Hi everyone! We hope that you’re enjoying the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. We’re here today to bring you even more great books to read. Have a recommendation you’d like to share? Read any of these and have an opinion on it? Leave a comment, visit us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter to share your thoughts and see even more great content.
Playing for the Devil’s Fire — Phillipee Diederich
Life in Boli’s pueblo, Izayoc, goes on how it normally does: uneventfully. Boli and his friends are focused on playing marbles and not much else. They’re trying to win the prized Devil’s Fire marble from an older boy named Mosca, but then the severed head of Enrique Quintanilla is discovered. Everything changes, like how Boli’s once poor neighbors suddenly have new SUVs. Boli’s parents leave for Toluca, but then disappear, and no one will talk about it. He decides to take matters into his own hands and uncover the truth, but he needs the unlikely help of a “has-been” luchador, El Chicano Estrada. Diederich’s writing is powerful, and his young narrator sees things others intentionally miss. It’s an instant classic in young adult fiction.
Dreaming in Cuban — Cristina García
This novel follows the story and struggles of Celia del Pino and her family as they survive the Cuban Revolution. Following three generations of the del Pino family, this dreamlike story goes into the heart and soul of Cuba. The depth and the division of the Cuban Revolution has struck Celia del Pino and her family, the politics and geography leaving their mark. Cristina Garcia focuses on the affect the Cuban Revolution has on the women of the family, creating a tale that is central around womanhood. Dreaming in Cuba uncovers and brings to light the bittersweet challenges that families go through when living in a country that is in a war with itself.
How the García Girls Lost Their Accents — Julia Alvarez
When their father gets in trouble and enlists help from a CIA operative, the four García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia—find themselves suddenly uprooted from their Dominican Republic home and are forced to migrate to New York City in 1960. Narrated between the four García sisters, we see the experiences and challenges they face when exposed to a new culture. Overwhelmed, they try to assimilate to their new home, buying new clothes and straightening their hair, but their Dominican Republic culture is emphasized as the story is told in reverse. Considered an essential part of Latino literature, the García girls undoubtedly make their stories heard.
Lost City Radio — Daniel Alarcón
Daniel Alarcón’s Lost City Radio depicts the life of Norma, who lives in a nameless South America country that is in the aftermath of a war. Norma is the host of the country’s most popular radio station, Lost City Radio. Every week, she lists the names of those who have disappeared and gone missing as the Indians in the mountains and the poor from the barrios listen. Norma has helped loved ones reunite, all while suffering from her own husband’s disappearance at the end of the war. When a boy named Victor arrives from the jungle and gives her a clue about the fate of her husband, Norma’s life changes once again. The loss of language and culture hang over this story as Norma tries to find more than her missing husband.
