Reading books by Hispanic authors is an essential way to understand how diverse the culture is. From Mexico to Argentina, each country offers stories that explore the world in different ways.
As readers search for books away from the mainstream, Hispanic books have received much attention. More and more people are now discovering works by talented authors that haven’t been as widely recognized.
Books by Hispanic Authors
From romance novels to memoirs, below is a list of books by Hispanic authors that shed light on their cultures, perspectives, and experiences.
1. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
Julia isn’t the perfect Mexican daughter—that was her sister Olga’s job. Now Olga’s dead and Julia has to be the punching bag of her mother’s grief. But was Olga as perfect as the family thought her to be?
2. Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez
Luis J. Rodríguez was already part of a gang at the tender age of 11. Drugs, gang wars, and police brutality became a daily occurrence.
Within is an accounting of his years of violence and drug abuse, escape from gang life and eventual success as a writer.
3. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a house in the Mexican countryside, after receiving a plea for help from her newlywed cousin. Upon arriving, she is struck by the heavy, almost hostile atmosphere blanketing the place.
She finds her cousin suffering from consumption. Suspicious, Noemí takes a closer look into the family her cousin married into, discovering a history of blood and madness.
4. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
In the Dominican Republic, Camino Rios waits for her father’s summer visits. But when she goes to the airport on the day he arrives, all she sees are crying people.
In New York, Yahaira Rios is suddenly called to the principal’s office, where her mother waits with devastating news. Both girls think they’ve just lost everything only for their lives to be forever changed by each other’s existence.
5. Once I Was You: A Memoir by Maria Hinojosa
For nearly thirty years, Maria Hinojosa has searched for and reported on stories about the communities in America that are often ignored by mainstream media. Here, she talks about growing up as part of a vulnerable community, as well as the current state of affairs in the USA.
6. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
The García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía—are forced to flee with their family due to their father’s involvement in trying to overthrow a dictator. They arrive in New York City, where their parents try to hold on to the old ways.
The girls, however, are growing into their new surroundings. Soon they’re dressing up and talking like Americans as they explore this enchanting, sometimes unwelcoming, new world.
7. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Oscar is your typical overweight nerd, who dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien. Most of all, he wants to find love.
But Oscar is the latest victim of the Fukú—a generations-long curse that has plagued his family with misfortune, heartbreak, and violence. To achieve his dreams, he must first find a way to break the cycle.
8. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Alonso Quijano, a hidalgo with a love for chivalric romances, loses his mind and decides to become a knight-errant under the name of Don Quixote de la Mancha. His squire, Sancho Panza, is a simple farm laborer.
Together, they roam the land in search of adventure in the hopes of reviving chivalry and serving their nation.
9. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
This novel tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family and their lives in the fictional town of Macondo. It begins with the family’s patriarch, who creates the town after an incident forces him to leave his hometown. It then follows the fortunes and misfortunes of his descendants, whose lives are further intertwined with the town.
10. Solito by Javier Zamora
At nine years old, Javier Zamora follows his parents to the United States. He expects the trip to take two short weeks.
But he didn’t anticipate how harrowing the journey could be. For two life-altering months, he must face all sorts of danger amidst a group of strangers whom he’ll come to know as family.
11. Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Amid a deteriorating marriage, a couple set out on a cross-country journey from New York to Arizona. They bring their children with them, each a product of a previous relationship.
As they travel, the children struggle to make sense of their family’s crisis. Through songs, poetry, maps, and pictures, they also begin to understand society’s current immigration plights as well as the historic displacement of Indigenous Americans.
What other books by Hispanic authors do you like? Share them in the comments below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
