From September 15 to October 15, we honor the history, diversity, and talent of the Hispanic and Latinx American communities. You can use this collection to choose texts that explore the literary contributions of Latinx and Hispanic authors.
Publication year 1989
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Magical Realism
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Immigration, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Drama / Tragedy, Immigration / Refugee, Poverty, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a coming-of-age story about the importance of family, heritage, and perseverance. This young adult novel comes directly from McCall’s own experiences as a young Mexican immigrant, a writer with a dream, and a teenager who watches her mother die from cancer. Under the Mesquite infuses poetic form, free verse, imagery, and sprinkles of the Spanish language in order to portray a bildungsroman in which a young girl... Read Under The Mesquite Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: War, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Gothic Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health
Tags Philosophy, Psychological Fiction, Romance, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Veronika Decides to Die (1998) is a novel of ideas by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The novel follows Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian woman who decides to die in 1997 because her perfectly normal world has left her apathetic toward life. After Veronika attempts suicide, she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital called Villete. Villete was established in the rift opened by the civil war in Yugoslavia to generate a profit from the issues of the upper... Read Veronika Decides To Die Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Romance
Publication year 1993
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Immigration / Refugee, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ
We The Animals is the 2011 debut novel by Justin Torres. The novel tells the story of three brothers living in upstate New York, and it’s narrated in the first person by the youngest brother, who goes unnamed. In this summary, he will be called, “the narrator.” The novel’s structure comprises 19 vignettes that function as windows onto the lives of the brothers and their family. This study guide uses the 2011 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt... Read We The Animals Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Arts / Culture
We Were Here is a Newbury-Award-winning, young adult novel written by Matt De La Pena. Published in 2011, the first person narrative is written in diary form in the voice of the teenaged protagonist, Miguel Castaneda. The story begins with Miguel’s description of his admission to juvenile hall, a detention facility near his family home in Stockton, California. His father, a member of the US Army, was killed in action the preceding year. While the... Read We Were Here Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Romance, LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Publication year 1993
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Immigration / Refugee, American Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Biography
The memoir When I Was Puerto Rican recounts author Esmeralda Santiago’s early years. It is the first of her three memoirs chronicling her childhood in Puerto Rico to her eventual residence in the United States. It is a coming of age story, but mines richer material than that. Questions of identity—national identity, hereditary identity, familial identity, female identity, spiritual identity, and semantic labels—underpin the stories Santiago tells.The book begins in Puerto Rico, when Esmeralda is... Read When I Was Puerto Rican Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Natural World: Environment, Life/Time: The Future
Tags Historical Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Nation
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Cold War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Relationships: Family, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Nation
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Drama / Tragedy, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, History: World
Publication year 1996
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Race / Racism, Crime / Legal, Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: U.S.
Publication year 1993
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Lyric Poem, Social Justice, Latin American Literature
Publication year 1990
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Incarceration