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POV- top 25 books for Latine/ Hispanic Heritage Month
25
items curated books for Latine/ Hispanic Heritage Month or all year round! Learn more about Latine, indigenous, and Chicanx histories through some of the most interesting feminist fiction, short story collections, fantasy, historical fiction, poetry, and m...
Sections
7
poetry/ poesia
fiction/ ficcion
historical fiction
fantasy/ fantasia
nonfiction/ no ficcion
short stories
poetry/ poesia
this is my all time favorite poetry book to reread/ lend out if anyone asks. read it for the first time back as a freshman in high school because my spanish teacher knew the author, and since then I have discovered a genuine appreciation for his work...
Looking for the Gulf Motel
The Poet X is a clinically acclaimed book in verse, and with good reason. X’s ferocity and desire to be heard come through so sharply. I think the teenage girl angst combined with religious trauma will resonate deeply with folks, especially with some...
The Poet X
I liked “The House on Mango Street” but LOVED this poetry collection. There are some really beautiful and difficult reflections on identity and self here.
Woman Without Shame
I’d been wanting to read this story for years, and it didn’t disappoint. I would love to read the final contrapuntal poem in hard copy since I listened to the audiobook. X’s ferocity and desire to be heard come through so sharply. I think the teenage...
The Poet X
another great catharsis of art & emotion from Jessie. Her work is always so raw and guttural and lyrical. In particular, the poems about eating sour fruit the first dry eyed day in a year resonated with me. I loved this as a sequel to “Words of a...
The People's Purge
This book of poetry was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry! This is really indigenous poetry at its best. For those looking to read more BIPOC books and expand their perspective in a decolonial way, I couldn't recommend these poem...
Postcolonial Love Poem
this is my all time favorite poetry book to reread/ lend out if anyone asks. read it for the first time back as a freshman in high school because my spanish teacher knew the author, and since then I have discovered a genuine appreciation for his work...
Looking for the Gulf Motel
fiction/ ficcion
This was the first full book I ever read in Spanish, so it will always have a special place in my heart. Garcia Marquez storytelling is unmatched… detailed, rich, suspenseful, and intriguing. He describes the dynamics of the town where the story take...
Crónica de una muerte anunciada / Chronicle of a Death Foretold
My best friend gifted me this book before she moved away, so it's special to me. Gordo is a short story collection that will make you laugh and smile while also challenging you and making you think deeply. I'd recommend for anyone looking to find the...
Gordo
Enemies to lovers in dueling mariachi bands? Count me in!! I was on the edge of my seat with these two. This book was enthralling. I really liked the author's choice to build up Rafi's hard exterior and arrogance as a contrast to Rey so that we got t...
Canto Contigo
This is a children's book that I absolutely enjoyed as an adult!! Get a taste of the diversity in some of LAs neighborhoods by chasing after the paletero man (popsicle cart man) and dreaming over all the delicious flavors of paletas he sells!
Paletero Man
I remember this story about a farm working family having a big emotional impact on me. It so honestly reflects the sacrifices, moments of meaning, and struggles they face in their work and personal lives. PRO TIP- sit outside and read one or two chap...
Under the Feet of Jesus
historical fiction
This was one of the TOP 3 books I read this year (and I've read 100 and counting so far!). The physical copy is a must over the audiobook for this one, because the chapters are told from different narrators and there's even special visual effects on ...
Libertad
this is historical fiction at its BEST. 5 women find each other in a time of revolution and seek sanctuary on a remote island. We then trace their stories over the next 35 years. If you enjoy books about resilience, chosen family, women power, and qu...
Cantoras
fantasy/ fantasia
an exquisite epic that blends genre, gender, time, and place. feels like a futuristic Puerto Rican queer folk tale. I LOVED that the book was in Spanish and then you flip the whole thick book over and it’s in English so you can choose to alternate la...
Algarabía
Book #2 in Aiden Thomas' the Sunbearer Trials series was en entertaining sequel that I really enjoyed! The story picks up and continues from book one pretty flawlessly!! PRO TIP- it's almost essential to read the first book in this series before star...
Celestial Monsters
This is a 5-star read from one of my favorite authors of all time, Aiden Thomas. Spooky, engaging, and charming all rolled into one more mature YA novel. If you loved the Sunbearer Trials or Celestial Monsters, you'll love this book that came before.
Cemetery Boys
nonfiction/ no ficcion
This is one of the most important books to read in the current moment we're living. I read it for a class some years back and couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. The 40 questions this book is framed around are ones the author translates and as...
Tell Me How It Ends
Learn about the hardships that Bolivia's working class faced in the 1960s and 1970s straight from the source! Domitila is the wife of a tin miner who wants to speak out and organize to fight for the rights of other women in the mining community. If y...
Let Me Speak!
short stories
this is an incredible anthology! I loved that each author narrated in a unique way so you really felt like you got a glimpse into 15 different worlds and lived experiences. my personal favorites were: “eres un pocho” “the price of admission” “#Julian...
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed
if you're looking for a feminist read that will take you a bit out of your comfort zone and make you think deeply, this is the book for you! this is one of those books that you read and you sit with and just say “woah.” it is profoundly impactful in ...
Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego / Things We Lost in the Fire
feminist fiction
My partner and I have a Latine author section of our bookshelf at home, and this was the book they were wanting me to read most. Santiago writes about America's journey trying to escape an abusive relationship and build a life for herself as a nanny/...
America's Dream
three of my best friends had been recommending this book to me for a while, and I so see why! this intergenerational family story of love and trust and frustration and grief will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next! Ph...
Oye
I picked this book for a visualization project for an art class my senior year of college, and it's honesty and raw unfiltered picture of the narrator's reality has stuck with me ever since! PRO TIP keep a bunch of those lil sticky note page flgas ha...
Ordinary Girls
If you loved or wanted to read Angie Cruz' other book Domincana, you'll love this one! This book follows Cara, a middle aged woman, and she recounts her life stories to a job counselor while looking for work unexpectedly. It is witty, funny, sad, and...
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water