
May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APIHM), a time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders play in our shared history. It's also the perfect time to explore a biography or memoir from a member of these communities. Here are some recommendations from Spotify's audiobooks editors:
Making a Scene Written and narrated by Constance Wu
As a child growing up in suburban Virginia, actress Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. Good girls don't make scenes, people warned her. Community theater became her refuge, and acting later became her vocation. At 18, she moved to New York, where she spent the next 10 years of her life auditioning, waiting tables and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians.
This raw, relatable memoir goes beyond tracing Wu's rise to Hollywood fame to offer an intimate portrait of a living life out loud, on one's own terms.
We Were Dreamers Written and narrated by Simu Liu
In this honest, inspiring memoir, the star of Marvel's first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, shares his own origin story. Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor-from growing up as an immigrant in Canada, to his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, to becoming a TV star and landing the role of a lifetime.
We Were Dreamers is more than a celebrity memoir, it's a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstances.
Sigh, Gone Written and narrated by Phuc Tran
Sigh, Gone is an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation, perfect for anyone who can relate to feeling as if they don't belong.
During the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran and his family immigrated to America, landing in Carlisle, Pennsylvania-a small town where the Trans struggled to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Phuc navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion. In his journey for self-discovery Phuc ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes-and ultimately saves-him.
What My Bones Know Written and narrated by Stephanie Foo
This New York Times-bestselling memoir by journalist Stephanie Foo investigates the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it shaped the author's life.
By age 30, Stephanie had her dream job as a radio producer at This American Life, but she was having panic attacks at her desk every morning. Eventually, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD, a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously over the course of years. In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Stephanie interviews scientists and psychologists, tries a variety of innovative therapies, and returns to her hometown to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community. Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know reckons with the hold of the past over the present and the mind over the body. It also examines one woman's ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.
Why We Swim Bonnie Tsui
Narrated By Angie Kane
Swimming is an introspective and silent sport in a chaotic and noisy age. It's therapeutic for both the mind and body. It's an adventurous way to get from point A to point B. And it's also one route to that elusive, ecstatic state of flow.
Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein's palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what it is about water-despite its dangers-that seduces us, tempting us to come back to it again and again.
Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant Written and narrated by Curtis Chin
In the 1980s, Detroit was a volatile place to live. But above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung's Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone-from the city's first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples-could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal.
Beneath the restaurant's bright-red awning and surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese. He realized just how much he had to offer the world, to his beloved family, and to himself. Structured around the very menu that graced the tables of Chung's, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is both a memoir and an invitation to step inside one boy's childhood oasis, scoot into a vinyl booth, and grow up with him-and perhaps even share something off the secret menu.
A Daughter of the Samurai Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto
Narrated By Siho Ellsmore
In the late 19th century, after Japan was restored to imperial rule, the samurais were no longer the seat of power and the families who were impacted by this shift lost wealth and power.
Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto was the daughter of one such samurai, and had begun her life on a track to become a Buddhist priestess. But as the family lost their position in society, her path changed, and she was eventually sent to the United States to be in an arranged marriage to an American man. A D
Europe Stories
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
12/12/2025
Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...
12/12/2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
11/12/2025
Thomson and the Center for News, Technology and Innovation (CNTI) convened a two-day workshop in Sarajevo bringing together more than 35 journalists, editors, p...
11/12/2025
Having the right song soundtrack your moves can make all the difference when gam...
11/12/2025
It's been a big year for Taylor Swift. Her highly anticipated album The Life...
11/12/2025
11 Dec 2025
VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digita...
11/12/2025
Thursday 11 December 2025
Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...
11/12/2025
It's not every day we're asked to create a website for a classical musician!
So, we were delighted to help pianist Georgina Duncan as she embarks on he...
11/12/2025
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...
11/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier ti...
11/12/2025
Sash is ready to samba as Fair City star Stephanie Kelly is revealed as the late...
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
10/12/2025
For the first time, Spotify is giving users the power to steer the algorithm. Gustav S derstr m, Spotify's Co-President, CPO, and CTO, shares the vision beh...
10/12/2025
10 Dec 2025
VEON's Rising Capital Markets Profile Strengthened by Inclusion...
10/12/2025
10 Dec 2025
VEON Recognized for JazzCash, Kyivstar and Jazz at the World Commun...
10/12/2025
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Sky extends partnership with the Ladies European Tour for a landmark 30th year
Sky and the Ladies European Tour (LET) have announce...
10/12/2025
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Walk-on if you love the darts: James Maddison, Luke ...
10/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz presents world's first RF power sensor with 0.80 mm RF conne...
10/12/2025
It's out of the frying pan and into the sequins for comedian and actor Micha...
10/12/2025
Born That Way airs Thursday 18 December on RT One and RT Player
Born That ...
09/12/2025
For decades, music videos have done more than just accompany a song; they've shaped style, started conversations, and helped us fall in love with our favori...
09/12/2025
Tuesday 9 December 2025
Judy Murray calls for PE to be a priority for all schoo...
09/12/2025
Kyocera and Rohde & Schwarz demonstrate OTA characterization of mmWave PAAM at C...
09/12/2025
Wuppertal December 9, 2025
Riedel and Racing Electronics Announce Strategic Pa...
09/12/2025
Another year, another 12 months of amazing adventures.
We are pleased to bring you our Highlights of the Year 2025.
We've worked hard and played hard this...
09/12/2025
DPA Microphones today announces the immediate availability of its new N-Series Digital Wireless Microphone System for customers throughout the U.S. In addition ...
09/12/2025
Jason, before we get into the detail, what first got you involved in retail media standards? And how did you come to chair IAB Europe's Retail and Commerce ...
09/12/2025
Current Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins has been revealed as the third contestant...
08/12/2025
Comscore Releases 2025 AI Intelligence Report: Establishing New Benchmarks for G...
08/12/2025
Over 1.7 million people watched across the weekend
Another record-breaking year...
08/12/2025
08 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Breaks Ground for Hyper Cloud Data Ce...
08/12/2025
Strategic and transformative transaction would sharpen Harmonic's focus on its core Broadband business and advance its growth initiatives
Ensures continued...
08/12/2025
Copenhagen's The Epicurus is a one-of-a-kind Jazz Gastropub that presents exclusive performances curated by Jazz Pianist and Producer Sir Niels Lan Doky. Fe...