One of the things we look forward to most in a new year is all the fabulous new media heading our way, books included. 2021 proved to be a year filled with celebrated new releases from Latina authors, including Infinite Country by Patricia Engel, What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster, Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell, and The Rock Eaters: Stories by Brenda Peynado. We poured over these new Latinx books, and of course, want more.
So, what are the books that are going to help us feel seen and represented, fill our days with wonderful narratives, and teach us a thing or two in 2022? We did the research, and found five books, penned by Latinas, that you’ll definitely want to pick up this new year.
You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case For Rejecting Assimilation by Julissa Arce
Julissa Arce captured our attention with her books, My (Underground) American Dream, and Someone Like Me (How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream). Now the Mexican author is back, with You Sound Like a White Girl: A Case For Rejecting Assimilation, slated for release on March 22, 2022. In it, she explores how BIPOC immigrants are pushed to assimilate into the Anglo definition of American culture, and how that is damaging.
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
Already being adapted into a Hulu film starring Aubrey Plaza, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming will be released on January 4, 2022. The story, from the Puerto Rican-Mexican author, follows Olga and Pedro Acevedo, Nuyorican siblings whose hot-shot lives are shaken up when their radical mother Blanca decides to return.
Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space by Zoraida Córdova
Reclaim the Stars is another upcoming Latinx book you should add to your reading list. Made up of 17 science fiction and fantasy stories by notable Latinx YA authors and edited by Zoraida Córdova, it promises to both transport and entertain the reader. Look for it on February 15, 2022.
No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
Loved Fat Chance, Charlie Vega? Then you’ll probably love No Filter and Other Lies, the second novel from Puerto Rican YA author Crystal Maldonado. The novel, which will be released on February 8, 2022, follows Kat Sanchez, the teen who has been living a hyped-up lie on social media as the made-up Max Monroe.
Inheritance: A Visual Poem by Elizabeth Acevedo
We already know to anticipate a release from Afro-Dominican author Elizabeth Acevedo. Luckily, we have a new book of hers to look forward to in 2022. Inheritance: A Visual Poem, which will be released on May 3, 2022. It combines words and art (illustrations are by Andrea Pippins) to speak about Afro-Latino hair.
