It's National Hispanic Heritage Month 2026, and you can explore official federal resources and exhibits through the National Hispanic American Heritage Month Portal . It's celebrated annually from September 15 through October 15. Why those dates? September 15 marks the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, followed by Mexico on September 16 and Chile on September 18. This year's theme is "Unidos, Somos Más" (Together, We Are More).
Here's a review of the Hispanic-themed books that I've read in the last year. I see it's an area that I might need to beef up. Four of them are definite 5 star reads for me, or pretty darn close, and one was not finished.
One Hundred Years of Solitude. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Editorial Sudamericana, 1967. Harper & Row, 1970 (US). 422 pages.
Another classic read, Garcia Marquez' magnum opus and one of the iconic touchstones of Latin American and world literature. One Hundred Years of Solitude follows seven generations of the Buendía family in the fictional Latin American town of Macondo. Founded by José Arcadio Buendía and his wife Úrsula, Macondo grows from an isolated village, whose citizens do not die, into a town shaped by civil wars, foreign exploitation, and modernization, only to fall into decay. The novel blends magical realism with history, portraying extraordinary events—such as ascensions into heaven, prophetic manuscripts, and ghostly visitations—as everyday occurrences. Across generations, the Buendías repeat patterns of obsession, passion, violence, and solitude. Names, personalities, and destinies recur, suggesting the inescapability of fate. Úrsula’s long life anchors the family, while later descendants struggle with isolation and emotional detachment. As time loops and memory fades, the family becomes increasingly disconnected from both its past and each other. Finally, ancient prophecies are revealed. It's a lot. There are a lot of characters, a lot of symbolism, a lot of magic, and a lot going on. There's enough fodder for many deep and long literary conversations and debates. It really is a magical other world. I'm not sure what it is, but it was a memorable visit.
Xolo. Donna Barba Higuera and Mariana Ruiz Johnson. Levine Querido, release date November 4 2025. 224 pages. Ages 7-10.
I bought a copy of this book to read during a break at the Southern Festival of Books this past weekend, and it proved to be a great discovery. I wish I had attended the author's session. It's a beautifully illustrated children's story of Aztec mythology. Aztec creator and feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl had a dog-headed twin brother, a hideous monster, named Xolotl. Shunned and denigrated by his brother and the other gods, Xolotl struggles to find himself and his function in the realm of the gods. Of course, he becomes the hero, rescuing mankind from extinction and becoming the powerful Lord of the Underworld, In the process, he creates dogs as humanity's most loyal and devoted companions. If there's a child in your life that is interested in other cultures, mythology, and art, especially a child who love dogs, this book will be a huge hit. And if there is not such a child in your life, get a copy for yourself. You'll love it.
The Lacuna. Barbara Kingsolver. Harper, 2009. 507 pages.
I give up. I got this book on sale at Barnes and Noble because it looked interesting: a sweeping historical fiction saga focused on Mexico and Mexico-US relations from the 1920s into the 1950s seen through the eyes of a young man with an American father and a Mexican mother, featuring his interactions with people like intriguing people like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky, J. Edgar Hoover, FDR, and even Charlie Chaplin (I think; I didn't get to him.). Kingsolver is considered by many to be one of America's greatest living novelists. I started reading, and I almost immediately realized why I had only ever finished one Kingsolver novel in my lifetime, Demon Copperhead, and I had to force myself to finish that. Kingsolver may be a great author, but she is in dire need of a great editor. In my opinion, her books would be so much better if they were half - half of everything. This book is sooooo slow, plodding, boring, totally lacking any action. It took 75 pages to introduce Kahlo and Rivera. Nothing and nobody remotely interesting happened in those 75 pages. Almost nothing happened for the next 100 pages, so I finally gave up. It doesn't help that the story is told through journal entries. I'm hugely disappointed that the terrific premise had such a clumsy execution.
Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television. Todd S. Purdum. Simon & Schuster, 2025. 368 pages. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy to read and review.
Desi Arnaz died prematurely at age 69, before earning his due. Only in recent decades have books and documentaries cited his innate genius when it came to the entertainment business and specifically television production. Yet, his great genius was balanced, even overwhelmed, by his many deep flaws, flaws that deeply scarred his life and reputation. Given extraordinary access to previously unshared family documents by Lucie Arnaz, author Todd S. Purdum has succeeded in telling his full life story, the good and the bad. After his family was forced to flee political upheaval in Cuba in the mid-1930s and relocate to Miami, the teenaged Desi embarked on a career as musician and singer, and he was generally regarded as mediocre in both talents, but his good looks and great work ethic quickly paved his way to the stage and to minor roles in Hollywood, where he met the woman that would forever change his life, Lucille Ball. Their marriage was always volatile, to say the least, as he was never able to "forsake all others," blaming his constant patronage of prostitutes on his Latin heritage, and as he eventually fell deeper and deeper into alcoholism. However, professionally they were America's golden couple, with tens of millions of tv viewers regularly tuning in to "I Love Lucy." As the producer of the show, he brought innovations to television production and the business behind it that forever changed the industry and dominated the industry, revolutionary changes that are only now being matched by the still-evolving streaming models of in-home entertainment. The book finally gives him the recognition that he deserves but doesn't gloss over the negatives. It's a great read for any fans.
Gods of Jade and Shadow. Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Del Rey, 2019. 352 pages.
Imagine Cinderella set in Jazz Age Mexico, and you've imagined the kernel at the heart of this story, with one big difference: the Fairy Godmother in this story is actually the Mayan God of Death, Hun-Kame. Casiopea Tun and her mother live in her wealthy grandfather's house in the Yucatan, near the state capital of Merida. Because her mother had married and been widowed by a Mayan commoner beneath her social status, thereby disgracing the family, they were treated like servants by her grandfather and the rest of the family, forced to serve and clean, but Casiopea has dreams of escaping the mundane drudgery. Left alone one day while the rest of the family was on an outing, she opens a locked chest in her grandfather's room, accidentally releasing Hun-Kame from imprisonment and initiating a link between herself and the god that would transform her life. Hun-Kame had been overthrown by his twin brother, with the help of Casiopea's grandfather, and imprisoned for eternity in the chest, minus a few particular possessions and body parts which were required for him to retake his rightful place as Lord of the Underworld. Hum-Kame and Casiopea were now joined, and together they set out on a quest that will take them across Mexico to recover those objects and to eventually defeat the evil usurper and resume his reign. Along the way, they meet and contend with various Mayan spirits and mythical figures seeking to thwart their quest. They are also in a race against time since both are weakening as time passes- Hun-Kame is literally draining life from Casiopea, not only gaining the strength required to remain active in the human world, but also becoming more and more mortal in the process. Finally, Casiopea must defeat her arrogant cousin Martin in a life and death race that will determine the true ruler of the Underworld. This was a fun blend of mythology, magical realism, and historical fiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment