Hispanic & Latinx American Literature

The Tequila Worm, published in 2005 by Random House, (first edition) is a middle grade novel about a young Mexican American girl, Sofia, who comes from a family of storytellers. The tales Sofia hears strengthen her ties to her family and their traditions in the Texas barrio where they live. Though poor, the family does not struggle, finding riches in the practice of making Easter cascarones, (colored eggs) celebrating Dia de los Muertos, (Day of... Read The Tequila Worm Summary

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Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs: A Novel of the Mexican Revolution first appeared in a newspaper serialization in 1915, was published in its complete form in 1920, and was first translated into English in 1929. The Underdogs is considered among the finest works of fiction to focus on the Mexican Revolution. The author served as a medic in the conflict, bringing authenticity and insight to the story. The book can be read as a critique of... Read The Underdogs Summary

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This Is How You Lose Her is a short story collection published in 2012 by the Dominican American author Junot Díaz, and his second story collection. The book is comprised of nine stories, most of which were originally published in The New Yorker magazine. Eight of the stories feature the same narrator, Yunior, who also appears as a character in Díaz’s other major works, Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. This Is... Read This Is How You Lose Her Summary

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Touching Spirit Bear is a young adult fiction novel written by Ben Mikaelsen and originally published in 2002. It is a bildungsroman and adventure story and the first in a two-part series. Ben Mikaelsen was inspired by his own pet black bear, Buffy, to whom he dedicated the book; the novel also takes cultural inspiration from the Tlingit Tribe of Alaska. Touching Spirit Bear is the recipient of nine awards, including the Nevada Young Readers’... Read Touching Spirit Bear Summary

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Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a coming-of-age story about the importance of family, heritage, and perseverance. This young adult novel comes directly from McCall’s own experiences as a young Mexican immigrant, a writer with a dream, and a teenager who watches her mother die from cancer. Under the Mesquite infuses poetic form, free verse, imagery, and sprinkles of the Spanish language in order to portray a bildungsroman in which a young girl... Read Under The Mesquite Summary

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Veronika Decides to Die (1998) is a novel of ideas by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The novel follows Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian woman who decides to die in 1997 because her perfectly normal world has left her apathetic toward life. After Veronika attempts suicide, she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital called Villete. Villete was established in the rift opened by the civil war in Yugoslavia to generate a profit from the issues of the upper... Read Veronika Decides To Die Summary

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