Booksology November 4th
Deeper than the sea Mirta Ozito
Mirta Ozito is an award-winning journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for her contributions to a series on race in America. In this historical novel, Ojito weaves a multigenerational story about the enduring power of a mother’s love. The story is told in two timelines: 1919 Spain and 2019 Cuba. A journalist investigates a shipwreck and uncovers an epic story spanning six generations of a family.
False War by Carlos Manuel Alvarez and Natasha Wimmer (translator)
When I was trying to explain this book to someone, I came up with something very profound: “This book does many things in many different ways.” But I wasn’t exactly wrong. It is told in several different narrative styles through the voices of multiple characters. false war He paints “extraordinary portraits of ordinary people” who were forced to flee their home countries. We follow the characters as they overcome this alienation as they travel everywhere from Miami and Mexico City to Havana, New York and Berlin.
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“The Year of the Wind” by Karina Pacheco Medrano
This is the first novel translated into English by prolific Peruvian author Karina Pacheco Medrano, and it is a historical novel that explores the devastating effects of war and political violence on the lives of three Peruvian women. A chance encounter with someone who looks exactly like her cousin sets a woman on a journey to confront the horrors of her past, including her cousin’s radicalization at the hands of a Maoist terrorist organization. The group, known as Shining Path, was responsible for the bloody political violence of the 1980s that resulted in the death or disappearance of tens of thousands of indigenous Peruvians. This story is a fictional account of this violent and turbulent time.
“The Writing Room” by Marcia Argueta Mikkelson
Maya’s father is the type of man who prides himself on forcing his children to “go out and fend for themselves,” so Maya is kicked out of her New York home after high school. With her mother in Guatemala and nowhere else to stay, she clashes with her friends while trying to survive through freelance work. Then, when Maya learns that her beloved father is supporting the political campaign of a hateful anti-immigrant gubernatorial candidate, Maya decides it’s time to take a stand. She needs to use her newfound voice in a shared workspace. This workspace offers more than just a place to write.
November 11th
Carnival Fever Written by Juliana Ortiz Ruano and Madeline Arenival (translator)
This is the second or third book I’ve seen set in Carnival in the last year, but the first one set in Ecuador. Our narrator is Ainoa, a young girl from an African community who lives with Tia in her grandmother’s house in the 1990s. She narrates the events of her life as they unfold during the carnival season, both in light (the music and dance that fills her days) and in darkness (her history of family violence). Told through Ainoa’s innocent eyes, the story explores themes of immigration, economic hardship, and other issues related to Ecuador’s recent history.
Growing Papaya Trees by Dr. Jessica Hernandez
When I saw this cover, I thought, “Wow, it looks like Fresh Banana Leaves.” Because it’s the same author! Dr. Jessica Hernandez is a Biniza and Maya Chorti scientist who argues that not all environmental problems are the result of climate change, but that all environmental problems and climate change problems are the same. teeth Consequences of colonialism. She combines personal family stories, environmental science, and a wealth of indigenous knowledge to explore the causes behind the climate crisis.
How to play the game Written by Alexis Ned
Zora Lion is more than just a gamer. of Gamer, genius of wizard game viral battle royale. So when the Wizards give top players the chance to attend a summer academy and compete in the national championship, Zola knows she was born for this moment. The problem is…what the Wizards really want is to create viral streaming superstars out of these players, and streaming is not Zola’s specialty. Even though she falls to the bottom of her class due to her lack of experience here, she’ll do anything to get back to the top – even if it means pretending to date a guy who’s a bit of a failure in order to get into the academy. If you like games and fake dates, give this YA romance a try.
Pandora Ana Paula Pacheco, Julia Sanchez (translators)
Anna is a university professor who has been teaching distance classes from her small apartment during lockdown. Her lover died from the coronavirus, leaving behind a slew of insects, a giant bat, and an apparently eavesdropping pangolin. Ana gradually loses her grip on reality and begins working on a syllabus on art and the commodification of life, planning to use her body to answer questions about labor and intimacy. I’m not sure if the unlikely pangolin romance teased in the description falls into The Shape of Water territory, but this book is sure to get weird.
“Queen of Swords” by Jazmina Barrera and Christina McSweeney (translator)
It seems that Jazmina Barrera did not set out to write this book. She was going to write a short essay about Elena Gallo, an influential Mexican novelist, journalist, playwright, screenwriter, and OG of the magical realism movement. But the more I studied Garo in traditional ways, the less I felt like I understood my subject. Barrera embarked on a journey to truly see the author in all her complexity, and this book is the result. The work is billed as not just a biography, but an alternate history of Mexico City and a “homage to the unknown.”
Week of Color by Elena Gallo and Megan McDowell (translator)
Remember 30 seconds ago when I told you who Elena Gallo is? Look, this is a book she wrote! Available in English for the first time, these feminist horror and anti-colonial detective stories were forged in the flames of the nascent magical realism movement. It’s no surprise (and very fitting) that these were translated by the wonderfully talented Megan McDowell. We have him to thank for his translation of the books by Samantha Schweblin and Mariana Enriquez. If you’re a fan of the geniuses of Latin American horror, why not spend some time checking out the works that paved the way for them, the “cursed mother of magical realism”?
The White Hot by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Quiara Alegría Hudes is an award-winning author and playwright who has written books and screenplays for musicals. in the heights! Her latest work is a slim little epistolary novel about a mother writing a letter to her daughter. April Soto was looking to the future when she became pregnant while in high school and raised her daughter Noelle with her mother and grandmother in a small Philadelphia apartment. When Noel is in elementary school, April has a series of really bad days, and the cycle continues. suddenly white heat She heard a voice in her head telling her to just…go away. That’s exactly what she does. Before she even realizes what she’s doing or where she’s going, she hops on a bus with a one-way ticket. What started as a 10-day trip turned into years spent musing in nature and writing a letter for Noel to read on his 18th birthday.
November 18th
“Sacrifice Sky” by Rosalía Aguilar Solás
I’m officially an old man, but I never knew what Tomorrowland was until now. Apparently I’m too steeped in my Señora days to attend a huge music festival that’s more about fantasy than reality. As you may already know, did you know that the creators of Tomorrowland and Rosalía Aguilar Solás have teamed up to write an epic fantasy series? The first book in the series, The Great Library of Tomorrow, was published last year. sky of sacrifice This is the second volume of a planned trilogy. The series follows a group of heroes as they fight against malevolent evil intentions that seek to spoil the atmosphere.
Check out other recently released Latin books with these adult and YA debuts, and add these 2026 Latin YA books to your TBR too. If you found this post online and want Latine Lit straight to your inbox, sign up for the Latine Lit newsletter here.
