Girl Strikes Back in School Shooting Attack (in National News) Affirmative Action Rally at UC Berkeley Draws Thousands (in Bay Area News) The H1-B Visa Debate (in Business) Taoism and the Arts of China (in A&E) Emil Amok: The Race Conversation Changes (in Opinion)

Over the Shoulder

Leonard Chang (Harper Collins/Ecco)

Korean American “security specialist,” a.k.a bodyguard, Allen Choice sees his partner get shot and killed on a routine protection job for a high powered Silicon Valley executive. When pushed to look further into the circumstances, the lonely and alienated Choice stumbles along a twisted road of personal discovery as he finds out the shooting may be connected to the death of his own father. Set all over the Bay Area, Leonard Chang’s neo-noir takes the Asian American novel in a new direction, exploring issues of race, class and family as Choice gets caught up in the investigation. Over the Shoulder, Chang’s third novel, has the perfect balance of intrigue and literary refinement.

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Motherland

Vineeta Vijayaraghavan (SOHO Press, Inc.)

Infused with adolescent frustration, Motherland takes the quintessential “summer I grew up” story to India. In Vineeta Vijayaraghavan’s first novel, 15-year old Maya is sent to spend the summer in south India. Maya has to deal with the usual entourage of family, tradition and the integral questioning of identity. The book’s strength lies in Maya’s right-on teenage voice which perfectly captures intimate moments, such as being measured by the seamstress: “I tried to stand equally straight, to ignore the firm yet indifferent hands traveling my body.” Vijayaraghavan also throws in some political intrigue to stir up Maya’s quiet summer, making the lessons she learns that much more profound.

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Tokyo Q 2001-2002: Annual Guide to the City

The Staff of Tokyo Q with Rick Kennedy (Stone Bridge Press)

This quirky travel guide emulates the city it describes by packing endless details into a slim, stylish volume. Based on the popular Web site by the same name, the guide was compiled by 35 contributors who have collectively lived in Tokyo for 265 years. Tokyo Q covers the spectrum from compelling architecture to ‘love’ hotels to the best galleries and restaurants. The best part about this guide are the descriptions, especially in the nightlife section; it makes you want to jump on the next plane with your favorite drinking buddy and troll the streets. For instance: “Inaozia bills itself as a live house, though I think of it as a halfway house for space pirates hitchhiking the galaxy. Early customers are friends of the band; later, leggy young girls prop up the bar waiting for space pirates.”