Kawai Strong Washburn is known for his engaging literary fiction that embraces Hawaiian culture. His acclaimed debut novel, Sharks in the Time of Saviors, beautifully blends myth and reality to explore family and identity.
If you enjoy reading books by Kawai Strong Washburn then you might also like the following authors:
Jesmyn Ward offers powerful stories set in rural Mississippi that deal honestly with race, poverty, grief, and family ties. Her thoughtful prose brings characters vividly to life through genuine struggles and quiet hope.
In her novel Sing, Unburied, Sing, Ward tells an emotional tale of family history and love as a mother, son, and grandfather navigate both painful memories and deep bonds.
Tommy Orange explores contemporary Native American identity and urban displacement with insightful precision. His novel There There weaves together the voices of diverse characters in Oakland, capturing the struggles and dreams of a marginalized community.
Orange writes with honesty, humor, and a deep empathy for characters facing poverty, addiction, and loss.
Yaa Gyasi has a talent for storytelling that spans generations and continents. Her narratives thoughtfully explore identity, race, and the lasting impacts of historical trauma.
In her novel Homegoing, Gyasi follows two sisters and their descendants in Ghana and America, examining the weight of history and the complexity of personal legacy.
Tiphanie Yanique writes lyrical narratives filled with diverse voices, cultural richness, and the honest complexity of human relationships.
In her novel Land of Love and Drowning, Yanique evokes the beauty and history of the Virgin Islands as she explores family bonds, colonialism, and the varied paths of self-discovery.
Gabriel García Márquez is celebrated for his rich storytelling packed with magical realism, vivid characters, and lush, imaginative worlds. His works raise questions of love, solitude, political upheaval, and identity.
His landmark novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, takes readers into the mythical town of Macondo, blending magical events with grounded human drama to explore the cycle of history, family secrets, and the passage of time.
Isabel Allende's novels weave magical realism and rich storytelling into narratives of family, memory, and political upheaval. Her vivid characters navigate emotional landscapes deeply connected to Latin American history and culture.
In The House of the Spirits, Allende presents multiple generations of a family shaped by fate, tragedy, and resilience, capturing readers with a lyrical style and memorable imagery.
K-Ming Chang creates fiction that blends folklore, mythology, and contemporary experience. Her stories explore identity, family, and cultural heritage with boldness and poetic language.
In her novel Bestiary, Chang tells a daring intergenerational story of Taiwanese-American women who confront family stories, hidden pasts, and transformations through imaginative storytelling that resonates deeply.
Toni Morrison's novels dig deep into the heart of the American experience, especially as it relates to race, memory, and identity. Her writing is lyrical yet intensely grounded, often reaching deep emotional truths through character-driven stories.
In her powerful novel Beloved, Morrison portrays the lasting emotional and psychological scars of slavery, examining humanity's pain and complexity in an unforgettable narrative.
Julia Alvarez writes warm, thoughtful stories that bring readers into immigrant lives and the way individuals and families navigate memory, loss, and belonging. Her approachable yet poetic style allows readers to feel close to her characters.
The novel How the García Girls Lost Their Accents shows Alvarez’s attentive and vivid exploration of cultural identity, immigration experiences, and the bonds and tensions within families encountering new worlds.
Luis Alberto Urrea offers narratives that explore border life, cultural conflict, and the struggles and resilience within immigrant communities. His approachable writing style combines vividly drawn characters, sharp humor, and deep empathy for his subjects.
In The House of Broken Angels, Urrea follows a Mexican-American family gathering for a significant celebration, revealing complicated relationships, traditions, and the powerful pull of family ties.
Kristiana Kahakauwila offers heartfelt stories centered around Hawaiian identity, cultural heritage, and complex family bonds. Her writing feels authentic, vividly capturing Hawaii's diverse environment and people's lives.
Her short story collection, This is Paradise, closely examines the tensions between traditional values and contemporary pressures in Hawaiian life, highlighting personal struggles and resilience.
Patricia Engel explores themes of displacement, identity, and immigration with a style that's compassionate and insightful. Her narratives focus on the personal journeys of characters navigating emotional and cultural divides.
In Infinite Country, Engel portrays a Colombian family's experiences, examining how migration shapes people deeply and intimately.
Brenda Peynado writes strikingly imaginative short stories that blend reality with the fantastical. Her vivid imagination balances beautifully with serious explorations of identity, cultural expectations, and belonging.
In her collection The Rock Eaters, Peynado uses surreal storylines to thoughtfully dissect human nature, relationships, and social injustices.
Nafissa Thompson-Spires offers stories filled with wit, humor, and sharp social observations. Her writing explores race, class, identity, and cultural assumptions, often giving readers moments of both laughter and deep insight.
Her collection Heads of the Colored People portrays Black experiences with clarity and irony, highlighting the complexities of contemporary American life.
Téa Obreht weaves historical fiction that seamlessly blends folklore, myth, and deep emotional narrative. Her thoughtful storytelling captures characters searching for understanding and connection in an often uncertain and conflicted world.
Her novel The Tiger's Wife beautifully merges folklore and reality, exploring humanity, grief, and the lasting influence of family legends.