How many Latino authors have you read? Whether your answer is “none,” “many” or anything in between, the month of May is the perfect time to read more about the culture of approximately 17 percent of the American population. For the last decade, the Association of American Publishers has designated the month of May as Latino Book Month to encourage everyone to read books by and for Latinos.
To be a part of this national celebration, you can discover a new author or reread a book by a Latino author that you adore. Here are a few suggestions that you can find in the JMRL catalog:
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez – A story based on actual events evokes the horror of the Dominican Republic under dictator General Trujillo, as three sisters die in a jeep “accident.”
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes – A definitive English translation of the sixteenth-century classic follows the adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through Spain and become subject to the noble knight-errant’s fanciful imagination.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. It is a chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendia family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo one sees all of Latin America.
Conversation in the Cathedral by Mario Vargas Llosa – A haunting tale of power, corruption, and the complex search for identity Conversation in The Cathedral takes place in 1950s Peru during the dictatorship of Manuel A. Odría. More than a historic analysis, Conversation in The Cathedral is a groundbreaking novel that tackles identity as well as the role of a citizen and how a lack of personal freedom can forever scar a people and a nation.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende – Traces the lives of the Truebas, beginning with clairvoyant Clara del Valle’s summoning of the man she intends to marry, ambitious Esteban Trueba, and following their participation in the history of their times which is their destiny.