A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World
Updated Sep. 11, 2024
From novelists to nonfiction writers, this list of contemporary Hispanic authors features fresh perspectives and diverse voices—and you won't be able to put these books down
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Looking for some amazing Hispanic Heritage Month books to read during this celebratory time? If the writers on our list of contemporary Hispanic authors aren’t on your radar, they should be—and not just during Hispanic Heritage Month (also often called Latinx Heritage Month).
Some of these books were written by famous Hispanic Americans known for crafting incredible stories for and about the Latinx community. Others are by newcomers with compelling voices and fascinating perspectives. Many are critically acclaimed or bestselling books, some have been adapted for film and television and others are simply incredible reads that seriously deserve your attention. To make sure you’re getting personal recommendations, we asked authors, booksellers, Reader’s Digest editors and other experts in the book world for their favorites. From drama and romance to horror and mystery books, there’s something on this list for you.
Trust us: Once you pick up one of the best books by Hispanic authors, you won’t be able to put it down. Whether you are interested in books that speak to your lived experience, want to know more about the community or are just looking for your great next read, you’re in the right place. So keep reading for a list of contemporary Hispanic authors who belong on everyone’s shelves.
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For fans of: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Every list of important Hispanic authors includes Mexican American writer Sandra Cisneros, and for good reason. She’s a brilliant, award-winning author whose work we’ll read for years to come. Published in 1984, her bestseller, The House on Mango Street, is a coming-of-age tale about the Chicana experience, but it’s a must-read for readers of all ages.
“Each time I reread The House on Mango Street, I find something new to admire,” says Colombian writer Paula Delgado-Kling, author of Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood. “The writing has a lyrical energy that makes it hard to put the book down. The character, Esperanza—’Hope’—is just that: a model for survival and independence amid the poor urban Chicago immigrants. When friends ask what Latina writer I recommend, I always turn to Sandra Cisneros.”
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For fans of: Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
Elizabeth Acevedo’s adult fiction debut—her first deviation from her lauded YA novels and poetry collections—became a national bestseller in 2023. Family Lore revolves around Flor Marte, a Dominican American woman who invites her loved ones to a living wake in her honor. But knowing that Flor has a gift that allows her to predict the day someone will die, everyone suspects there’s more to the wake than Flor is letting on.
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For fans of: Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange and Paris by Edward Rutherfurd
From the bestselling author of The Book of Unknown Americans comes a 2024 epic about the forgotten laborers, scientists, residents and activists living and working during the construction of the Panama Canal.
“Cristina Henríquez’s novel is a beautiful, sweeping story in which history takes a backseat to the people whose lives were changed by it,” says Reader’s Digest Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, who selected the novel for the Reader’s Digest Book Club. “Yes, The Great Divide is about the Panama Canal. And yes, it’s an eye-opening look at the historic event. But really, this book is about its characters. It’s about human nature, resilience, love, pain, sacrifice and home. Publisher’s Weekly said the book ‘has the feel of a classic,’ and I couldn’t agree more.”
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For fans of: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Set in the 1950s, this New York Times bestseller from 2020 revolves around Noemí Taboada, a young debutante bent on saving her newlywed cousin, Catalina, from an increasingly strange and terrifying threat. Mexican Gothic lives up to its title, weaving in classic Gothic elements with commentary on class and postcolonialism. While Silvia Moreno-Garcia was a successful writer before its publication, it’s the one that put her on every reader’s radar and nearly every critic’s list of contemporary Hispanic authors.
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For fans of: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Published in 1989, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted into a 1992 movie starring Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas. It follows the tale of two Cuban brothers who immigrate to New York City in the 1950s and pursue a life of music, love and fame.
“The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love makes me want to put on red lipstick and a tight dress, grab a rum and Coke, and dance to the trumpets, drums, saxophones and congas of Latin jazz,” says author Delgado-Kling. “I became a cheerleader for the characters Cesar and Nestor, who faced struggles, but also found glitter, in Nueva York. I’ve enjoyed this book many times over.”
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For fans of: This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa
Latina Rebels founder Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez invites women of color to challenge the status quo and find pride within themselves in For Brown Girls, a powerful book that came out in 2021. The Nicaraguan author and activist tackles racism, colorism, classism, toxic masculinity, the immigrant experience and more in ways that are honest, refreshing and inspiring. As someone with Nicaraguan roots who also grew up in South Florida, I found it extremely relatable and really appreciated her takes on respectability politics and imposter syndrome, as well as her takedown of the myth of meritocracy.
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For fans of: The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
What happens between gorgeous telenovela actors when the cameras stop rolling? You Had Me at Hola, a flirty 2020 bestseller from Puerto Rican author Alexis Daria, casts Jasmine and Ashton as leads whose careers are on the line. Of course, in order to make their on-screen romance more believable, they must rehearse their kissing scenes as much as possible.
“The first book in the Primas of Power series is pure fun—the drama pulls you right in, all telenovela style,” says Shari Margolin, an American expat living on the Pacific coast of Mexico and the co-author of The Young Expat’s Guide to Mexico. “The charming leading lady is easy to connect with and cheer on as she falters with her Spanish while excelling in her feminism and unapologetic ambitions. Plus, the sexy love story is addictive.”
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For fans of: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and Big Chicas Don’t Cry by Annette Chavez Macias
A National Book Award finalist, Erika L. Sánchez’s 2017 debut YA novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, is the heartfelt story of a rebellious Mexican American teen’s life in the wake of her “perfect” sister’s death. As Julia deals with her grief and mental health, she continues to fight against her immigrant mother’s traditional expectations—but also uncovers secrets about her sister.
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For fans of: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
Filled with sharp wit and righteous rage, Anita de Monte Laughs Last challenges the idea of who gets to rise and be remembered in the art world. This 2024 novel is told from the alternating perspectives of rising artist Anita de Monte, who died in 1985, and art history student Raquel Toro, who comes across Anita’s story while she is dealing with her own struggles with racism and erasure in 1998.
“I love the multiple viewpoints portrayed around the common and timeless theme of inequality,” says Margolin. “Gonzalez takes on big, heavy social issues and then shakes it all up with the complete—and weirdly delightful—surprise in Anita’s vehicle for revenge.”
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For fans of: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
How often do you read a true account of what it’s like to climb Mount Everest, let alone from the perspective of a woman of color? In the Shadow of the Mountain follows Silvia Vasquez-Lavado as she battles alcoholism and childhood trauma, struggles to hide her sexuality and then gathers fellow female survivors for the ascent of a lifetime. Selena Gomez calls Vasquez-Lavado a “warrior” and an “inspiration.”
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For fans of: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and The Hunger by Alma Katsu
In this 2023 bestseller set during the Mexican-American War, blood-sucking monsters transcend the allegory for colonialism. Nena finds herself reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Néstor, whom she believes left her for dead nine years ago. Together, they must overcome their past in order to survive their future … and the vamps wandering the countryside.
“One of my favorite reads of 2023, Vampires of El Norte wins on so many fronts,” says Neithercott, who chose the novel as a Reader’s Digest Book Club selection. “It’s meticulously researched historical fiction. It’s a sweeping story of star-crossed love. And it’s a vampire novel that draws on real historical records—and not Eastern European ones. Add gorgeous writing and a tight plot, and you get a book that I’m convinced everyone will love.”
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For fans of: Barren Lives by Graciliano Ramos
Itamar Vieira Junior’s award-winning 2019 novel, Crooked Plow, is about the lives of two Afro-Brazilian sisters during a critical period in Brazilian history—when the country was still transitioning from the “end” of slavery to sharecropping.
“This book had quickly become a bestseller in Brazil a few years ago, and once you start reading, you can easily understand why,” says Diana Beltrao de Macedo, a proud Latina immigrant and the programs and community outreach librarian at the East Boston branch of the Boston Public Library. “Itamar does a beautiful job of captivating the reader with a story that is mysterious, intriguing and bittersweet. Through his words, you will be able to experience a side of Brazil that is often overlooked abroad.”
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For fans of: Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa
With a 4.8-star rating on Amazon and rave reviews from Elle, Bloomberg, Ms. and other publications, this 2022 indie bestseller needs to get on your radar, stat. Tackling what it means to belong from the perspective of a Mexican immigrant, this raw text will have you looking at the Latin experience with new eyes. You Sound Like a White Girl confronts the feelings of being ni de aqui, ni de allá (“from neither here nor there”) that many of us have and reveals how to navigate being in this third space—at least it definitely did for me!
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For fans of: When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes made magic once more in 2021 by penning a brilliant and poetic memoir of growing up in Philadelphia. My Broken Language takes readers from her childhood to her college days, perfectly capturing the nuances of her Puerto Rican family and experiences with spirituality and art.
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For fans of: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Follow Violeta Del Valle’s incredible life, from her birth in 1920 through the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression and the Women’s Rights Movement, in this engrossing saga from one of Latin America’s biggest authors. Fans of historical fiction will be swept away as Violeta encounters love, heartbreak and passion of all kinds in the span of 100 years. It wasn’t long after Violeta‘s February 2022 release that it landed on the New York Times bestseller list, and you only have to read the book to understand why Allende has such devoted fans.
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For fans of: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo and Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
What does it mean to be Latino (or Latina, Latine or Latinx)? It’s a question many of us struggle to define for ourselves and our community. Héctor Tobar’s 2023 book, Our Migrant Souls, does an excellent job of confronting this question head-on. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author and son of Guatemalan immigrants takes an intersectional approach, using this nonfiction book to explore many of the different facets of Latinidad, from colonialism and segregation to immigration, public policy, pop culture and more.
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For fans of: The Upstairs House by Julia Fine
This 2023 novel by two-time Bram Stoker Award–nominated author V. Castro is a perfectly mesmerizing and dark tale of what it means to be haunted by generational trauma. The Haunting of Alejandra follows the titular character—a mother, a wife, an adopted daughter and ultimately a woman who is being haunted by visions of La Llorona, the crying woman of Latin American folklore. But when Alejandra seeks help by way of therapy, she begins to uncover so much more than she bargained for.
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For fans of: Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
If you’re looking for a queer Latinx romance, look no further than this YA novel by Jonny Garza Villa, which hit shelves in May 2023. Ander & Santi Were Here follows nonbinary Mexican American teen Ander Martínez, who’s living in San Antonio and preparing to go to art school to become a muralist. When their family taqueria hires an attractive new waiter named Santiago, they fall hard. Things get even more complicated when ICE comes for Santi, putting a pin in the relationship and Ander’s future plans.
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For fans of: Crying in the Bathroom by Erika L. Sánchez
Released in the summer of 2021, Funeral for Flaca is a coming-of-age essay collection I just couldn’t put down. It offers a glimpse into the author’s life as a Chicana growing up during the late ’90s in the white suburbs of Portland and the Bay Area. Throughout her memoir, Emilly Prado shows how she constantly reinvented herself (from preppy to chola to punk) while experiencing and surviving rejection and relationships, assault and acceptance. The narrative is accompanied by playlists (that you can find on Prado’s Spotify account) and plenty of heart.
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For fans of: In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes
On the heels of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s bestselling Mexican Gothic came a novel just as highly praised: Velvet Was the Night. This New York Times Editor’s Choice book is set in 1970s Mexico City and follows Maite, a secretary with a penchant for reading romance stories. The disappearance of her mysterious art student neighbor, Leonora, rocks her life. As Maite begins searching for Leonora, she uncovers her neighbor’s secret life without realizing she herself is being watched.
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For fans of: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
Twelve years after the disappearance of 13-year-old Ruthy Ramirez, her family is convinced they’ve seen her on a trashy reality TV show, kicking off an emotional series of events. Published in 2023, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is raw and realistic in its depictions of grief and trauma, but it’s also heartfelt and funny. At just 240 pages, this is a short book you can read in a single sitting.
“I may have picked up Claire Jiménez’s novel for the missing-sister mystery, but what kept me going was the narrative voice. It hooked me from the first chapter—the first page, really. Despite the serious topic, this book is funny,” says Neithercott. “What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is the heartbreaking yet hilarious novel to reach for if you need levity while reading about meaty topics.”
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For fans of: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Chilean American author Isabel Allende became a literary star when her 1982 magical realism novel, The House of the Spirits, became an international bestseller. Allende’s 2015 bestselling novel, The Japanese Lover, also weaves magical realism into the tale—this one a romance that starts during World War II when a Polish Jewish girl meets a Japanese American boy.
“[It’s] an epic love story but with a lot more to it—historical fiction, mystery, privilege, familial relationships, etc.,” says Gary Parkes, the event manager at FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, Georgia. “The writing and storytelling are superb. I actually have a hard time describing this one because there is so much there, and each reader will be drawn to different parts and relationships. I think this is truly a book that will give each reader a different feeling.”
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For fans of: Latinx Rising, edited by Matthew David Goodwin and Never Whistle at Night, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
This fascinating 2021 anthology brings to life Latinx-centered short stories that include time travel, curanderas (healers), chupacabras and everything in between. While the genres vary from sci-fi to magical realism and fantasy, all of the stories in Speculative Fiction for Dreamers explore Latinx identities. It features stories by Pedro Iniguez, Eliana Buenrostro, Grisel Y. Acosta, Roxanne Ocasio, Daniel Parada and many others who have earned a spot on this list of contemporary Hispanic authors that all modern readers ought to know.
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For fans of: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Cuban American author Raquel V. Reyes taps into her heritage and love of sleuthing in Mango, Mambo, and Murder, a delightful 2021 cozy mystery novel set in Miami. When a food anthropologist and budding Cuban cooking show star witnesses a suspicious death at a luncheon, she’s pulled into figuring out just who was behind the murder—and her best friend ends up being a prime suspect.
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For fans of: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Named the 2022 Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation and winner of the National Book Award, Elizabeth Acevedo is often included on every list of important Hispanic authors. Her 2020 book is about two Dominican girls, one in New York and the other in a beach town in the Dominican Republic, who struggle with the aftermath of a plane crash. Given that it tackles topics of grief, connection and identity with unparalleled skill, it’s no wonder Clap When You Land became a New York Times bestseller and remains one of the author’s most talked-about novels.
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For fans of: Wahala by Nikki May and Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros
Bestselling Chicana author Sandra Cisneros gifted readers with this 2021 gem about a young woman who sets off for Paris to start a new life as a writer but ends up panhandling, partying and making lifelong friends along the way. Booklist described Martita, I Remember You as “vivid, tender, funny, bittersweet and haunting,” while Publisher’s Weekly says fans will treasure Cisneros’s bilingual novel.
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For fans of: Funeral for Flaca by Emilly Prado and Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
A 2021 short story collection by Estella Gonzalez, Chola Salvation perfectly portrays life growing up in East Los Angeles and the challenges that the marginalized folks who reside there face daily—sometimes with a wonderfully fantastical twist. From bizarre but magical encounters with Frida Kahlo and La Virgen de Guadalupe to the struggles of figuring out one’s sexuality to the internal battle of colorism and self-hate, you’ll find something special in each story.
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For fans of: The Carrying by Ada Limón
Ananda Lima’s 2021 poetry collection, Mother/Land, vividly explores the intersections and complexities of motherhood and immigration, two topics the Brazilian American poet understands firsthand. Combining English and Portuguese throughout her poems, Lima masterfully paints bilingual portraits of child-rearing, transformation and place.
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For fans of: Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie
Sonora Reyes’s 2022 debut novel about a young, queer Mexican American high school girl doing everything she can to stay in the closet is both hilarious and heartfelt. A national bestseller, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School is a fresh, fun novel both teens and adults can enjoy.
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For fans of: The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Award-winning author Kali Fajardo-Anstine delivers a sweeping epic with her 2022 novel, Woman of Light. The story follows the life and struggles of Luz “Little Light” Lopez, an Indigenous Chicana living in Denver in the 1930s. An instant bestseller, it received high praise from Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature, Shondaland and more, and it’d make the perfect read for a lively book club discussion.
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For fans of: Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
I absolutely loved this 2019 collection of essays by Jennine Capó Crucet. My Time Among the Whites follows her life from her childhood in Miami all the way to a teaching position in Nebraska, interweaving her encounters with politics, race and identity along the way. Author Alexander Chee called it a “triumph,” while actor and author Amber Tamblyn said it was a “funny, intimate, important and most necessary read.”
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For fans of: Chola Salvation by Estella Gonzalez and The UnAmericans by Molly Antopol
In Living Color, we follow the trials and tribulations of Angie Rubio, an awkward, introverted Mexican American girl growing up in California in the ’60s and ’70s. Filipino Mexican American author Donna Miscolta’s 2020 book spans girlhood for Brown girls in a white world—from training bras to high school proms—in a candid, heartfelt way.
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For fans of: Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican-American War, this turbulent love story between Ximena, a widowed healer turned Mexican army nurse, and John Riley, an Irish immigrant who leaves the Yankee army to fight alongside Mexico, is as epic as it sounds. Published in March 2022, Reyna Grande’s A Ballad of Love and Glory highlights a part of history that deserves more attention.
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For fans of: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
This YA novel by Peruvian-born Natalia Sylvester tells the story of a Cuban American teen in Miami who starts to view her Republican senator father in a different light when he begins the process of running for president—and it’s not a good look. Running, which came out in 2020, is engaging and educating, with plenty of great lessons in civic duty and activism.
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For fans of: Dominicana by Angie Cruz and What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
The bestselling author of Dominicana did not disappoint with her 2022 follow-up about an immigrant woman in her mid-50s who loses everything (or at least believes she does) and finally gets to tell her story in her own words—at least to a job counselor. With humor, warmth and an easy-to-root-for protagonist, Angie Cruz’s How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water has earned a spot on everyone’s reading list.
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For fans of: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
New York Times bestselling author Erika L. Sánchez proves she’s here to stay on every list of important Hispanic authors with her 2022 memoir-in-essays, Crying in the Bathroom. Diving into her childhood as the Mexican American daughter of immigrants in Chicago, the book covers mental health, sex, dating and so much more, all with plenty of funny moments to keep you engaged.
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About the experts
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this list of contemporary Hispanic authors, Priscilla Blossom tapped her Latinx identity and experience as an award-winning to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
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Originally Published: September 02, 2021
