Discover, Celebrate, Read: Books for Hispanic Heritage Month

 

Until recently, I did not know that there was a genre called magical realism. I read Isabel Allende in the 1980s, starting with the House of the Spirits, but had no idea there were other - previous - works in the same style. I was researching Allende for Hispanic Heritage Month, when learned of one of the most significant authors in the genre, Miguel Garcia Marquez. His One Hundred Years of Solitude was written in 1967, and tells the story of seven generations of the Buendia family {in the fictitious town of Macondo, Columbia}. Marquez begins the novel with the marriage of Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula Iguaran, beginning a new life together and founding a new town, Macondo in Columbia. We then find ourselves ensnared in the interwoven tales of love and loss over 100 years. Readers appreciate Marquez's gift for entwining the everyday with miracles, history with fantasy, realism with whimsy. One Hundred Years of Solitude is seen as one of the most important achievements in literature and one of the most important works in the Spanish language. 

 

For those who like visuals, Netflix has One Hundred Years of Solitude as a 16 part series, with the first 8 episodes were released in December of 2024. 

A young adult novel by Francisco X. Stork, an author known for writing about Hispanic teens as they come of age. On the Hook features characters the reader will care about, and the ethical dilemmas they face. Hector Robles is an honor student, chess enthusiast, and devoted to his family in El Paso, Texas, since the death of his father several years earlier. Trying to stay out of trouble, he and his older brother find themselves in a life or death battle with the neighborhood drug dealers that result in Hector – and his nemesis – serving time together in a reform school. Hector is filled with thoughts of revenge – but at what cost?

 

In On the Hook, Stork provides thought provoking ethical dilemmas, with an overall theme of happiness for everyone that is sure resonate with teen readers.

What is the first rule of punk? To be yourself. That’s the lesson that Malu’s father wants her to remember as she begins a new year at a new school. After she upsets the popular crowd, violates the dress code with her punk clothing, and disappoints her mother, Malu strives to hold to the first rule and find her place in her new life. The author, Celia Perez, designed this book so that kids reading it would find it fun. Filled with zine art, Mexican American punk rock, and a pleasantly flawed protagonist with sass, this book is one readers will enjoy!  Reviewers called The First Rule of Punk a “Mexican-American High Fidelity meets School of Rock for kids”.

In this book, a young Milo dreams of pounding on conga and bongo drums. But she wasn’t allowed to, as only boys should play drums, so she practiced in secret. This was very difficult to do on an island that's filled with music. Milo stuck to her dreams, challenged the blatant sexism, and eventually everyone heard her dream-bright music. The Drum Dream Girl is filled with poetic text and dreamy images that illustrate Milo’s dreams & desires to play music. With this focus on the “dreaming” portion of Milo’s life, and the eventual realization of that dream, the book depicts a place where children would be free to dream and to see themselves as dreamers.

 

This book is to be an inspiration for dreamers everywhere.

 

I was drawn to this book because of my love of Afro-Cuban music an dance, and it led me to purchase another book, Queens of Havana: The Amazing Adventures of Anancoana, Cuba's Legendary All Girl Dance Band for my own library!