It was another amazing year for books by Latinx authors, and while it's hard to choose a favorite, we did! Here are our picks for best books of the year. We hope this list will inspire you to pick up these books and to share with the people in your life your favorite titles of 2024
First in the Family by Jessica Hoppe | Adult Nonfiction
"Here is Jessica Hoppe's first book, a memoir in which she dives deep into herself and her story, her family's, substance use and AA; writing as a Latina from a place of a recovery after navigating the spaces that did not have our people in mind. It's edgy, it's tough, it's funny (one look at her and you know this checks out). I'll read anything and everything with a voice like hers." —Andrea Morales, Fellowship and Writers Mentorship Co-Director
Every Arc Bends Its Radian by Sergio De La Pava | ADULT FICTION
"This Philo major and crime fiction editor with very little time for pleasure reading gobbled up this funny and mind-blowing story about a philosopher/poet/private eye in search of a young woman in Cali, Colombia. Fast-paced, immersive, and inventive, this novel takes you on a wild ride." —Toni Kirkpatrick, Chair
Bird of Four Hundred Voices: A Mexican American Memoir of Music and Belonging by Eugene Rodriguez | ADULT NONFICTION
"Eugene Rodriguez grew up in a California barrio where music education had a formal format and no Mexican representation. What is a boy captivated by music to do? He grows up and forms his own band (Los Cenzontles, The Mockingbirds), and teaches Bay Area youth to discover their musical traditions. Los Cenzontles journey from California to Mexico to resurrect a lost mariachi tradition, and go on to collaborate with luminaries like Linda Ronstadt, Lalo Guerrero, Jackson Browne, Flaco Jimenez and Los Lobos. This memoir is a celebration of one man's pride in his Mexican musical traditions and his triumphant persistence to transcend borders."--Maria Ferrer, Events Director
Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar | YOUNG ADULT FICTION
"This coming-of-age story of a queer artist growing up in 2017 Honduras is a reminder of what unites the Latinx communities. Flores Zaldívar’s emotionally charged storytelling leaves a long-lasting impact on whoever reads their work, on whoever grew up or knows someone who grew up in Latin America's unforgiving summers, too-often blackouts, warm family dinners, colorful sceneries, and corrupt governments. It is such genuine work that it is impossible not to fall in love, laugh, and suffer with the characters."---Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares, Intern
LOTERÍA REMEDIOS: Soulful Remedies & Affirmations from Mexican Lotería by Xelena González, illustrated by Jose Sotelo Yamasaki
Playing Lotería (Mexican bingo) with family and friends is taken to a creative new level as storyteller Xelena González shares the meanings and remedios of the cards. It's such fun to read as favorites are drawn -- La Bota, El Gallo, La Luna, La Sirena all there to spark conversation and reflection while playing the classic game. —Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Fellowship Co-Director
Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez | ADULT NONFICTION
This title was my most anticipated read for the year and Prisca did not disappoint. As someone who is extremely close to her cousins and aunties, it was so heartwarming to recognize the women I love in each chapter, shedding light to the qualities and circumstances that make them who they are. Bonus points if you read it with your primas!—Ruddy Lopez, Communications Co-Director
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez | ADULT FICTION
I loved this book because it explores a very confusing time in life where you’re expected to be an adult while learning the reality of the real world. The dual timeline of Anita de Monte and Raquel was a creative way to explore misogyny in the past and present.
“Human will is a particularly powerful magic. Alchemy happens when a person truly decides something; when a mind is changed” - Xóchitl Gonzalez
“And that revelation sparked one that was even more painful: the reason that Raquel subconsciously believed that Nick knew “better” than her was that it was Nick’s point of view that had been affirmed and internalized by the white walls of every museum or gallery they had ever been told was worth looking at.”
—Mariana Felix-Kim, Communications Co-Director
