To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15/21 to 10/15/21), the library has put together a reading list of fiction and nonfiction books to help “recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.” -hispanicheritagemonth.gov
“Ordinary Girls is a fierce, beautiful, and unflinching memoir from a wildly talented debut author. While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Jaquira Díaz found herself caught between extremes: as her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was surrounded by the love of her friends; as she longed for a family and home, she found instead a life upended by violence. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism, every page of Ordinary Girls vibrates with music and lyricism. Díaz triumphantly maps a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.” -Goodreads.com
“The United States is still typically conceived of as an offshoot of England, with our history unfolding east to west beginning with the first English settlers in Jamestown. This view overlooks the significance of America’s Hispanic past. With the profile of the United States increasingly Hispanic, the importance of recovering the Hispanic dimension to our national story has never been greater.” -Goodreads.com
“A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.” -Goodreads.com
“A timely and no-holds-barred tale of gang life, guerilla warfare, immigration, and intergenerational trauma, Robert Lovato’s memoir and cultural critique reflects on his multifaceted life and examines many of the self-serving myths underlying modern American culture.” -Goodreads.com
Have any questions about putting any of these books on hold? Leave a comment below, call the reference desk at 732-873-8700 ext. 111, or message us on our chat service.
Thanks for reading,
-George, FTPL
