Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Article Image Alt Text
  • Article Image Alt Text
    Afterlife by Julia Alvarez

Shelf Talk: DSCL Reading Recommendations

Understanding the rich and diverse culture of Texas would be impossible without first understanding the history of Hispanics in the Lone Star State. Over time, Hispanics and their traditions have come to define much of Texas, its iconic symbols and the cultural impact of these traditions on Texas architecture, language, music, clothing, literature and the cuisine that makes Texas unique.

The origins of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated annually from September 15th to October 15th, go back to 1968, when the U.S. State Department selected one month each year to celebrate the anniversaries of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico, Chile, and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period. Columbus Day in Mexico (Día de la Raza) is on October 12.

Hispanic Latinos are the fastest growing population in the United States accounting for roughly 18% — 60.6 million — of the nation's total population. Latinos continue to contribute to American culture as musicians, small business owners, chefs, veterans and many other professions.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, Americans have an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the countless contributions from generations of Hispanic Americans who have consistently helped make our country strong and prosperous.

The following books are all examples of the richness that Hispanic culture and traditions contribute to this “melting pot” we know as The United States of America:

ADULT DEPARTMENT

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez -- O Magazine listed Alvarez’s book as “A Most-Anticipated Book of the Year.” After a 15-year hiatus, her novel Afterlife puts us into the shoes of Antonia, a newly retired English professor, and the main character. Antonia must come to terms with the fact that her love for words, for books, for the stories she reads are no longer enough to sustain her as life’s challenges almost bring her to her knees. Alvarez’s book makes us question, “How do we live in a broken world without losing faith in one another or ourselves?” Such a timeless question for us all, and one we must constantly ask ourselves every day, especially in today’s political and social climate.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo -- In this coming-of-age novel, Afro-Dominican American author Elizabeth Acevedo explores emotions we can all relate to: “loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.” The book chronicles themes of cultural differences between the main characters: sisters, one who lives in the Dominican Republic, and the other who lives in New York City. They must come to terms with the loss of their father while oceans apart. This is one you can read with your young adult and discuss afterwards.

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher -- Bookshop introduces us to this book like this: “Cofounder of the Women’s March makes her YA debut in a nearfuture dystopian where a young girl and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary.” This one hits maybe a little too close to home given the state of our world, but for that reason alone, it’s well worth the read. Take a trip through the lives of undocumented immigrants through the lens of a sixteen-yearold boy who must also carry his family’s livelihood on his shoulders. You might be asking yourself by the last page: where do you find sanctuary?

Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity by Paola Ramos -- We’ve heard the word “Latinx” — and used it, even — but what does it mean? This book takes us on a journey, as the reader, to hear from the mouths of the Latinx community often overlooked. Within the 336 pages of her debut novel, Ramos provides an in-depth look into the Trans-Latinos, Afro-Latino, and Cuban-American communities to help us understand the political, social, and cultural differences which make up the voices collectively known by this term.

These books teach us not only about humanity, but that we all have valuable feelings and can learn so much from another person’s lived experience. To keep humanity on stable footing, we must all take a little time to sit with the stories spoken from voices different than the ones in our circle.

Oh, and don’t forget to bring your kids along for the read; we can only move forward as a human race if we do so together.

YOUNG ADULT DEPARTMENT

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo -- Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her Mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez -- Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend, Lorena, and her first love (first everything), Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt De La Pena -- Danny is tall and skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. Ninety-five mile an hour fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound, he loses it.

But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny is brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. But it works the other way too. And Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico.

That’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. But to find himself, he may just have to face the demons he refuses to see--the demons that are right in front of his face.

Matt de la Peña's critically acclaimed novel is an intimate and moving story that offers hope to those who least expect it.

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon -- Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall—or rather, walls.

There’s the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana’s dad left—again.

There’s the wall that delineates Liliana’s diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy— and white—suburban high school she’s just been accepted into.

And there’s the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can’t just lighten up, she has to whiten up.

So what if she changes her name? What if she changes the way she talks? What if she’s seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn’t that her father doesn’t want to come home—he can’t… and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes -- Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game.

Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—a.k.a. a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person.

So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris.

CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT

Alma and How She Got Her Name (Ages 4-8) -- Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela thinks she has too many names. But when she learns the origins of each one, everything changes. She learns about Pura, her great-aunt who believed that ancestors are always watching over us to keep us safe. She contemplates José, her grandfather who was an artist with a big family. Her other names handed down from relatives also become meaningful. In the end, Alma realizes that she will have a story to tell about her own name someday.

Dreamers (Ages 4-8) -- This beautiful picture book tells the story of a mother and child who discover many new things—some wonderful and welcoming and others unfamiliar and scary. The book includes an autobiographical essay about the author’s own immigration story as she traveled from Mexico to Texas with her two-month old son. Soñadores, a Spanish-language edition, is also available.

Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx (Ages 4-8) -- Sonia Sotomayor was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2009 and is the Court’s first Latina Justice. In this bilingual (English and Spanish) book, we learn about Sotomayor’s childhood in the Bronx. Her upbringing was humble and filled with love. Through her determination, bravery and commitment to justice, she became the person she wanted to be.

How Tia Lola Came to Stay (Ages 9-12) -- When Miguel’s parents get divorced, he moves to Vermont with his mother and little sister. Miguel navigates two cultures and reflects on what it means to be Latino and a child of immigrants. Then, his aunt, Tía Lola, comes from the Dominican Republic to help take care of them. Miguel’s life becomes even more interesting with her around.

Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight (Ages 12 and up) --Juan crosses the U.S.-Mexico border to find work in the states. He works as a restaurant busboy but he isn’t paid well, less than half of minimum wage. Even though Juan worries about his boss reporting him for not having proper papers, he decides to stand up for himself and his coworkers to improve their salaries and working conditions. This graphic novel tells the story of undocumented immigrant workers who face daily struggles at work but join the work force and contribute to society.

Dripping Springs Century-News

P.O. Box 732
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620

Phone: (512) 858-4163
Fax: (512) 847-9054