We Are Here: 30 Inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Have Shaped the United States

by Naomi Hirahara, Smithsonian Institution, Illianette Ferandez (Illustrator)

A stunning anthology licensed in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center,  We Are Here  celebrates 30 of the most inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in U.S. history. 

There are more than 23 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent living in the United States. Their stories span across generations, as well as across the world. We Are Here highlights thirty Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the impact they’ve had on the cultural, social, and political fabric of the United States.

Profiles Amanda Nguyen * Bruno Mars * Grace Lee Boggs * Lakshmi Singh * Naomi Osaka * Philip Vera Cruz * Vishavjit Singh * Shirin Neshat * Thenmozhi Soundararajan * Schuyler Miwon Hong Bailar * Channapha Khamvongsa * Lydia XZ Brown * Etel Adnan * Chien-Shiung Wu * Jerry Yang * Carissa Moore * Craig Santos Perez * Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson * Eddie Aikau * John Kneubuhl * Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner * Keanu Reeves * Hinaleimoana Kwai Kong Wong-Kalu * Manny Crisostomo * Momi Cazimero * Teresa Teaiwa * Mau Piailug * Taimane Gardner * Calvin and Charlene Hoe * Dinah Jane

Genres: Nonfiction, Asian American

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2022

About the author

Naomi Hirahara is the USA Today-bestselling and award-winning author of multiple mystery series, noir short stories, nonfiction history books and one middle-grade novel. Her Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai series features a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor. Her first historical mystery, CLARK AND DIVISION, which follows a Japanese American family from Manzanar to Chicago in 1944, won a Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2022. Her two other series star a young mixed race female LAPD bicycle cop, Ellie Rush, and a Filipina-Japanese American woman in Kaua'i, Lellani Santiago. She also has written a middle-grade book, 1001 CRANES. In 2025, the history book she co-wrote with Geraldine Knatz, TERMINAL ISLAND: LOST COMMUNITIES ON AMERICA'S EDGE, won a California Book Award gold medal. She, her husband and their rat terrier live happily in her birthplace of Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction into the lives and struggles of some famous and not so famous Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI). The 30 people highlighted in the book are mostly from the Hawaiian or Pacific Islands. Each person biographed is depicted with a full color illustration and gives years of birth and deaths (if no longer living). The author does not shy away from harsh terminology and includes a "Reflection Guide" at the end which consists of questions, activites, and a description and QR code to the Smithsonian Learning Lab (the publisher of this book). There is also a glossary of key terms.

[Ezgi Sarı · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm curious about how they selected the inspiring individuals for this book. Including an X Factor-famous TikToker alongside a human rights advocate, accomplished poets, and scientists feels inconsistent to me.

I also think they focused on irrelevant details in people's biographies, which could have been done better. Other than that, I really loved the illustrations—they are absolutely gorgeous!

[Moniqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew some of the people featured in this book, but many were new to me. I'm glad to learn about these amazing people!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of mini-biographies of well-known AAPI individuals and some that were very new to me. Very easy read, and good for older kids or adults.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lives of 30 Asian American Pacific Islanders who have influenced the US. Nice illustrations.

[Squeegee Beckenheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot

[Robynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders. Some are well known, others have done amazing work yet received little limelight. Love the selection, the artwork and the editorial choices for the short bios.