Books

As a Portland-based writer, educator, and DJ, Emilly Prado is one of the most unique triple threats out there. We sat down with Prado to discuss her debut essay collection, ‘Funeral for Flaca.’

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.

The author of 17 YA, middle-grade, and adult fiction novels, Zoraida Córdova has established herself as an essential voice in the Latinx publishing space, exploring fantastical worlds, science fiction universes, and magical realism with an Ecuadorian twist. Her most recent novel, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, is a stunning exploration of matriarchy, memorializing the past, and the inherent divisions and yet unbreakable connections throughout time.

I quit my job and dedicated the next two years of my life, together with my mother, to writing her and our family’s life story — centered around generational trauma and the beauty of breaking cycles and healing.

There I was, just scrolling through Facebook, when I discovered my hometown library, a sanctuary of my youth, at the center of a book-banning controversy. According to the Victoria Advocate, one group of parents did not appreciate sexual situations and queer portrayals in the city’s public library books.

Argentine author Romina Garber has been a fresh and unabashedly original voice in the industry since her young-adult fantasy novel Lobizona hit shelves last August. Blending mythology, magic, and werewolves…

At another time in my life, I might have jumped out of my seat and laughed at the irony that Gabriela Mistral, the writer of my grandmother’s favorite verses, was a lesbian like me.

The following Latina writers not only make an impact with readers with their work — but they also wowed their peers and earned numerous prestigious organizations — paving the way for more Latina authors. Let’s celebrate them!

Let’s celebrate Latina-authored books that are getting adapted for the screen – because these seven are all major wins for Latinas in Hollywood!

With his sophomore release “El Gusano,” author Luis Carlos Barragán Castro shows a trend in his work, where he integrates the imaginative power of science-fiction and the richness of Latin American culture to imagine better worlds. Not perfect, not absent of conflict, pain, confusion, or death, but better.