "love."  It is also harder from Prince August and Princess Sapphia because their love interests are not royals. In addition, Prince August still has to be "manly." Poor boy. 

Princess Sapphia gets sent home and given an ultimatum and deadline of one month. I donʻt know what will happen for these friends, but volume 2 is just one series of unfortunate events after another. 

From the Publisher:

Princess Sapphia of Mytilene and Prince August of Phthia return for the next volume in the collection of the hit series, High Class Homos. After crafting the perfect engagement plot (marrying each other to continue pursuing their own romances), things only get more exciting from there! With royal balls to plan, outfits to decide, friendships to make, and enemies to encounter, romantic high jinks are bound to ensue. 

Will Sapphia and August be able to convince their families to agree to the engagement? Will Sapphia continue her relationship with Marla, or will someone else catch her eye? Will August EVER confess his feelings to Percy? Follow these high-class homos as they navigate life, love, and (occasionally) their actual jobs.

Publication Information:

• Author/Illustrator: Momozerii
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: May 5, 2026
• Print length: 176 pages

Lindsey Cheng Dates a White Boy!!

 

Rating: 3 - for feel good girl band relationships

My Thoughts: 

This YA graphic novel by Asia Miller starts off with Lindsey cutting her bangs too short. It literally is titled Chapter 1: Lindsey Cheng cuts her bangs. We have all done that. Even my husband did that. Scissors are really a wonderful tool for mischief. But of course, like Lindsey, we cut it too short. However, these are elementary school shenanigans. Lindsey is in college in an up and coming rock band. She starts dating Jason, a white guy from a more renowned indie band. This is supposed to be a romcom, but the comedy is not from the "romance." The comedy is actually in the interactions with Lindsey's overbearing Chinese mom and her friends from her band. 

As far as her relationship with Jason, I find it dysfunctional. Why is he with her? He brings her along like some exotic other, but when she wants him to meet her friends, he leaves. The relationship is so one sided and I question the last panel. Why did he like her and finally how does he feel at the end? What is his motivation? It is all a little bit cringy, but I think YA readers will see this with a more innocent light.

From the Publisher:

Lindsey Cheng is a college freshman figuring herself out. She's got a band with her best friends, an overprotective Chinese mom, and a date with a super cool indie rocker boy named Jason. Good luck, Lindsey!

It's the anticipated graphic debut by CalArts Alum and viral YouTube animator Asia Miller, expanded and in full color! An indie rock rom-com of liberating self-discovery, Lindsey practices juggling love, friendship, and family––ultimately learning to choose herself. 

Publication Information:

Author/Illustrator: Asia Miller

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishers (May 5, 2026)

Print length: 208 pages

Maybe the Body: Poems

 

Rating: 4 out of 5|Highly recommended as a mentor text for student writing.

My Thoughts:

In honor of Poetry Month, I dove into the debut collection by Filipina poet Asa Drake.

This is a book meant to be read --and re-read--repeatedly. There are lines that stopped me in my tracks, and others so beautifully complex they felt ʻono, "delicious," in their ambiguity, offering a potential for meaning that perhaps even the poet didn't intend. 

As an English teacher, I especially lived how the titles are integral to the poems themselves.  It satisfies my professional pet peeve of students labeling their work "Untitled." For instance, the poem titled:

 "APPARENTLY, MONARCHS WHO EMERGE FROM MY YARD EACH WINTER"         forgo migration./ Like homeland is/ wherever has kept you.

Homeland is 

wherever has kept you. . .

I want to write that poem. I want to chew on that image and suck it out like bone marrow. 

The collection's structure is fluid, transitioning seamlessly from traditional verse to prose poems.  The use of white space is its own journey--moving from standard left justification to hanging indents and clusters of words/images/lines that seem to play across the page. 

Drake writes about colliding countries, histories, and lineages.  While it touches on love, this is not a book of "love poems" in the traditional sense; it is political, complex, and grounded in the reality of the diaspora. As Drake notes, 

It's so hard to write about love without writing about the country we live in.

These poems, much like the country itself, refuse to be easily labeled.

In the classroom:

• Line Jar: Have students pull specific lines from the book to use as "poetry starters" or concluding images for their own drafts.
• Found Poetry: Use Drake's vivid imagery to create found poems.
• Form Study: Analyze "PANTOUM FOR LOLO AHAS" Discuss how Drake adheres to or breaks the traditional pantoum structure, then have students compose their own. 

From the Publisher:

In her stunning debut poetry collection, Maybe the Body, Asa Drake witnesses firsthand the conflicts between art and patriotism, labor and longing. She reaches for the lush landscapes—real and recounted—of the Philippines and the American South as she traces the lineage of a body shaped by economic, ecological, and political dissonance. As one poem reminds us, "it's so hard to write about love without writing about the country we live in." These thirty-eight poems, threaded together with a six-part braided sequence, bind a multigenerational conversation between grandmothers, mothers, and aunts through a range of forms, from pantoums to prose poems. With its vivid imagery and an unforgettable lyrical perspective, Maybe the Body reconsiders the natural transactions of work, intimacy, and the poem itself.

Publication Information:

• Author: Asa Drake
• Publisher: Tin House
• Publication date: February 24, 2026
• Print length: 96 pages

 

April 2026 TBR list

 

I receive 5 to 10 book recommendation emails from publishers every week. That might not sound like much, but when left unread, they snowball into the thousands. While I’m always curious about what’s hitting the market, I remain committed to reading exclusively Indigenous authors, authors of color, and marginalized voices (LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, and disabled creators).
The reality is that major publishers still lean heavily toward white authors—perhaps because the YA market feels "locked" into specific narratives, or because authors of color aren't being given the same opportunities to reach the shelf.
If that’s the case, then it is my kuleana (responsibility) to highlight the authors you should be reading. I usually share my "Starting 6" on Instagram and Threads, but I’m bringing them here to dive a little deeper.
Since April is National Poetry Month, this month’s list features six incredible novels-in-verse by non-white authors. Good luck finding a curated list like this anywhere else—I’ve tried the Google rabbit hole and came up empty, so I decided to build it myself.

The Starting 6

Note: Descriptions are adapted from publisher and critical reviews to give you an accurate flavor of each title before I dive into my own reading.

• King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin

An “artful and introspective” (BCCB, starred review) novel in verse “celebration of neurodiversity wrapped in bars so tight they could stop traffic” (Shelf Awareness) about a Black teen with ADHD who finds self-expression and first love during one epic summer school season

•  When We Ride by Rex Ogle

Ogle delivers a propulsive narrative exploring the limits of loyalty and friendship.   It’s a raw look at how bonds are tested by the harsh realities of drugs and violence.

• (S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi 

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for.

• An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams

Fans of The Poet X will fall for this powerful, romantic debut novel-in-verse about a Native Hawaiian girl's fight to find belonging in a fracturing family, sharing a message of love with resounding emotional truth.

• The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne  Paulino

“This story is about a boy who is certain of his own magic in the midst of the doubtful adults around him. A kid who knows not even the sky, but the stars are the limit. Which makes Paulino’s debut…extraordinary.” —Jason Reynolds, author of National Book Award finalist Look Both Ways and Newbery Honor Book Long Way Down

• The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez

“A powerful love letter to finding and using your voice, this story will resonate deeply with those who struggle to feel seen and nurtured, particularly young women of color… A compelling drama with a firecracker protagonist that stuns with its strikingly beautiful writing.” —Kirkus, starred review

 

Akira Failing in Love, Vol. 1

 

 

Rating: 3 of 5 for cute factor and investment worthy

My Thoughts:

This is a wholesome, cute, and funny story about Akira and Hajime. The two teens have had a crush on each other since they were young children, but Akira leaves and their friendship stops. When Akira moves back to the country, Hajime is ecstatic because he still has a crush on Akira even if he has no game and feels inferior to her. 

Little does he know (even through volume 1) that Akira has a long time crush on Hajime too. She needs a script to try and talk to him, but all her ideas fail and the two of them just keep misreading the other person's intentions. Akira is always prepared. She does well in school but she is horrible at sports. Hajima is horrible at school and excels in sports except for the fact that he does not play sports and is prone to injury.

This is a cute story of the misadventures and failures of the two teens. 

From the Publisher:

Akira returns to the countryside for high school with a foolproof scheme to win the heart of her childhood crush, Hajime. Too bad they’re both fools in love!

Highlights of Akira’s carefully orchestrated strategy to court Hajime include covering his eyes with her hands, tricking him into saying her name, and making his heart race. But she might have better luck impressing him with her academic and athletic prowess. Or not. Because he’s too dense to figure out she likes him. And she’s too dense to figure out he likes her back!

Publication Information:

• Author/Illustrator: Shinta Harakawa
• Publisher: VIZ Media, LLC
• Publication Date: March 10, 2026
• Print Length: 216 pages

The Emperor of Gladness

Rating: 4 out of 5 This is an adult novel - complex, poetic. It languishes in a continuous cycle of tragedy and hope.

My Thoughts:

With a name like Ocean Vuong, I expected the writing to be poetic -- and it really is. Sentences and phrases stopped me; I had to catch my breath. The author is a word caster.  It begins with Hai, the protagonist, set to commit suicide; but across the river is Grazina, a widow who convinces him to come and talk to her.  He never leaves. 

The journey of Grazina and Hai, who she calls Labas, is a journey through dementia, loneliness, despair, and hope. He is hiding out after lying to his immigrant mother about going to medical school, while also acting as a caretaker to another man's mother. 

 This is about mundane lives. This is about living outside the liminal edges of the American dream, not just as immigrants,  but also as the uneducated, the poor, and the marginalized. 

I was curious about the title, expecting a "big win" that never quite happens. However, I did some research into reviews and scholarly articles, and it seems like the title could be a nod to the Wallace Stevens poem "The Emperor of Ice-Cream."  As Austin Allen notes in the Poetry Foundation, the connection provides a haunting perspective on reality and appearance.

Finally, some of the quotes I had to write down:

“Words cast spells. You should know this as a writer. That's why it's called spelling, Labas.”

 “How strange to feel something so close to mercy, whatever that was, and stranger still that it should be found here of all places, at the end of a road of ruined house by a toxic river. That among a pile of salvaged trash, he would come closest to all he ever wanted to be: a consciousness sitting under a lightbulb reading his days away, warm and alone, alone and yet, somehow, still somebody's son.”

From the Publisher:

One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.

Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong’s writing – formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness – are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.

Publication Information:

• Author: Ocean Vuong
• Narrator: James Aaron Oh
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: May 13, 2025
• Listening length: 14 hours and 5 minutes