Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month Book Recommendations

Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month Book Recommendations

RCU’s DEI Committee and Bookworms Anonymous group have thoughtfully put together the following Latino & Hispanic Heritage book recommendations. Enjoy and celebrate in the richness of this beautifully diverse community!

the great divide

cristina henriquez

Synopsis

It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection. Genre: Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

a nation of women

luisa capetillo

Synopsis

In 1915, Puerto Rican activist Luisa Capetillo was arrested and acquitted for being the first woman to wear men's trousers publicly. While this act of gender-nonconforming rebellion elevated her to feminist icon status in modern pop culture, it also overshadowed the significant contributions she made to the women's movement and anarchist labor movements of the early twentieth century--both in her native Puerto Rico and in the migrant labor belt in the eastern United States. Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Sociology Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

Finding latinx: in search of the voices redefining latino identity

paola ramos

Synopsis

A vital and inspiring work of reportage, Finding Latinx calls on all of us to expand our understanding of what it means to be Latino and what it means to be American. The first step towards change, writes Ramos, is for us to recognize who we are. Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Sociology Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

harvest of empire: a history of latinos in america

juan gonzalez

Synopsis

The first new edition in ten years of this important study of Latinos in U.S. history, Harvest of Empire spans five centuries—from the European colonization of the Americas to through the 2020 election. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, and their impact on American culture and politics is greater than ever. With family portraits of real-life immigrant Latino pioneers, as well as accounts of the events and conditions that compelled them to leave their homelands, González highlights the complexity of a segment of the American population that is often discussed but frequently misrepresented. This landmark history is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and legacy of this influential and diverse group. Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Sociology Recommended by Sonoma County Library

In the dream house

Carmen Maria Machado

Synopsis

An engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming. Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Memoir Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

living beyond borders: growing up mexican in america

Margarita longoria

Synopsis

In this mixed-media collection of short stories, personal essays, poetry, and comics, this celebrated group of authors share the borders they have crossed, the struggles they have pushed through, and the two cultures they continue to navigate as Mexican Americans. Living Beyond Borders is at once an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and hopeful love letter from the Mexican American community to today's young readers. A powerful exploration of what it means to be Mexican American. Genre: Adult Fiction, Short Stories/Essays Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

our share of the night

mariana enriquez

Synopsis

A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality. Genre: Adult Fiction, Horror/Thriller Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

Mes de la Cultura-Hispanic Heritage Month for Ages Birth-5

various authors

Synopsis

Celebrate Latin and Hispanic heritage with children under 5-years-old by checking out these titles. Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member (2024)

tales from la vida

Fredrick luis aldama

Synopsis

Taken individually and together, these creators―including such legendary artists as Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Roberta Gregory, and Kat Fajardo, to name a few―and their works show the world that when it comes to Latinx comics, there are no limits to matters of content and form. As we travel from one story to the next and experience the unique ways that each creator chooses to craft his or her story, our hearts and minds wake to the complex ways that Latinxs live within and actively transform the world. Genre: Adult Fiction, Graphic Novel, Short Stories Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

mexican gothic

silvia moreno-garcia

Synopsis

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind. Genre: Adult Fiction, Gothic/Horror Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

frogs and margaritas

angel ramon

Synopsis

Justin, a college student studying archeology heads to Puerto Rico to study the ruins of the Taino Indians. What is supposed to be a fun expedition turns into a total nightmare. There is a dark secret lurking in the lands of Puerto Rico. Three valuable Taino relics keep Puerto Rico from being cursed by the spirits of the extinct people. Grave robbers attempt to make a quick payday by stealing the relics to sell to collectors. What nobody knows is by stealing the relics, they have given birth to a horrid curse. It's a curse that converts harmless frogs and toads into killers that will give people nightmares for years. Genre: Adult Fiction, Horror Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

violeta

isabel allende

synopsis

Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family with five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life is shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and ultimately not one, but two pandemics Genre: Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

american dirt

jeanine cummins

Synopsis

Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia’s life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband’s tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the same. Forced to flee, Lydia and Luca find themselves joining the countless people trying to reach the United States. Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to? Genre: Adult Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

Family lore

elizabeth acevedo

Synopsis

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila. But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own. Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

solito

javier zamora

Synopsis

A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an immediate and intimate account not only of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home. Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Memoir Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member

olga dies dreaming

Xóchitl González

Synopsis

It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo, are boldfaced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s power brokers. Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Xóchitl González’s Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm. Genre: Adult Contemporary Fiction, Literary Recommended by: Sonoma County Library

human scarifices

maria fernanda ampuero

synopsis

An undocumented woman answers a job posting only to find herself held hostage, a group of outcasts obsess over boys drowned while surfing, and an unhappy couple finds themselves trapped in a terrifying maze. With scalpel-like precision, Ampuero considers the price paid by those on the margins so that the elite might lounge comfortably, considering themselves safe in their homes. Genre: Adult Fiction, Horror/Thriller, Short Stories Recommended by: Bookworms Anonymous Group Member