I was thinking about Christians of many national origins and ethnicity, and that thought reminded me of a Scripture passage in the New Testament. In heaven, there will be saved people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, all worshipping God together as believers.
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10).
Did you know that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (also known as Asian American Pacific Islander Month) for Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent? February is National African-American History Month. September-October is National Hispanic Heritage Month. And November is National Native American Heritage Month.
Once upon a time in 2008, I was perusing the Christian Fiction collection at my local library, when I came across Camy Tang’s Sushi Series of romantic comedies featuring Asian American main characters. As an Asian American reader, I devoured the novels, thirsting for more books in which the main characters were Asians, not just romantic comedy but in other Christian genres as well.
When I first discovered Camy’s novels, there weren’t too many books with Asian protagonists. Today, there is a range of diversity in multiracial secular fiction, but still quite a limited choice in Christian fiction. To be sure, Asians comprise many ethnicities, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Filipino, Mongolian, Tibetan, and many more. You can imagine the huge task it takes for authors to portray Christian in all these diverse Asian people groups.
Have you read these books that feature Asian Americans?
Book by Elizabeth Maddrey
“Repeated heartbreak has convinced Jen Andrews she’s unlovable. When the groomsman she’s paired with at her best friend’s wedding shows interest, she wonders how long it will be before he realizes his mistake.” – Elizabeth Maddrey, A Handful of Hope
Books by Liwen Ho
“After all is wed and done, can a fake marriage turn into true love?” – Liwen Ho, Joined at the Hip
“She’s an art teacher used to coloring outside the lines. He’s the straight-laced cop who pulled her over. Sparks fly when she decides to take a chance on the enemy.” – Liwen Ho, Taking a Chance on the Enemy
“Two friends-turned-lovers learn to give each other and their marriage a second chance.” – Liwen Ho, Tropical Kiss or Miss
More Books from Camy Tang
The Sushi Series is not the only Asian-American series that Camy Tang wrote. In 2021, Camy released The Wedding Kimono in the Save the Date anthology that I also participated in. The novella is available for free here, and is a prequel to an upcoming series called Warubozu Spa Chronicles.
“A tomboy massage therapist and her boss discover a mysterious message hidden in her grandmother’s wedding kimono. Can her family legacy help her to see her inner beauty and open herself up to love?” – Camy Tang, The Wedding Kimono
Books by Jan Thompson
Asian characters permeate many of my books, including novels in my Christian suspense genre, which I also write in addition to Christian romance. For the purpose of this discussion on the InspyRomance blog, I will focus only on my books in the contemporary Christian romance. Here are some of my books with Asian-American main characters: two with Chinese American main characters and two with Indian American main characters.
“A young pastor of a growing church in a thriving community, Diego Flores has to come to grips with God’s will for his church and his personal life.” – Jan Thompson, Know You More
“She wants to fix up his beach house and move on. He wants to fix up her heart and move in.” – Jan Thompson, Tell You Soon
“At the crossroads of their careers, two people meet on an idyllic island, where they hope that time would stand still for a change. As the brevity of life swirls around them, they have to make decisions they don’t want to make.” – Jan Thompson, Kiss You Now
“Firefighter Cheyenne Endecott is grateful to bachelor Dr. Roger Patel for helping her widowed aunt settle into an assisted living resort. When Roger needs help dealing with a skeleton in his family closet, Cheyenne is happy to assist. One thing leads to another, and Roger starts having second thoughts about his bachelorhood.” – Jan Thompson, Find You Again
Do you like to read books with ethnically diverse cast? Which ethnicity do you want to see more of in Christian fiction, and why?
Happy reading, y’all!
Celebrating Jesus, the Savior of the whole world,
Jan Thompson
USA Today bestselling novelist Jan Thompson writes clean and wholesome multiethnic contemporary Christian romance with elements of women’s fiction, Christian romantic suspense with an air of mystery, and inspirational international thrillers with threads of sweet Christian romance. Join Jan's mailing list for her latest book news: JanThompson.com/newsletter
I love watching interracial couples! I think seeing more of any ethnicity is a good thing, especially in Christian romance, where the characters have the same faith in common, regardless of their cultural differences for example.
Precisely re: same faith. All my main characters are Christians, regardless of their ethnic background, so they have their faith in common.
Thank you for your comment.
I’ve read some of Liwen’s books with Asian characters, and I’ve read Jo Grafford’s Enemy to Hero which has Asian characters. I love diversity in the books I read!!!
I think it is very sad that so much entertainment is whitewashed. It is so different to real life. I prefer books with characters from all cultures and backgrounds and am looking forward to reading some of the books you highlighted. Thank you for making it easy for me to find them. :)
Cool!
Thank you! Happy reading!
I think it’s neat to learn about other cultures and ethnicities through the pages of a book. Diverse characters aren’t often portrayed so to read a story with them is refreshing. I think East Indian would be something I’d like to see more of because the culture. When my daughter was a teen, she had two girl friends (sisters) who are East Indian & their family was very close.
any kind
Love this post! I love reading about different ethnicities and many of these are my faves.
I have to be honest. I do not concentrate on the ethnicity of the characters. I read the strories and fall in love the characters. I try in my life not to look at the color of someone’s skin, but at their heart. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Kiss You Now (Savannah Sweethearts Book 7) and Find You Again (Savannah Sweethearts Book 8) feature East Indian MCs: Priyanka Patel in one novel, and her cousin, Roger Patel, in the other.
Primarily, I write about Christians of various ethnicities, but Christians nonetheless. Church life, Christian friends and family, such things.
Thank you for your comment. Have a great weekend!
Kiss You Now (Savannah Sweethearts Book 7) and Find You Again (Savannah Sweethearts Book 8) feature East Indian MCs: Priyanka Patel in one novel, and her cousin, Roger Patel, in the other. Primarily, I write about Christians of various ethnicities, but Christians nonetheless. Church life, Christian friends and family, such things.
Thank you for your comment. Have a great weekend!
Thank you for your comment!
Thank you! Your novels have various ethnicities as well. IMHO for such a time as this, we write!
Same here. I also look at the MC’s hearts. I write from a Christian POV. That’s why I mentioned the passage from Revelation 7:9-10 in my blog post.
However, for readers looking for Christian fiction featuring Christians with various ethnic origins, this blog post shows some sample books. I am sure there are more out there, but most of the books listed are what InspyRomance authors wrote (except for Camy Tang, who is not an IR author).
Thank you for your comment. Have a wonderful weekend!
Books featuring different ethnic backgrounds just reflect real life.
Knowing how limited this kind of representation can be in books, but especially for CCR, I’ll take any! Thanks for sharing this list! I knew of Liwen’s and your books, but I don’t think I had heard of the others. I think there’s Korean representation in Hallee Bridgeman’s Jade Match (on my TBR list), and I’ve loved reading the Filipino representation in Joanna Alonzo’s The One Who Rocked Away and The One Who Wrote Away.
Im running late but yes I do read diverse characters and enjoy it. I have read most of Camy’s books and have loved them all. Missed out on missing her by one day 9 years ago. I have also enjoyed the Tropical Kisses series and a few others. I haven’t read any of yours yet but know I have a couple on my kindle.
Its interesting at times I don’t notice what ethnicity the character is but do like diversity. I read a tweens series with 6 girls and there was a diversity of characters. In real life we have a range of friends from different cultures and countries. I for one would like to see more.
I enjoy reading books of different nations. I’m Native & read a lot of those type of books.
I find them very interesting
I’ve read all of Camy’s books and LOVED the banter and Asian drama. They are so true to what it’s like! So fun!
Thanks for some of the other ones. I have many of these and many of yours.
I too desire to read more Asian main characters mainly because it never seems to be represented.
It’s one of my pet peeves about all the “holidays” for other cultures and races. I’ve read about and seen (from family) the many injustices towards Asians and yet, you will never hear it from them. They are silent warriors.
Take, for instance, the WWII 442nd military unit (an all-Japanese unit.) YEARS after the war and after much suffering, they were finally awarded for their service. They are the MOST decorated unit in the history of the military.
Thank you for bringing this culture to life in sweet books! It warms my heart!
I love reading about different ethnicities in Christian romance. It reflects how every tribe and language, nation, and race will be present in heaven. I’ve really enjoyed a window into Filipino culture through Joanna Alonzo’s books and Carla Laureano’s The Solid Grounds Coffee Company.
Thank you for this post!
Jenny! Nice to “see” you again!
Hi again Marylin! I’m so glad you liked my books! My real life families do not have as much family drama as my fictional characters, but I’ve heard enough stories about other families very similar and I took those as inspiration. :)
I agree!
Yes to more! When I asked for sample books, I collected all the responses I was able to get at that time. I had a limited time to write this blog post. Of course to Korean and Filipino representation. Thank you for mentioning more authors. I am sure that soon, there will be more books by other Christian authors as well.
Camy rocks!
Thank you, Ausjenny! Always refreshing to read your comments.
Yes, in real life, my community is multiracial and multicultural, so I do write what I know to write and from my own personal life experiences.
However, having never been to Australia and New Zealand, I have yet to write about any characters living in those two beautiful places that are on my bucket list. Some day, perhaps!
Thank you! Hopefully there will be more Christian fiction that reflects our real lives! My husband is part Native as well (several generations back). My son is multiracial — last count, there are at least five ethnic origins in him. So I write what I want to read and what reflects my real life.
Thank you! More books, more fun!
Same here re: my family drama is nothing compared to what I write about. I take a big creative license when I write my romance novels. Hehe.
Marylin – I hear you re: WW2. As a person with a small-part-Japanese heritage, I see that too. Also one can go all the way back to the era of the Intercontinental Railroad with Chinese and Irish workers suffering. Combined, our family has Irish roots as well. By the grace of God, America is a melting pot. So history provides lessons for civilizations to mature.
Thank you for your comments! I’ve seen your posts on Facebook, and wondered if you were planning to write your own books or perhaps already writing one. It would be fun!
Thank you for mentioning more books! I wish I could list them all, but with the limited time I had to write this blog post (you know how it goes), I did my best to list a sampler — and fortunately, I didn’t forget my own books LOL!
Thank you for reading and commenting. Have a wonderful week in the Lord!
Jan, Thanks so much. However, I’m not really a writer. I love reading and helping authors with their books, but writing one is way beyond my abilities. Hehe!
The American who has done Aussie characters best is Robin Jones Gunn as she didn’t try to write a books set in this area as an NZ or Aussie character but as an American visiting. (I was over some earlier authors writing as an Australian but using American sayings, and it was clear they had no idea of geography or Australian lifestyle etc. I know they books were aimed for the American audience and most would not notice the issues but as an Aussie it was frustrating. I am glad to say nowadays authors put in the work to get things right.
I love diversity in books its how we learn and I also like when the characters are not stereotypical.