3 Summer Releases to Add to Your Reading List

The end of summer may be upon us, so Mochi staff members share three recent releases perfect for any time of the year.

“When the Hibiscus Falls” by M. Evelina Galang (June 13, 2023)

Seventeen stories traverse time, languages, and borders in the lives of Filipinas and Filipina Americans. M. Evelina Galang constructs a gorgeous short-story collection in “When the Hibiscus Falls,” which examines the triumphs and sorrows that connect generations of women. 

From Philippine provinces to the middle of the United States, “When the Hibiscus Falls” dwells within the complexity of family, community, and Filipino American identity. The literary text entwines Tagalog, Kapampangan, and provincial dialects into the dialogue, mimicking the pause experienced by a Filipino American learning about their history as disruption for the monolingual English reader. I had to read this collection with my mother for quick translation. While reading about roguish daughters, steady mothers, future descendants, and the ancestors who are always looking out, I recognized my own little Philippine family beside me. 

M. Evelina Galang writes with range and poignancy to account for the diaspora. From the author I learned that going home can entail returning to the past; it’s filled with grief and missing childhoods. Furthermore, there is no such thing as quiet moments — the ancestors are humming hymns and dancing. — Dorilyn Toledo

“Everyone Wants to Know” by Kelly Loy Gilbert (June 13, 2023)

The Lo family has never known what it’s like not to be in the spotlight. The seven of them — including 16-year-old Honor, from whose point of view the story is written — are best known for their reality show, but also have risen to fame from their podcast, book, and social media influence. Above all, they are Los, as they often say, meaning they are loyal first to one another. When their family’s wholesome and relatable image is shattered by the parents’ separation, that motto becomes a mask that they — and Honor, in particular — struggle to hide behind. Honor’s world becomes further disrupted when she changes schools and is betrayed by her closest friends, while also questioning the sincerity of a new love interest. All the while, her family’s business is on public display, and everyone has their own commentary about them.

In “Everyone Wants to Know,” author Kelly Loy Gilbert delivers another novel that engages her teen readers with themes of belonging, family dynamics, friendships, and self-acceptance. She touches on the struggle of many Asian American teens who want to buck saving face for being true to themselves, while still craving their parents’ approval. While these familiar themes will resonate with many readers, the celebrity status and lifestyle of the Lo family keep these characters slightly at arm’s length. This emotional distance also is visible in Honor’s relationship with a classmate — perhaps a product of both characters’ discomfort with vulnerability or an unintended emotional flatness that could have benefited from stronger dialogue. It’s hard to root for the relationship when we, as readers, struggle to understand the chemistry between them.

Or, perhaps, Gilbert is reminding us that relationships are awkward and questionable from those on the outside — and especially when it comes to family members. Through the Los, Gilbert shows us that family dynamics are messy, deeply painful, and ugly, but there is also room for forgiveness, grace, and reconnection. — Melody Ip

“Family Style” by Thien Pham (June 20, 2023)

If you are looking for a graphic novel that’s based on history and has a lot of heart, look no further than “Family Style.” Thien Pham fills the six frames on each page with illustrations that resemble woodcut prints and cartoons. He chronicles the journey his family made from the refugee camps of Thailand to the suburbs of San Jose, California. The mundane meals tell a story of family survival and also of Pham’s young adulthood as he negotiates his relationship to America.

The humility of the food featured — banh cuon, croissant, and potato chips — contrasts with the sense of pride as Pham embraces being Vietnamese American. There is meaning in each meal and the chapter it represents in Pham’s life, like the cafeteria lunch when he goes to school in America for the first time. “Family Style” captures immigration and citizenship from the point of view of someone who comes to the United States as a child and shows us that proudly being American is bittersweet. — Yvonne Su

Cover Credit: Roman Melnychuk / Unsplash