Elaine Castillo, author portrait
© Elaine Castillo

Elaine Castillo

Named one of “30 of the Planet’s Most Exciting Young People” by the Financial Times, Elaine Castillo was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her most recent novel, Moderation, has been currently longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize in Fiction, is currently a finalist for the California Book Award in Fiction, and was named one of the Top Ten Books of 2025 by The Atlantic, Slate, and a Best Book of 2025 by The New Yorker, TIME, Kirkus Reviews, and more. She is also the author of the award-winning debut novel America is Not the Heart and the acclaimed book of essays How to Read Now. She is a 2026 Whiting Award winner, a two-time San Francisco Public Library Laureate, a Berkeley Public Library Laureate, and was also recently longlisted for the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize. In the tradition of diasporic mothers everywhere, she works primarily so her rescue German shepherd Vincent can live a better life.
Moderation
How to Read Now
America Is Not the Heart

Books

Moderation
How to Read Now
America Is Not the Heart

Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

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Books for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, and we are sharing books from AAPI creators to be read and celebrated by students all year long.   Minor Feelings Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. A

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