National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This month, like all the others, it is important to support Hispanic authors and booksellers.
Here are some books written by Hispanic authors and where to purchase them from Hispanic bookstores.
“Clap When You Land” by Elizabeth Acevedo
This Young Adult book from National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo is written in verse and tells the stories of sisters Camino and Yahaira. They had been separated by their father, distance and family secrets so the girls only learn of each other when the unimaginable happens. If you’re interested in books written in verse you should also check out Acevedo’s first novel “The Poet X.”
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez
When she is left with the role that her older sister Olga filled, Julia has no idea how to put the pieces of her family back together. Julia soon discovers that Olga may not have been who she pretended to be before she died and grapples with what is now expected from her. Another memoir that is both hilarious and heartbreaking is Sánchez’s “Crying in the Bathroom.”
“Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado
This collection of “spooky gay stories” takes on psychological realism and science fiction as well as comedy and horror with notes of fantasy throughout. Grounded in the female experience we see reimagined “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” episodes, a sexual history as a plague takes over, a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store’s prom dresses and many more. If you like Machado’s unique writing you should check out her memoir “In the Dream House.”
“Afterlife” by Julia Alvarez
Centered around Antonia Vega, an immigrant writer whose husband suddenly dies, “Afterlife” looks at what we owe our families and others in crisis and how to honor those who are lost. Elizabeth Acevedo, author of “Clap When You Land,” says “Afterlife” is “A stunning work of art that reminds readers Alvarez is, and always has been, in a class of her own.”
“Velvet Was the Night” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Set in 1970s Mexico, Maite, a secretary who keeps to herself, finds herself investigating the disappearance of her beautiful, art student neighbor Lorena. When Elvis, a member of the shady organization ‘The Hawks,’ is assigned to find Lorena, the novel follows their parallel trajectories that involve hitmen, government agents and Russian spies. Fans of Moreno-Garcia should also take a look at her most recent release “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.”