For Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15, Hartford Public Library is highlighting a collection of books by Latino/a/x authors. See a title you are interested in below? Click on it to check it out from the library!
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One of the most influential literary works of our time, One Hundred Years of Solitude remains a dazzling and original achievement by the masterful Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
“One Hundred Years of Solitude is the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race. … Mr. Garcia Marquez has done nothing less than to create in the reader a sense of all that is profound, meaningful, and meaningless in life.” — William Kennedy, New York Times Book Review
Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.
“It’s a brilliant, magical, life-changing book that continues to blow my mind with its lessons. [...] A remarkable tome,” – Neil Patrick Harris
“A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be” – M. Scott Peck
In this lyrical, coming-of-age memoir, Daisy Hernández chronicles what the women in her Cuban-Colombian family taught her about love, money and race.
“Gorgeously written from start to finish.” – Boston Globe
“Hernández seamlessly combines the familiar genres of the ‘coming out’ story and the ‘coming of age’ story into a unique memoir of self-discovery.” – LA Review of Books
Chulito
Charles Rice-Gonzalez
Set against a vibrant South Bronx neighborhood and the queer youth culture of Manhattan’s piers, Chulito is a coming-of-age, coming out love story of a sexy, tough, hip hop-loving, young Latino man and the colorful characters who populate his block.
“Hilarious, unique, heartfelt and sharp. A wonderful read.” – Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
“This is a beautiful debut.” – Jaime Manrique, author of Latin Moon in Manhattan
We’re kicking it way back for this recommendation. Winner of the American Booksellers book of the Year Award in 1994, this bestselling phenomenon and inspiration for the award-winning film tells the story of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico and blends poignant romance and bittersweet wit.
“Each chapter of Esquivel’s utterly charming interpretation of life in Mexico begins with a recipe–not surprisingly, since so much of the action of this exquisite first novel centers around the kitchen, the heart and soul of a traditional Mexican family.” – Publisher’s Weekly
Carmelo
Sandra Cisneros
We can’t get enough of Sandra Cisneros’ gorgeous writing. Every year, Ceyala “Lala” Reyes’ family — aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers and Lala’s six older brothers — packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother’s house in Mexico City for the summer.
“Caramelo is enchanting. Soulful, sophisticated and skeptical, full of great one-liners. it is one of those novels that blithely leap across the border between literary and popular fiction.” – The New York Times
In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
“Tackles family secrets, toxic masculinity, and socio-economic differences with incisive clarity and candor … Every line is laced with betrayal and longing as the teens struggle with loving someone despite his imperfections. A standing ovation.” — Kirkus Reviews
The definitive Mexican-American immigrant story, a sprawling and deeply felt portrait of a Mexican-American family occasioned by the impending loss of its patriarch, from one of the country’s most beloved authors.
“Epic … Rambunctious … Highly entertaining.” — New York Times Book Review
“Intimate and touching … the stuff of legend.” — San Francisco Chronicle
An immensely charming and moving tale.” — Boston Globe
Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters as they grow up in two cultures. The García sisters and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic. They arrive in New York City in 1960 to a life far removed from their existence in the Caribbean.
“Poignant . . . Powerful . . . Beautifully captures the threshold experience of the new immigrant, where the past is not yet a memory.” — The New York Times Book Review
In this first volume of her much-praised, bestselling trilogy, Santiago brilliantly recreates the idyllic landscape and tumultuous family life of her earliest years and her tremendous journey from the barrio to Brooklyn, from translating for her mother at the welfare office to high honors at Harvard.
“Not only for readers who share [Santiago's] experiences but for North Americans who seek to understand what it means to be the other.” — The Boston Globe
