"Inspiring, uplifting, and absolutely beautiful. With its stunning illustrations and just-the-right-amount of text, SHINING A LIGHT is the nonfiction book I wish that I had as a young person. So happy that today's readers have this treasure." — Christina Soontornvat, two-time Newbery Honoree
“Growing up, Asian American and Pacific Islander history was rarely—if ever—taught at my schools. We were absent and often erased from our own country’s history. SHINING A LIGHT is a beacon of information and inspiration about the incredible contributions of past and present AAPI innovators whose achievements have empowered all of us.” — Paula Yoo, award-winning author of Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story and From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
"Stunning portraits introduce the succinct one-page biographies of the 40 individuals covered here, each boldly facing readers and surrounded by brightly hued landscapes and images symbolic of their accomplishments. The writing is solid and informative, and the collection is especially balanced and inclusive when it comes to representing the diversity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience, showing how they have long been integral to the building and progression of both America and the world. Bold, striking, and compelling." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Accompanied by extra-ordinary portraiture from Ngai, which strikingly situates the figures amid imagistic details, each one-page biographical entry is packed with personal tidbits that reveal the figures’ motivating forces. Arranged in chronological order, the entries begin with education reformer Yung Wing and end with Olympian Sunisa “Suni” Lee. Words and illustrations movingly dovetail in this essential compendium that aims, per an introduction, to show young readers “that they too can stand up and shape the world around them." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)