20 Latinx Books to Read
We advocate reading widely all year-round, but this month we’re highlighting some of our favorite Latinx works in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the officially-named American commemoration of the histories, cultures and contributions of citizens of Latinx, Hispanic and Latino-identified communities. *Please see our note on language below the list.*
This book list includes our favorite contemporary and classic titles, spanning poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and youth literature. For more recommendations, shoot us an email and we’ll find something perfect for you.
FICTION
The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas, Machado De Assis
Often lauded as the crowning achievement from one of Brazil’s most celebrated writers, this 1881 work is the fictitious memoir of the ghost of a decadent and disagreeable aristocrat. He dedicates it to the worms gnawing at his corpse and tells of his failed romances and halfhearted political ambitions, serves up harebrained philosophies, and complains with gusto from the depths of his grave. Heck yes.
Dominicana, Angie Cruz
Shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction and a 2019 Indie Next pick, Cruz’s novel is a coming-of-age tale that follows 15-year-old Ana Cancion as she leaves behind everything she knows in the Dominican Republic and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Turmoil in the DR causes her husband to return, leaving Ana to discover New York City, the possibility of a life in America, and her own voice.
Next Year in Havana, Chanel Cleeton
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity — and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution.
House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes-sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous-Sandra Cisneros’ masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery.
Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Looking for something a bit creepy? Head back to glamorous 1950s Mexico to the High Place, a house in the countryside where Noemí, an unlikely rescuer, comes after receiving a frantic letter from her cousin. There’s glamour, a seriously weird house, and mushrooms. What more could you want?
Afterlife, Julia Alvarez
You won’t go wrong with anything from Dominican-American Julia Alvarez but Afterlife is her latest, released in April 2020, her first adult novel in almost 15 years. This story follows Antonia Vega after a series of jolts: her husband dies unexpectedly, her sister disappears, and a pregnant undocumented teenager shows up on her doorstep, and Antonia turns to literature to find her way through.
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, Michael Zapata
A mesmerizing story of a Latin American science fiction writer and the lives her lost manuscript unites decades later in post-Katrina New Orleans. If this debut is any indication of what’s in store from Zapata, we can’t wait.
Sabrina & Corina, Kali Fajardo-Anstine
This was one of the picks earlier this year for our Well-Read Black Girl book club and one of our favorite books from 2019. Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection — a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands.
NON-FICTION + POETRY
The Beast, Óscar Martínez
Óscar Martínez, a journalist from El Salvador, goes along the migrant trail (the usual route migrants from Central America take up through Mexico and to the USA) to tell their stories. Illustrated with stunning full-color photographs, The Beast was one of the first books to shed light on the harsh new reality of the migrant trail in the age of the narcotraficantes.
Detroit’s Mexicantown, Maria Elena Rodriguez
Part of the Images of America series, this book is a deep dive into one of Detroit’s most beloved neighborhoods. Perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the area’s history and celebrate its legacy. Written by Detroit native Maria Elena Rodriguez.
American Tacos, José R. Ralat
Written by Texas Monthly first-ever ‘taco editor,’ American Tacos is a deeply researched guide to north-of-the-border taco culture and history. In search of every taco variety from California to Texas and beyond, Ralat traveled from coast to coast and border to border, visiting thirty-eight cities across the country. *Cue our appetite.*
In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado
A revolutionary memoir about domestic abuse by the award-winning author of Her Body and Other Parties — also a great read if you’re looking for fiction. Machado’s writing is sharp and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships. Machado narrates the audiobook magically, definitely a good pick to download from LibroFM.
Bright Dead Things, Ada Limón (poetry)
If you’ve never dived into a collection from Mexican-American poet Ada Limón, now is the time. A book of bravado and introspection, of 21st century feminist swagger and harrowing terror and loss, her fourth collection considers how we build our identities out of place and human contact.
YA/MIDDLE GRADE/CHILDREN’S BOOKS
I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Erika L. Sánchez
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. A 2019 National Book Award Finalist, this YA is must-read for all ages.
Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo
We can’t say enough good things about Elizabeth Acevedo. Her latest, released in 2020, is a novel-in-verse that showcases the genre-bending style she’s become known for and is a story set in the aftermath of a plane crash that alters two girls’ lives forever.
Labyrinth Lost, by Zoraida Cordova (series)
The first book in the Latinx-infused Queer fantasy series from highly acclaimed author Zoraida Cordova that follows three sisters — and teen witches — as they develop their powers and battle magic through epic questing in the realms beyond.
We are Not From Here, Jenny Torres Sanchez
Sanchez’s poignant, vivid storytelling brings us into the world of three teens as they follow the route of La Bestia, the perilous train system that might deliver them to a better life — if they are lucky enough to survive the journey.
Great pick for high schoolers and up.
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, Pablo Cartaya
A series of misadventures takes Marcus Vega all over Puerto Rico in search of his elusive namesake. Marcus doesn’t know if he’ll ever find his father, but what he ultimately discovers changes his life. And he even learns a bit of Spanish along the way in this great middle grade read.
My Papi Drives a Motorcycle, by Isabel Quintero, Zeke Peña (Illustrator)
A celebration of the love between a father and daughter by award-winning author and illustrator duo. My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl’s love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change. Good for ages 4–8.
Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos, by Monica Brown, John Parra (Illustrator)
Teach children about one of the world’s greatest artists with the help of Frida’s beloved pets — two monkeys, a parrot, three dogs, two turkeys, an eagle, a black cat, and a fawn. Good for ages 4–8.
A note on language: We use the term “Latinx” rather than Hispanic or Latino to represent the identities of non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender-expansive people. “Latinx” also centers the lives of indigenous, Brazilian and other non-Spanish speaking people in this celebration. Though
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