Hispanic Heritage Month and the American Story
The United States has never been shaped by a single culture or tradition. Its identity has developed through the experiences, ideas and creativity of people from around the world. Hispanic and Latino communities are an essential part of that continuing story.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. There is no single Hispanic identity. Hispanic and Latino heritage encompasses many countries, races, languages and traditions. Each community brings its own history, and every individual has the right to define their own identity. The contributions from this community are felt throughout literature. Here are some notable titles from our collection:
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes. This is the masterwork of one of Latin America’s most original novelists, “a mesmerizing writer,” says Dave Eggers, “who demands to be read.”
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In this chilling multigenerational horror tale, three women across different eras grapple with danger and witchcraft. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic, weaves a tale where every secret uncovered brings creeping horror. Minerva, a graduate student, delves into the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure horror author, and uncovers a true story behind Tremblay's famous novel, 'The Vanishing'.
As Minerva investigates, she feels a malevolent force that once haunted Tremblay and her roommate might still linger on campus. This force echoes the witch encounter Nana Alba, Minerva's great-grandmother, experienced in 1900s Mexico. Minerva fears this shadow threatens her now.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last 50 years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes — sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous — Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery and one of the greatest neighborhood novels of all time.
Vanishing Maps by Cristina Garcia
From the acclaimed author of Dreaming in Cuban, a follow-up novel that tracks four generations of the del Pino family against the tumultuous backdrops of Cuba, the U.S., Germany, and Russia in the new millennium.
A young poet tells the unforgettable story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this moving, page-turning memoir hailed as “the mythic journey of our era” (Sandra Cisneros). Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.