Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month With These Book Recommendations
In the diverse fabric of American culture, National Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a colorful thread, connecting the rich stories of Hispanic communities that have played a significant role in our nation's history. As we mark this annual celebration, it's important to honor the many voices, stories, and experiences that have shaped Hispanic culture. One powerful way to do this is through literature—a world where stories unfold, different perspectives emerge, and the essence of Hispanic heritage comes to life. In this article, we embark on a literary journey, exploring a carefully chosen selection of diverse books that not only celebrate but also provide insights into the various aspects of Hispanic cultures during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Dream with The/Sueña Con Las Latinitas
by Juliet Menéndez - Juliet Menéndez
Meet the Latinitas, whose big dreams paved the way for your little feet! With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Juliet Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.
¡Conoce a las Latinitas cuyos grandes sueños abrieron el camino para tus propios pasitos! Con hermosas ilustraciones, hechas a mano, Juliet Menéndez pone en relieve el poder que tienen los sueños de la infancia.
Shakira
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara - Laura Díez
From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Shakira, the world's most popular Latin American singer.
As a child, little Shakira knew she was born to be performer. Even as a little girl, she was full of natural rhythm and she was obsessed with singing, writing songs and dancing whenever she got the opportunity.
At 14 years old she recorded her first album, and although it wasn't a success, she knew she had found her calling. She persevered, and within four years she had finally got her first hit! She soon became a Latin American icon, winning many awards and creating global hits across the world, becoming widely known as the Queen of Latin Music.
With her fame, Shakira started a foundation to help children in her native country, Colombia and other developing countries across the world, providing them with education and the chance of a better future.
This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the iconic singer's life.
Hispanic Star: Ellen Ochoa
by Claudia Romo Edelman - Nathalie Alonso - Manuel Gutierrez
Read about the first Latina in space, Ellen Ochoa, one of the most groundbreaking, iconic Hispanic and Latinx heroes that have shaped our culture and the world, in this gripping biography written by Claudia Romo Edelman and Nathalie Alonso, with black-and-white illustrations by Manuel Gutierrez, perfect for fans of the Who Was and She Persisted series.
Meet award-winning engineer and veteran astronaut Ellen Ochoa--once just a girl from Los Angeles, California. The granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Ellen would pursue a career in physics at a young age and go on to earn master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. In 1993, Ellen became the first Latina in space. As a retired astronaut, she became the first Hispanic and second female director of the Johnson Space Center, has been an advocate for women and minorities in STEM fields, and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Hispanic TEEN AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
Throw
by Rubén Degollado
"Llorona was no harmless little pigeon. She was the lechuza, the owl you see just before someone is about to die, the one that haunts you in your dreams and you never want to see in real life because it means you are about to lose someone you love."
Llorona is the only girl Guero has ever loved. A wounded soul, she has adopted the name of a ghost from Mexican folklore. True to her namesake, Llorona cast Guero away with the coldness of the apparition she has become. But Guero--though he would never admit it to his friends--still wants to get back together with her.
Guero spends time with his friends Angel and Smiley--members of the HCP (Hispanics Causing Panic) gang--roaming the streets of the South Texas border towns they inhabit, trying to forget Llorona even as she seems to appear around every corner.
Santiago's Road Home
by Alexandra Diaz
A young boy gets detained by ICE while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in this timely and unflinching novel by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz.
The bed creaks under Santiago's shivering body. They say a person's life flashes by before dying. But it's not his whole life. Just the events that led to this. The important ones, and the ones Santiago would rather forget.
The coins in Santiago's hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela's house. Except he refuses to return; he won't be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story.
Abuela, Don't Forget Me
by Rex Ogle
In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle's abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on--to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela's red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life.
Abuela, Don't Forget Me is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn't yet know how to believe in himself.
HISPANIC ADULT BOOKS
Cooking Con Claudia: 100 Authentic, Family-Style Mexican Recipes
by Claudia Regalado
Learn how to cook 100 deliciously authentic Mexican recipes with YouTube's Claudia Regalado (a.k.a Cooking Con Claudia)
Join YouTube's Claudia Regalado as she presents 100 Mexican recipes she and her family have enjoyed for years. Family favorites, new classics, delectable desserts, and so much more from Claudia's kitchen are present in the pages of this book.
Whether you're looking to prepare the perfect tortillas from scratch, serve a delicious queso dip appetizer, or assemble everyone's favorite tacos, Claudia is here to help! With her authentic Mexican ingredients and expertise, Claudia will have you feeling like a Mexican cuisine expert in no time!
Drinks, breads, soups, salsas, appetizers, dinners, and desserts--all are here!
Legitimate Kid: A Memoir
by Aida Rodriguez
A poignant and moving memoir-in-essays from stand-up comedian Aida Rodriguez on the power of overcoming hardship and transforming pain into laughter.
Aida Rodriguez has, to put it mildly, lived a whirlwind life. Her rags to-riches story is mind-blowing: She was kidnapped as a child by her mother in the Dominican Republic and brought to the US. She was later kidnapped again by her grandmother and uncle, and moved from New York to Florida. As an adult, she ended a difficult marriage and endured homelessness with her children in Los Angeles. But through it all she never lost her sense of humor.
Born with a wonderful wit and an irrepressible spirit, Aida used her gifts and worked tirelessly, turning tragedy and pain into biting comedy that takes on everything from misogyny and racism to social media and news headlines. She eventually released a hit HBO Max special which led to multiple development deals--success that won her a nationwide audience, opened doors, and helped her expand the way Latinos are represented in comedy.
The House on G Street: A Cuban Family Saga
by Lisandro Pérez
The unforgettable story of a family swept into history by the Cuban Revolution
In The House on G Street, award-winning author Lisandro Pérez tells Cuba's story through the lens of a single family: his own. His book relays the tales of two officers who fought against the Spanish for Cuban independence; a plantation owner who smuggles himself onto a ship; families divided by political loyalties; an orphaned boy from central Cuba who would go on to amass a fortune; a fatal love triangle; violence; and the ever-growing presence of the United States. It all culminates with an unforgettable portrait of a childhood spent in a world that was giving way to another one. The House on G Street is a unique depiction of one of the most consequential events of the twentieth century, told through generations of ancestors whose lives were shaped by dramatic historical forces.
Pérez disentangles the complex history by following his family's thread, imbuing political events with personal meaning. Their story begins with emigration to Cuba and follows the waning years of the colony. The end of Spanish rule gives way to pervasive American influence, and Perez's family turned to New York as they adapted to the realities of a new republic with compromised sovereignty: privileged educations in boarding schools in Long Island and the Hudson Valley; a family business that took tobacco leaves from the soil of central Cuba to the docks of the East River; and grandparents who met and fell in love one night in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His family learned to navigate the uneasy relationship between the United States and Cuba, a relationship that was destined to end in dramatic fashion.