11 Hispanic Culture Books You Need to Read
We’re about to deep-dive into Hispanic culture. Books and other top-notch Hispanic literature are not only alive and thriving within this culture, but also hold some of the greatest treasures in the literary world.
But wait—what does “Hispanic” mean?
Is it Hispanic or Latino?
If you’re unfamiliar with the word Hispanic, the term was first used by the US government in the 1970’s to identify people of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Latin American roots. As of today, the term’s function is to define the ethnicity of people who are descendants of Spanish-speaking populations.
Many people debate if Hispanic is the same as Latino, but it’s not. Latino is geographical—it refers to people from Latin American countries, while Hispanic denotes Spanish-speaking.
In other words, a Brazilian is Latin American, but not Hispanic; meanwhile a Spaniard is Hispanic, but not Latin American.
Hispanic Literature is Essential to Humanity
Whether they consider themselves Hispanic or Latino, Spanish-speaking authors continue to make countless contributions to society, honouring the complex past and daily life turmoils that their nations have overcome throughout history.
As the Hispanic legacy continues to grow, it’s on us to dive deeper into this heritage in order to make it more understandable and relatable.
The Hispanic literary world has plenty of masterpieces awaiting your discovery.
It doesn’t matter if you want to find yourself in a story or learn about vivid traditions, there’s magic and an eye-opening world to explore through Hispanic culture books.
Don’t worry, If you don’t know where to begin, I’ve put together a list of 11 Hispanic culture books you will want to read.
1. How the García Girls Lost their Accents (Como las Hermanas García Perdieron sus Acentos)
Author: Julia Alvarez
Published: 1991
Genre: Fiction novel
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Dominican Republic
Available for purchase on Amazon
It’s the 1960’s and the García family is part of upper class Dominican Republic society. Dr. Carlos, his wife Laura, and their daughters Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia enjoy a modest life of luxury until trouble strikes. Due to Dr. Carlos’s involvement in an attempted coup against President Rafael Trujillo, the family is forced to flee the country to save their lives.
The book explores the four sisters’ journey of adapting to American life as they struggle with their identity in the chaos of New York City. While their parents attempt to keep their Dominican traditional ways, the girls share the hardships faced in their adaptation to American culture, which ultimately leads them to forgetting their Spanish.
How the García Girls Lost Their Accents is a beautifully written collection of short stories that focuses on each of the characters points of view and sums up the struggle many Hispanic families faced after having been affected by military dictatorship.
I found myself captivated by the journey that leads each of the characters to a different life in the United States. The collection of the sister’s childhood memories from their home country provoke a feeling of invaluable Hispanic nostalgia that uncovers the universal impact a new location and culture may have on a person.
2. Like Water for Chocolate (Como Agua para Chocolate)
Author: Laura Esquivel
Published: 1989
Genre: Romance, magic realism and fiction novel
Original language: Spanish
Hispanic country in the book: Mexico
This magnificent book integrates one of my favorite things about Hispanic culture: the food. Like Water for Chocolate tells the story of Tita de la Garza, the youngest daughter of an all-female family living in Mexico, as she pursues her independence from the family and seeks out her true love—a local boy named Pedro.
Tita’s empowering story is divided into twelve chapters for every month of the year, and each chapter starts with a recipe from Mexico. Meanwhile, the preparation of these recipes seamlessly blends into the narrative of the story.
As is customary for the youngest daughter, Tita is forbidden to marry and instead must dedicate her life to taking care of her mother. This means she must forsake her true love, to make it worse, Pedro still becomes part of her family because of one of her sisters.
This novel shows the traditional way of life that’s still unique to Hispanic families, as many young girls in Hispanic households face scenarios like Tita’s.
I love how food is a big part of the love story, since the smells and flavors of Mexico are delicious and carry plenty of emotions. The magical realism of the book will keep you interested, as well as its dark humor and periodic telenovela feels. Ultimately, Like Water for Chocolate is a must-have in my list of Hispanic culture books to read.
3. The House of Spirits (La Casa de los Espíritus)
Author: Isabel Allende
Published: 1982
Genre: Magical Realism
Original Language: Spanish
Hispanic country in the book: Chile
Available for purchase on Amazon or free ebook in Spanish
When it comes to Hispanic culture books, you’ve likely already heard about La Casa de los Espiritus because it’s a world-known classic! Isabel Allende’s unique style of writing and magical storytelling epitomizes her as a top author in the Spanish-speaking world. This story focuses on the powerful Trueba family whose triumphs and misfortunes throughout generations define them.
The family patriarch, Esteban, destroys the family due to his infinite ambition and cruel exploitation of others, meanwhile historical events unfold around them that lead to the rise of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
This absorbing novel was originally written in Spanish and combines witchcraft, politics, a passionate love story, and revolution. It also focuses on the struggle of social classes and the inequality that exists in Latin America between landowners and farmers. This book is hard to put down, and I can assure you, it will make you reflect on double standards, women empowerment, and family.
4. Knitting the Fog (Tejiendo la Niebla)
Author: Claudia D. Hernandez
Published: 2019
Genre: Autobiography and poetry
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Guatemala
Available for purchase on Amazon
Knitting the Fog hit a soft spot for me because I’m Guatemalan and I have beared witness to stories similar to Claudia’s, the main character. One day, seven-year-old Claudia wakes up to discover that her mother, a victim of domestic abuse, has left for the United States in pursuit of a better life. At first Claudia feels abandoned, and struggles to stay strong for her two sisters as they move back and forth between her aunt and grandmother’s houses. Eventually Claudia’s mother returns to Guatemala and they begin the journey to el norte (the north), placing the family’s trust in coyotes (smugglers) for the following months until they reach California.
The author highlights the intense conditions that Central American immigrants face in their journey to the United States. It shows the life-threatening extent to which some families go in order to protect their loved ones and provide a better life.
For me, this book awoke empathy and admiration for the millions of Hispanics whose courage was enough to make this journey—even when it meant leaving their loved ones behind.
Reading this book provides further understanding of many Hispanics’ resilience and strength as they endured frightfully harsh conditions to make it to the United States.
5. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada)
Author: Pablo Neruda
Published: 1924
Genre: Poetry
Original Language: Spanish
Hispanic country in the book: Chile
Available for purchase on Amazon or free ebook in Spanish
One of the most romantic and beautiful poetry collections ever written, Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada is the most famous work by Chilean author, Pablo Neruda. Written at a young age, the book is inspired by some of the author’s own experiences with several love interests.
While love is a universal language, Spanish is a language of romance. The complexity in its words and descriptions are visible throughout Neruda’s work, while his poems exemplify how emotions such as love and nostalgia can be interpreted at different levels in Hispanic culture. For me this is a book that simply doesn’t get old—I’m a hopeless romantic and, in my opinion, it’s one of the most enchanting Hispanic literary works on this list.
6.The House on Mango Street (La Casa en la Calle Mango)
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Published: 1983
Genre: Fiction Novel
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Mexico
Available for purchase on Amazon or free ebook
The house on Mango Street covers a year in the life of a twelve-year-old girl named
Esperanza as she moves into a small house with her Mexican-American family on Mango
Street, Chicago. This is the first house owned by the struggling family, and while it’s a
dramatic improvement from their previous residence, Esperanza feels ashamed of it. She
views her neighborhood as poor and she vows to get out of there someday. This is her
coming-of-age story that also focuses on the neighbors and friends who are part of it.
This compelling narrative written in vignettes explores Esperanza’s passage into accepting her Hispanic heritage and finding herself. Throughout the story, she recalls her parents’ struggle of not knowing how to speak English when they arrived in the United States and her personal desire to change her name to be more easily pronounced in English.
This is one of those Hispanic culture books that values the importance of identity and addresses the cultural bias that young Hispanics face in foreign countries.. Don’t miss this highly entertaining book!
7. Next Year in Havana (El próxima año en La Habana)
Author: Channel Cleeton
Published: 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Cuba
Available for purchase at Amazon
Next Year in Havana was written by Cuban-American author, Channel Cleeton. She grew up
in Florida nurtured by stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba in the wake of the revolution.
The book alternates between 2017 and the late 1950’s, and is inspired by her family
experiences.
The main character is Cuban-American author Marisol Ferrera who’s on a mission to fulfill
her grandmother Elisa’s dying wish of scattering her ashes in her homeland. Upon arrival in
Cuba, she unravels her family history as she becomes overwhelmed by the contrast in
Cuba’s beautiful tropical scenery and its terribly dangerous political climate. Marisol soon
learns her grandmother was the daughter of a sugar-baron who belonged to Cuba’s high
society. Her grandmother was banished from this society when she had an affair with a
passionate revolutionary.
I like this book for its exploration of courage and its loveable characters. I enjoy how the author dives into Cuba’s complex history, including the battles that continue to rage on in the region. It brings you along the journey of Hispanic people getting in touch with their roots and heritage. While this book has some elements of romance, excitement, and suspense, it also explores politics in an educational and eye-opening way.
8. Mexican Gothic (Gótica Mexicana)
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published: 2020
Genre: Horror Fiction
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Mexico
Available for purchase on Amazon
Set in the 1950’s, Noemí Taboada—a Mexico City socialite—arrives at High Place, an ancient house in the Mexican countryside, to help her cousin, Catalina, who recently married a mysterious English man. Before she embarks on her journey, she learns in a letter that something’s not right in her cousin’s residence, her constant fear alarms Noemí, as her cousin’s sure her new husband is poisoning her. The story takes place in a town colonized by the British family of Catalina’s mystery husband.
Throughout the story, Noemí faces sinister individuals, violence, and madness along with colonialism and racism while she crafts an escape plan. Her main advantage against the antagonist is that he cannot understand Spanish, which I find to be utterly powerful and heroic. Her hispanic heritage and culture become her strength and allow her to protect herself before it’s too late.
This thriller will keep you alert and curious as it touches a subject often overlooked in Mexican history: the presence of English-speaking settlers in Mexico. Thanks to the continual excitement and unexpected twists of this exceptional story, readers like me couldn’t get enough and inspired Hulu to create a new series based on the book.
9. El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America (El Norte: La Épica y Olvidada Historia de Norte América Hispana)
Author: Carrie Gibson
Published: 2019
Genre: History
Original Language: English
Hispanic country in the book: Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America and the United States
Available for purchase on Amazon
While the United States recognizes its Anglo-Saxon heritage above all others, this book explains in great depth the nation’s much older Spanish roots. El Norte tells the dramatic history of North America from the early 15th century to the present. It digs deep into the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in Florida, Spanish-controlled Louisiana, and the Mexican-American war in the late 1800’s. The narrative also includes more recent events like the United States’ relationship to Puerto Rico and the complex border situation with Mexico.
This book is a must for your Hispanic culture book collection, even if the US doesn’t consider itself to be 100% Hispanic. However, at the time of writing, the United States is the second country in the world with the largest Spanish-speaking population.
The author of El Norte has done impressive research which she simplifies for readers as she covers plenty of material without making you feel disoriented or overwhelmed by information. Above all, this book gives you a stronger perspective on how the past influences the present.
10. Open Veins of Latin America (Las Venas Abiertas de América Latina)
Author: Eduardo Galeano
Published: 1971
Genre: Essay
Original Language: Spanish
Hispanic country in the book: Most Latin American Hispanic countries
Available for purchase on Amazon
When it comes to Hispanic culture books, I had to mention Eduardo Galeano’s work: Venas abiertas de América Latina. Unfortunately, this is not a cheerful book, as it offers an analysis of the history of slavery and imperialism from early European settlers to contemporary times in Central and South America
The exploitation of natural resources like wood, coffee, silver, oil, and gold brought major consequences to Latin America’s Hispanic population, which ultimately caused high percentages of poverty, corruption, migration, crime, and inequality. This is one of the most politically and socially important Hispanic culture books available and it’s a great representation of resistance through literature.It has also inspired multiple works of art and musical compositions.
11. One-hundred Years of Solitude (Cien Años de Soledad)
Author: Gabriel García Marquez
Published: 1967
Genre: Magical Realism
Original Language: Spanish
Hispanic country in the book: Colombia
Available for purchase on Amazon or free ebook in Spanish
This is one of the most influential Hispanic culture books in this list and of our time. I read it in high-school as an assignment, and I’ve re-read it twice since then. Cien años de Soledad tells the story of the isolated town of Macondo and the Buendía family over seven generations. The Buendía family are the founders of the town and their story combines miracles, tragedy, obsessions, incest, adultery, and the struggle between old and new ways of life.
This book takes you to a world that defies logic and realism as you experience the birth, rise, and fall of the characters and the town of Macondo. Garcia Marquez‘ contribution to the world has been translated to 46 languages and sold 50 million copies worldwide, making it a powerful representative of Hispanic heritage and legacy in literature.
Reading about Hispanic Culture is Motivating!
How many of these masterpieces are already on your bookshelf? What other great Hispanic culture books would you include on the list? I hope you join me in celebrating Hispanic culture all year long! If you don’t know where to start, I recommend signing up for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy with our native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala and before you know it you’ll be talking about Hispanic culture in Spanish.
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