Imagine a world where all children can see themselves in the pages of a book.
Research shows that when students see themselves in the books they read, they perform better academically and are able to gain skills to become our next generation of leaders.
With this in mind, Analiza set off to write these books:
Asian Americans Who Inspire Us
Balikbayan: A Filipino Homecoming
and now Native Americans Who Inspire Us
Join our book launch team to get an advance free e-copy of Native Americans Who Inspire Us before it goes public early 2021.
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Selected as a Gold House 2021 Children’s Book, this beautifully illustrated book introduces readers of all ages to 16 Asian-Americans who changed the world.
The stories bring to life Vietnam Memorial architect Maya Lin, Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi, musician Yo-Yo Ma, astronaut Ellison Onizuka, anchorwoman Lisa Ling, activists Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, and more!
Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, discover role models, and meet ordinary people who did extraordinary things. Whether they were breaking Olympic records, bringing education to millions of people around the world, or speaking up for the rights of others, these Asian-Americans broke stereotypes and took a stand to make the world a better place.
Others featured: Duke Kahanamoku, Patsy Takumoto Mink, Tammy Duckworth, Salman Khan, Andrew Youn, David Ho, Margaret Chung, Grace Lin, and Haing Ngor.
Balikbayan means Filipino homecoming.
When Filipino American and former US Air Force officer Analiza Quiroz was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study in the Philippines, she had two goals. First, she wanted to talk with prostitutes near Clark Air Base to understand the US military's impact on their lives. Second, she wanted to talk with her family and learn about her Filipino roots.
They seemed to be two separate goals reached by talking with people in two separate worlds. Never did she expect her two goals to overlap.
In these stories, Analiza shares her experiences with the people she met in the Philippines. The stories are sometimes sad, sometimes shocking, but always true. Although they are narratives, the stories inevitably raise questions about the social impact of the US military abroad, the troubled lives of young girls, and the effects of colonialism on Filipinos' mentality and self-esteem.