Yu & Me Books

Yu & Me Books is the first Asian-American woman-owned bookstore in New York City, showcasing diverse voices and immigrant stories often overlooked in other bookstores. Lucy Yu opened the store in 2021 after more than a year of personally collecting books from thrift stores, launching a GoFundMe campaign, and continuing to work full-time as a chemical engineer. She wanted to create an inclusive space for Asian, Black, and Latinx voices—something she felt was missing during her own upbringing.

Yu & Me Books features a cozy reading area and offers refreshments like beer, wine, and coffee to enjoy while browsing. They regularly host New York Times bestselling authors, many of whom are Asian American, for book readings and signings that draw long lines and extensive media attention. This local bookstore has become a welcoming oasis of books, prints, and community in Chinatown.

This was the first drawing I created in my journey into art activism. It’s incredible how one drawing of a building grew into drawings of a neighborhood, then an iconic highway, and eventually Chinatowns nationwide. To me, Chinatowns symbolize the beginning of the American Dream for many immigrants. In the future, I hope to research the impact of war on immigration to foster empathy for anyone who has had to flee their homeland.