September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month!
This is a month dedicated to celebrating Hispanic culture as well as highlighting Hispanic people, shows, and books created and produced by people of Hispanic heritage.
My father is Mexican and my mother is Canadian. Growing up, I didn’t see many people who were mixed like I am, so it is essential that I broadcast books with Hispanic characters written by Hispanic People.
Without further ado, here are some book recommendations!
“Yet, we are forced to be on the fence, not because we do not want to belong to both worlds, but because society demands that we choose a side. Where do we want to belong?”
The first book is Living Beyond Borders by Margarita Longorio. This book is an anthology of 21 stories, essays, poems, and comics, written by numerous authors that vividly describe the struggles and beauties of being a Mexican-American. I found this book so heartfelt and beautiful, but the opening quote especially enamored me to the last page. I don’t see many multimedia books, so this was a welcome change. From the beginning, I was entranced by the idea of being able to resonate with the authors who didn’t know where they belonged.
“Not all loves are meant to last forever. Some burn like fire until there is nothing left but ash and black ink on skin.”
The second book is Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. This is the first book in the Brooklyn Bruja Series. Alex is a bruja (Witch), yet she despises magic. On Deathday, she creates a spell to rid herself of magic. But instead accidentally makes her entire family disappear. To get them back, she must team up with Nova, a brujo she does not trust. This book has a bisexual main character and wonderful family dynamics. A book with intriguing plotlines and a new cover, with gold background with purple lettering, is definitely worth a read.
“The world is a turntable that never stops spinning; as humans we merely choose the tracks we want to sit out and the ones that inspire us to dance.”
The third book I chose is Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. This book is a love letter to cooking. It’s about an Afro-Latinx teen mom named Emoni who must take care of her Abuela and her daughter. Along with these abnormal dynamics, she must deal with the struggles of being a normal high school student. The descriptions of the food in the book are mouth-watering and will have you pulling out cookbooks. It’s also such a wonderful story about motherhood and the beauty of creating your own path.
“You are a loud, impulsive, persistent seeker of justice, and that makes people uncomfortable, but it doesn’t make you bad. it makes you very good, in fact.”
The final and fourth book is The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas. This is the first in a duology about a transgender teenager named Teo, the son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds in Mexican-Inspired fantasy. Every decade, the God Sol chooses ten semidioses (demigods) to compete in the SunBearer Trials. The champion carries light and life to all temples of Reino del Sol. But the loser will be sacrificed to Sol, their body being used to furl the Sun Stones that protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next decade. When Teo is chosen, he must fight for his life to survive the trials.
This book reminds me of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The world-building is great and once again, the cover is intriguing.
The world is fabricated by so many stories, histories, and pasts. It is our job to look at those stories and take the initiative to learn from them. We must celebrate what makes us unique. And however you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I hope you pick up one of these books.