September 15 - October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of the culture, contributions, and histories of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Originally observed as Hispanic Heritage Week starting in 1968, the celebration was expanded in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan to cover a 30-day period that included the independence days for Latin American countries, as well as Mexico and Chile.
There have been numerous contributions and notable firsts made by Hispanic Americans throughout history. Joseph Marion Hernández was the first Hispanic person elected as a representative to the United States Congress, representing the Territory of Florida in 1822 and 1823. Famous guitarist Carlos Santana was the first Hispanic American inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Antonia Coello Novello was the first woman and Hispanic person to serve as Surgeon General, helping to develop the National Hispanic/Latino Health Initiative to improve health care education and services for Hispanic Americans. Mexican-American author Matt de la Peña was the first Hispanic American to win the John Newbery Medal, which recognizes authors who have made prominent contributions to American literature for children. Many of his works are available through the library.
These are only a few of the incredible accomplishments and contributions made by Hispanic Americans throughout history. You can find more information about Hispanic Americans through the World Book database. Search the library catalog and Libby for books by Hispanic authors.
Interested in comics and superheroes? Read up on a few of the Latino superheroes you can find in comics.
Learn Spanish for free with your library card through Transparent Language. The library also has a variety of language-learning books, DVDs, audiobooks, and downloadable materials for all ages available for checkout.
Fun Fact Firsts
- Joseph Marion Hern, Spanish American and in 1822 was first Hispanic American elected as a U.S. Congress representative.
- Lucrezia Bori, Spanish American and in 1912 was the first Hispanic American to be a star of the Metropolitan Opera of New York City.
- Pancho Gonzalez, Mexican American and in 1948 was the first Hispanic American to win a grand slam.
Explore our music selection
Amor Prohibido by Selena
Clásicas De Un Sonero by Arsenio Rodriguez
- Children's Picture Book Recommendations
Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales
Folklore, Counting-Book, Bilingual
In this original trickster tale, Senor Calavera arrives unexpectedly at Grandma Beetle's door. He requests that she leave with him right away. "Just a minute," Grandma Beetle tells him. She still has one house to sweep, two pots of tea to boil, three pounds of corn to make into tortillas - and that's just the start! Using both Spanish and English words to tally the party preparations, Grandma Beetle cleverly delays her trip and spends her birthday with a table full of grandchildren and her surprise guest. This spirited tribute to the rich traditions of Mexican culture is the perfect introduction to counting in both English and Spanish. The vivacious illustrations and universal depiction of a family celebration are sure to be adored by young readers everywhere.
Plátanos go with Everything by Lissette Norman & Sara Palacio
Realistic Fiction, Food, Bilingual
With the English and Spanish text side by side on the page, this bilingual edition of the vibrant picture book celebrating the strength of community and the versatility of plátanos is ideal for bilingual readers as well as Spanish speakers learning English and vice versa. Paletero Man meets Fry Bread in this vibrant and cheerful ode to plátanos, the star of Dominican cuisine, written by award-winning poet Lissette Norman, illustrated by Sara Palacios, and translated by Kianny N. Antigua. Platanos are Yesenia's favorite food. They can be sweet and sugary, or salty and savory. And they're a part of almost every meal her Dominican family makes. Stop by her apartment and find out why plátanos go with everything--especially love!
Fuego, Fueguito by Jorge Agueta, Felipe Ugalde, & Madeleine Maillet
Poetry, Nature, Bilingual
From its birth as a spark, Little Fire flits like a firefly and plays hide and seek inside a volcano. He grows between two sticks rubbed together or on a stone that strikes another. Little Fire is red, yellow, orange and turquoise. "I look like the sun / but I am no sun. / I am Fire, Little Fire / who laughs, / who dances." Little Fire sings, "sizzle, / hiss, / whoosh, / crackle, crackle."
Describes— in Spanish, English, and Nahuatl— the characteristics of fire from the perspective of one little spark.
- Middle Grade Fiction Recommendations
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles
versión en español
Novel-in-Verse, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
Twelve-year-old Güero, a red-headed, freckled Mexican American border kid, discovers the joy of writing poetry, thanks to his seventh grade English teacher.
In Spanish, "Güero" is a nickname for guys with pale skin, Latino or Anglo. But make no mistake: our red-headed, freckled hero is pure mexicano, like Canelo Álvarez, the Mexican boxer. Güero is also a nerd--reader, gamer, musician--who runs with a squad of misfits like him, Los Bobbys. Sure, they get in trouble like anybody else, and like other middle-school boys, they discover girls. Watch out for Joanna! She's tough as nails. But trusting in his family's traditions, his accordion and his bookworm squad, he faces seventh grade with book smarts and a big heart. Life is tough for a border kid, but Güero has figured out how to cope. He writes poetry.The Last Cuentista by Donna Barbra Higuera
versión en español
Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
A girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?
Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo
versión en español
Graphic Novel, Coming-of-Age, Realistic Fiction
Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?
- YA Recommendations
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
versión en español
Contemporary, Romance, LGBT+
This is a debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she's gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that's a problem for Future Yami. The thing is, it's hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn't going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she'll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do? Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, this book explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.
The Immortal Boy by Francisco Montaña Ibáñez
Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Bilingual
Two intertwining stories of Bogotá. One, a family of five children, left to live on their own. The other, a girl in an orphanage who will do anything to befriend the mysterious Immortal Boy.
Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Horror, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal
Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre try to solve a series of grisly murders sweeping through Puerto Rico before the killer catches up with them.
When Lupe Dávila arrives in Puerto Rico for the summer, she'll be staying with her uncle, the local police chief. Javier Utierre's friends are dying in a series of grisly murders. Is it the el Cuco -- or someone human? Working together, Lupe and Javier will have to step into the shadows to see what's lurking there: murderer, or monster?
- Adult Fiction Recommendations
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
versión en español
Fantasy, Magical Realism, Historical Fiction
Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn't want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories-literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her. Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas and soon begin to defy their author: they talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener to the secret tales unspooled by Alma's characters. Among them, Bienvenida, dictator Rafael Trujillo's abandoned wife who was erased from the official history, and Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground and escaped to the United States. The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and whose buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories. Julia Alvarez reminds us that the stories of our lives are never truly finished, even at the end.
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
versión en español
Mystery/Thriller, Historical Fiction, Noir
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a riveting noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome thug, and the mystery of the missing woman that brings them together.
1970s Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger. Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman--and journeying deeper into Leonora's secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric thug who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock 'n' roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance--and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music, and the unspoken loneliness of his heart. Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the secrets behind Leonora's disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies aiming to protect Leonora's secrets--at gunpoint.
All Friends are Necessary by Tomas Moniz
Literary Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT+
Efren “Chino” Flores has just moved back to the Bay Area from Seattle, jumping from sublet to sublet. In Washington, he was an adored middle school biology teacher with a loving wife, and a child on the way—that is, until a stunning loss upended his life. Now he’s working temp jobs, terrified of commitment, and struggling to put himself back out into the world.
But there to nurture Chino is a coterie of new and old friends and lovers who form a protective web around him. Closest to him are Metal Matt, a red-haired metalhead with a soft spot for Courtney Love and a rangy dog named Sabbath, and Mike and Kay, a couple whose literary edge is matched only by the success of their secret OnlyFans account. As Chino begins to date more men and women—and to open himself up again to love—his bonds with those around him grow both rich and profound. Like a fern blooming in the wake of a forest fire, new life comes after even the most devastating upheaval.
- Non-Fiction Recommendations
Sharuko: Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown, Elisa Charravi, Adriana Domínguez
Biography, Bilingual, Picture Book
A picture biography of Julio C. Tello, considered to be the founder of modern Peruvian archaeology, that traces his life from an early interest in Peru's ancient cultures to his rise as the most distinguished Indigenous social scientist of the twentieth century. A map and an afterword with additional information, photograph, and source list are included.
Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor & Lulu Delacre
versión en español
Autobiography, Picture Book
As the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor has inspired young people around the world to reach for their dreams. But what inspired her? For young Sonia, the answer was books! They were her mirrors, her maps, her friends, and her teachers. They helped her to connect with her family in New York and in Puerto Rico, to deal with her diabetes diagnosis, to cope with her father's death, to uncover the secrets of the world, and to dream of a future for herself in which anything was possible. In Turning Pages, Justice Sotomayor shares that love of books with a new generation of readers, and inspires them to read and puzzle and dream for themselves. Accompanied by Lulu Delacre's vibrant art, this story of the Justice's life shows readers that the world is full of promise and possibility– all they need to do is turn the page.
Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet by Elizabeth Rusch & Teresa Martínez
versión en español
Biography, Picture Book
How did a boy from Mexico City become a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who saved our planet? Eight-year-old Mario wanted to learn all he could about chemistry. he examined everything - from rotten lettuce to toothpaste - under a microscope. As an adult, Mario continued studying chemistry - and discovered something scary. CFCs, used in millions of refrigerators and spray cans, were destroying the earth's protective ozone layer. Without the ozone layer, deadly solar radiation would bombard our planet. Mario had to warn the world - and quickly. This is the true story of Mario Molina, the Mexican American chemist who brought the world back from the brink of environmental catastrophe. His inspiring story offers hope in the face of today's battle against global warming.
Chita: A Memoir by Chita Rivera
versión en español
Autobiography, memoir
She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero--until the entertainment world renamed her. But Dolores--the irreverent side of the sensual, dark, and ferocious Chita--was always present and influential in creating some of Broadway's most iconic roles, including Anita in West Side Story, Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, Velma in Chicago, Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Claire in The Visit. Written in gratitude to her fans and with the hope that new generations may learn from her experience, Chita takes us backstage to reveal the highs and lows of one extraordinary show business career--the creative fermentation, the ego clashes, the miraculous discoveries. Chita invites us into the room with some of the greatest talents of the age, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr., Gwen Verdon, Shirley MacLaine, and more. This colorful memoir is the unforgettable story of a performer who blazed her own trail and inspired countless performers to forge their own paths to success.
Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez
versión en español
In this long-awaited first volume of a planned trilogy, the most acclaimed and revered living Nobel laureate begins to tell us the story of his life. Like all his work, Living to Tell the Tale is a magnificent piece of writing. It spans Gabriel García Márquez's life from his birth in 1927 through the start of his career as a writer to the moment in the 1950s when he proposed to the woman who would become his wife. It has the shape, the quality, and the vividness of a conversation with the reader– a tale of people, places, and events as they occur to him: the colorful stories of his eccentric family members; the great influence of his mother and maternal grandfather; his consuming career in journalism, and the friends and mentors who encouraged him; the myths and mysteries of his beloved Colombia; personal details, undisclosed until now, that would appear later, transmuted and transposed, in his fiction; and, above all, his fervent desire to become a writer. And, as in his fiction, the narrator here is an inspired observer of the physical world, able to make clear the emotions and passions that lie at the heart of a life– in this instance, his own.
Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the Twenty-One Countries of Latin America by Sandra A. Gutierrez
versión en español
In this monumental work, culinary expert Sandra A. Gutierrez shares more than three hundred everyday dishes—plus countless variations—that home cooks everywhere will want to replicate. Divided by ingredient—Beans, Corn, Yuca, Quinoa, and almost two dozen more—and featuring an extensive pantry section that establishes the fundamentals of Latin American cooking, Latinísimo brings together real recipes from home cooks in Argentina, Brazil, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Descriptions adapted from the publisher.