Each year from September 15th to October 15th, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This month serves to recognize Hispanic history, and honor the achievements and contributions made by Hispanic and Latinx Ames. We also use this month to highlight and promote the understanding Hispanic culture. For Hispanic Heritage Month 2025, the Blough-Weis Library has curated a great list of books to help you celebrate. From carefully crafted memoirs to magical realism to gothic fiction, this list has a book for every type of reader!
“Before Night Falls ” by Reinaldo Arenas
First, we have “Before Night Falls” by Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas. This memoir chronicles Arenas’ journey from his life growing up in Fidel Castro’s Cuba to becoming a celebrated writer. It is a power piece that discusses persecution and imprisonment as Arenas writes about his experience as a gay man fighting against the tyranny he lived in through his writing. Arenas’ memoir dives deeply into the importance of courage and perseverance and is the perfect way to grow your understanding of the life in Cuban during this time. After reading the book, make sure to check out the 2000 film adaptation to see Arenas’ life on the big screen.
“Harvest of Empire” by Juan González
Hispanic Americans are estimated to make up 19% of the United States population This represents the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country. In “Harvest of Empire,” Juan González discusses the impact that Latinos have had on our country. González’s book contains five-centuries of information, connecting the first colonization of the Americas to the modern-day migration crisis. He brings light to the lives and struggles of Latino communities, and comments on the U.S. policies in Latin America. This is a must read to gain a greater understanding of how much Hispanic Americans are intertwined in our history and culture.
“When I was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago
Esmeralda Santiago reminisces about her life growing up in Puerto Rico in her memoir “When I Was Puerto Rican.” When she was 13, Santiago’s family moves from Puerto Rico to New York, where she is left to deal with the feelings of losing her identity as she works to adapt to a new language and culture. This memoir allows the reader to enter Santiago’s mind as she grapples with holding on to her old life while living in a new one. This book is also available in Spanish.
“The Undocumented Americans” by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio writes combines her experience and so many others of being an undocumented immigrant in her book “The Undocumented Americans.” Cornejo Villavicencio incorporates stories from across the United States to share the experience of undocumented immigrants and pulls from her own memory as an Ecuadorian undocumented immigrant. She puts a spotlight on the immigrate experience and dissects what it truly means to be an American.
“A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende
Set in the late 1930s, Isabel Allende’s fiction novel “A Long Petal of the Sea” follow Roser and Victor, two political exiles fleeing Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The pair navigate the challenges of resettling in Chile as World War II begins. This novel discusses the effects of both loss and love, and the yearning for home and belonging through Roser and Victor’s lives as they create their new lives together.
“Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Our next book recommendation comes in the form of a delicious gothic fiction piece. “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia follows Noemí Taboada as she travels to the Mexican countryside to help her newlywed cousin navigate her menacing husband’s family. There, Noemí allies herself with the family’s youngest son and sets off to discover the secrets within the walls of the house that she is suddenly having bloody visions of. Read to follow Noemí’s journey as uncovers stories of violence and madness in her new home.
“How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” by Julia Alverez
“How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” is a historical fiction novel that captures the lives of the García sisters as they navigate their new lives in 1960s America. Author Julia Alverez writes about the challenges the sisters and their parents face after moving from Santo Domingo. This novel illuminates the generational differences the sisters and their parents endure when trying to find a place in their new home and is reflective of the struggles so many American immigrant families face.
“Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolf Anaya
Set in rural New Mexico during World War II, “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolf Anaya is a coming-of-age novel dives into spiritual relationships. Six-year-old Antonio Márez is guided by Ultima, a curandera, or folk healer, to discover himself. Ultima introduces Antonio to Latin American and Catholic traditions, and Antonio searches for his place as he explores his family ties and connection to his culture.
“Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina García
The next book is another multigenerational novel that mixes with magical realism. “Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina García is a bittersweet story of the del Pino family as they navigate their lives across political ties oceans away. Centered about Celia, the families Castro loyal matriarch, the novel explores how politics fracture families and the feeling of missing a home you no longer belong to. Through shifting perspectives, García also writes about the bond between mothers and daughters, as Celia, her daughter Lourdes, and her granddaughter Pilar navigate their feels about one another and the global political climate.
“Neruda on the Park” by Cleyvis Natera
Another story that discusses mother and daughter relationships is “Neruda on the Park” by Cleyvis Natera. While Eusebia fights the demolition of Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, her daughter Luz begins a romance with the developer at the company her mother is against. As mother and daughter collide, this story portrays the beautifully complex relationship between family and discusses the importance of community.
“The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo
If you are more into poetry, this next book is for you! “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo is a book written in verse that introduces Xiomara Batista, a Dominican American teenager in Harlem. Feeling unheard in her family and neighborhood, Xiomara uses her school’s slam poetry club as a way to share her thoughts and experiences. Acevedo’s debut novel pushes the importance and joy of being heard through her powerful verse.
“Butterfly Boy” by Rigoberto González
Another powerful story about the Hispanic LGTBQ+ experience comes in Rigoberto González’s memoir “Butterfly Boy.” This memoir is about González finding his identity as he grows up as a gay Chicano. This coming-of-age memoir explores González’s struggles in accepting his identity while experiencing hardships and is a testament to resilience and the power in accepting oneself.
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The Hacienda” by Isabel Cañas
If you were hoping for another gothic fiction book on this list, you are in luck! Our next recommendation is Isabel Cañas’ “The Hacienda.” This historical fiction novel tells the chilling story of Beatriz, a woman who marries into a powerful family to gain security during the overthrow of the Mexican government. Instead of security, Beatriz is met with the secrets of her new husband’s hacienda, and fights to uncover its dark past and stay alive.
“Woman of Light” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
“Woman of Light” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine is a fiction novel that tracks the life of Luz Lopez, a Hispanic tea leaf reader, as she navigates 1930s Denver. When she begins to have visions of her Indigenous homeland, Luz learns more about her people’s culture, and realizes that it is up to her to save her family’s stories from disappearing. This novel is an excellent look at how stories and culture are transpired through generations and gives the Hispanic female experience a voice.
“Solito” by Javier Zamora
Our next book recommendations are another coming-of-age memoir. In his book “Solito,” Javier Zamora tells the story of his journey from his small town in El Salvador to across the U.S. border. Zamora’s intimate writing allows the reader to investigate his personal moments of danger, fear, and hope. This memoir incorporates poetry to share Zamora’s experience of immigration, and comments on the power it takes to survive.
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez
Finally, our last recommendation is “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez. This young adult novel centers around Julia Reyes as she deals with the grief of her older sister, and in accepting what that means for her. Faced with her mother’s criticism about her lack of perfection, Julia begins to uncover family secrets and works to come to terms with her own identity. Sánchez captures the pressures of cultural compliance in her novel and details the process of growing up and discovering your identity.
We hope that you found a book that sounds interesting to you. Make sure to check it out and read it to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
Madeline Davis (’28) is a sophomore at Susquehanna University. She is a Marketing and Advertising & Public Relations dual major. In addition to her marketing work at the Blough-Weis Library, Madeline serves as the Public Relations manager for Susquehanna’s Best Buddies chapter and as an editor for Ginkgo Magazine. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, writing, and antiquing with friends.
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