Hapa Girl

A vivid depiction of the racism suffered by a mixed-race family in rural South Dakota.

Once a derogatory label derived from the Hawaiian word for half, Hapa is now being embraced as a term of pride by many people of Asian or Pacific Rim mixed-race heritage. Award-winning film producer and artist Kip Fulbeck has created a forum in word and image for Hapas to answer the question they're nearly always asked: "What are you?" Fulbeck's frank, head-on portraits are paired with the sitters' own statements of identity. A work of intimacy, beauty, and powerful self-expression, Part Asian, 100% Hapa is the book Fulbeck says he wishes he had growing up. An introduction to the rest of the world and an affirmation for Hapas themselveswho now number in the millions—it offers a new perspective on a rapidly growing population.

Elegant, brutal, and profound—this magnificent debut captures the grit and glory of modern Hawai'i with breathtaking force and accuracy. In a stunning collection that announces the arrival of an incredible talent, Kristiana Kahakauwila travels the islands of Hawai'i, making the fabled place her own. Exploring the deep tensions between local and tourist, tradition and expectation, façade and authentic self, This Is Paradise provides an unforgettable portrait of life as it’s truly being lived on Maui, Oahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island. In the gut-punch of “Wanle,” a beautiful and tough young woman wants nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps as a legendary cockfighter. With striking versatility, the title story employs a chorus of voices—the women of Waikiki—to tell the tale of a young tourist drawn to the darker side of the city’s nightlife. “The Old Paniolo Way” limns the difficult nature of legacy and inheritance when a patriarch tries to settle the affairs of his farm before his death. Exquisitely written and bursting with sharply observed detail, Kahakauwila’s stories remind us of the powerful desire to belong, to put down roots, and to have a place to call home.

Colorism is defined as "discriminatory treatment of individuals falling within the same 'racial' group on the basis of skin color." In other words, some people, particularly women, are treated better or worse on account of the color of their skin relative to other people who share their same racial category. Colorism affects Asian Americans from many different backgrounds and who live in different parts of the United States. Is Lighter Better? discusses this often-overlooked topic. Joanne L. Rondilla and Paul Spickard ask important questions such as: What are the colorism issues that operate in Asian American communities? Are they the same issues for all Asian Americans--for women and for men, for immigrants and the American born, for Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans, Vietnamese, and other Asian Americans? Do they reflect a desire to look like White people, or is some other motive at work? Including numerous stories about and by people who have faced discrimination in their own lives, this book is an invaluable resource for people interested in colorism among Asian Americans.

In her first work of literary nonfiction, Sharon H. Chang reflects critically on her Asian American, Mixed Race, and activist identity through the prism of returning to Hawai'i as a tourist. While visiting O'ahu and Kaua'i she considers childhood trips to Maua'i and the Big Island, pop culture and Hollywood movies of her youth that perpetuated Hawaiian stereotypes, and what it means that she has been stereotyped as a "Hawai'i Girl" her whole life though she has never lived on the islands. But what begins as a journey to unpack the ways she has been perceived and treated as a multiracial woman evolves into much more as Sharon learns the real impacts of colonization and corporate tourism on Hawai'i and uncovers what her Asian multiracial "mainland" identity actually looks like in relationship to the land, its Indigenous peoples, and the Native Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement.

Black Girls Sew supplies tools, builds skills, and offers encouragement to help young sewists create a powerful sense of self and style Black Girls Sew is a nonprofit organization built on strong messaging: teach and empower young girls to take ownership of and have pride in their clothing. Their first book offers the tools, knowledge, and vocabulary to help young people take back their fashion narrative. Black and brown girls and boys need a space where they do not have to encounter misrepresentation of their culture, and this book provides them with a safe space in which to explore their creativity. Primarily the book teaches basic sewing skills and design principles so that readers can create one-of-a-kind looks. By encouraging them to follow their curiosity, rather than telling them what to create, Black Girls Sew helps young fashionistas learn to take risks and explore creative play in clothing design. The way we dress is a means of expression, and by encouraging boys and girls to immerse themselves in the world of fashion, providing projects to create their own wares, and offering historical looks at prominent Black figures who have impacted the industry, Black Girls Sew is a guide for all who are interested in fashion, design, and building their own powerful sense of self and style.

Nightmares of war flood the waking memories of Nea Chhim, a 19-year-old survivor of the Cambodian Killing Fields. In this sequel to the acclaimed Dragon Chica, Nea, a struggling college student, decides she must confront the past. Without telling Ma, she hops on a cross-country bus in Nebraska to seek out her biological father in Southern California. Nea comes face to face with a man wounded by survivor’s guilt who refuses to acknowledge the family’s secrets. It is up to Nea to find the truth. Tiger Girl weaves together Cambodian folklore and its painful past with contemporary American life to create an unforgettable novel about love, war, and acceptance.

You will always be the first... A touching tribute to baby's early milestones -- those unforgettable moments that will always be cherished. From first smiles to first cuddles and even to that first kiss, here's a loving ode to every child's -- and parent's -- momentous "firsts."

Mona McKee is a frustrated bit-player in 1940s Hollywood. Currently a former child actress struggling to find success, now it seems that Mona has fallen pregnant--despite being a virgin. When a collection of her personal effects falls into blogger Bryce Polk's hand, he finds himself an unlikely investigator, putting together the pieces of a deadly mystery from the past. The Extra Girl is from Killers, an EPIC Press series.