Fighting to Belong! Volume 1: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History from the 1700s Through the 1800s by Amy Chu and Alexander Chang illustrated by Louie Chin

“Why aren’t there more books that introduce AANHPI history to students?”

Sammy, Tiana, Joe and Padmini have a school project due on AAPI history and get lucky when Tiana’s neighbor, Kenji, agrees to give them a special tour of their local American History museum.  It turns out Kenji is not only deeply knowledgeable about Asian American and Pacific Islander history, he also has a few tricks up his sleeve which enable time travel.  

First stop is St. Malo, Louisiana where the crew learns about the Manilamen and their settlement in the American South over two hundred years ago.  Next is the Chinese American history of California, followed by the colonization of Hawai’i and an explanation of the term “Pacific Islander.”  

All told, the full-color comic is slim and fast-paced at 28 pages and followed by a 10 page curriculum guide and an afterword by Norman Chen who begins with the question “Why aren’t there more books that introduce AANHPI history to students?” 

The book may feel a bit didactic to casual readers but teachers will certainly cheer and eagerly anticipate the promised future volumes.  Overall this book is indispensable to educators of 5th  through 7th  graders.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Chang, Alexander, and Amy Chu.  Fighting to Belong Vol. 1.  San Francisco:  Third State Books, 2024.