We Are Inspiring
The Stories of 32 Inspirational Asian American women
Retail Price: $15.00
We Are Inspiring is a children's book about 32 inspirational American women. Imagine scientists, artists, actresses, comedians, judges, Olympians, and more who inspired many in the United States and the world at large. They are immigrants, undocumented, and have lived in the U.S. for generations. They were born and raised in Oakland and New York City; studied at UCLA, Yale, and the University of Minnesota; worked at the Senate, Vogue, and the Freedom Schools of Harlem. They have been awarded by former President Obama, sung on stage with James Brown, and starred in multi-million dollar films. PLOT TWIST! THEY'RE ALL ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN.
Reading level: Ages 10+ Book Details: Soft cover, 50 full-color glossy pages. IBSN 978-1-54397-416-4
*a dramatic recollection of how this book was born*
We Are Inspiring sprung from my inability to find the children's book I had wanted to read as a child. At the age of 23, I'd explored used and local bookstores only to leave somewhat dismayed. As books about amazing African American women appeared or anthologies of female baddies across the world gleamed on the shelves, there was one type of woman I could not seem to find anywhere. And if I did find her, she was eating dumplings, existing in "a far away land," or the only one in a 200-page anthology about American heroes. I was looking for a book starring Asian American women - real Asian American women, living breathing complex driven LGBTQ+ undocumented political funny wild artistic Asian American women. I would have to keep waiting for my dream book to exist. But I realized, why wait?
I wondered by I couldn't find this book anywhere... I realized it was because I hadn't made it yet.
So, in August of 2018, in the two weeks of summer before I'd start graduate school, I decided to aggressively sketch and write what would become We Are Inspiring. I wondered if anyone else would be interested in supporting my project. To my surprise and immense gratitude, I raised over $2000 on Kickstarter within a month and sold out of my first 100 printed copies.View the
Kickstarter
In June of 2019, I decided to go keep the project going. This book is for anyone, young and old, Asian and of all backgrounds, and all who wanted this book as much as "baby Angel" (the character on the cover) did.
Thank you to everyone who helped me bring this dream book to life.
With gratitude,
Angel Trazo (June 2019)