Review: ¡Ándale, Prieta! A Love Letter to My Family by Yasmin Ramirez

Memoirs are one of my favorite genres and nothing beats a memoir that explores family dynamics. This book is a love letter to Ramirez’s family and captures Yasmin’s life from her childhood to her twenties. Growing up, her mother was working, which led to Yasmin spending a lot of quality time with her grandmother, Ita. Ita became an important figure to Yasmin and this book memorializes her role in Yasmin’s life.

Ita made sure that Yasmin learned important life skills, such as how to fight and stand up for herself without hurting herself. Yasmin shares many vulnerable and special moments she had with her grandmother and how language was a huge component of their relationship. For instance, Spanish words developed a whole new meaning that captured Ita’s love for Yasmin. Yasmin had multiple nicknames such as “la chavala” and “Prieta,” which translate to “the girl” and “the dark one.” It’s easy to find these terms derogatory but they stem from love and capture Ita’s and Yasmin’s ties to their Mexican heritage. 

Ita has an incredible life story that is beautifully captured by Yasmin's writing. Yasmin emphasizes the limitation of English. Simply stating that “life was hard for my grandma” in English is not sufficient. Spanish is able to capture the feelings of hardship. Ita experienced a lot of grief and loss. She survived multiple miscarriages and breast cancer. She also had a rocky relationship with Yasmin’s mother. This impacted Yasmin as she often felt in the middle, which is a position I can relate to. I loved how Yasmin connected a lot of her life decisions to her grandmother. For instance, her retail job could be seen as a job to make ends meet but Yasmin was able to memorialize her grandmother by helping breast cancer survivors find bras that fit appropriately with their new implants. 

As a half-Mexican reader, there were so many components I relate to. She talks about her fear about losing her grandmother. Yasmin perfectly highlights the difficulty of even discussing this because talking out loud made it feel like a real possibility. She also explains how lost she felt in her twenties and how being home seemed to be the cure to her loneliness. However, so much had changed in her home. Her mother had remarried and moved to another house, her grandmother was no longer around, and Yasmin felt that she was beginning to lose her foundation. Worst of all, Yasmin felt that her mother didn’t understand her struggles and couldn’t find the words to describe the difficult and complex feelings she was experiencing. During this time, Yasmin was questioning the next steps in her life. She always imagined herself going to grad school until she realized she didn’t know why. This was a beautiful opportunity for her mother to step in and be there for Yasmin by confirming that she would not be disappointed if she did not go to grad school. Mother and daughter relationships can be complex but beautiful; it was heartbreaking to see Yasmin unable to explain her feelings, but heartwarming to see her mother step in when she needed the support. 

I highly recommend this memoir if you’re looking for an incredible life story that is written beautifully. 

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Yasmín Ramírez is a 2021 Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Author Fellow as well as a 2020 recipient of the Woody and Gayle Hunt-Aspen Institute Fellowship Award. Her fiction and creative nonfiction works have appeared in Cream City Review and Huizache among others. She is an Assistant Professor of English, Creative Writing, and Chicanx Literature at El Paso Community College. She stays active in the Borderplex arts community and serves on the advisory board of BorderSenses, a literary non-profit. ¡Ándale, Prieta! is her first book. For more information about Yasmín, visit her website at yasminramirez.com.

Mariana Felix-Kim (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. with her lovely cat, Leo. When she is not working in the environmental science field, Mariana is constantly reading. Her favorite genres include non-fiction, thrillers, and contemporary romances. Mariana is half Mexican and half Korean. You can find her on Instagram: @mariana.reads.books

Review: Solito by Javier Zamora

The promise of family is what sustains a then-nine-year-old Javier Zamora on his journey to La USA from a village in El Salvador, that same promise is what gives fruition to his memoir Solito. Despite its title, Solito is just one story out of the hundreds of thousands of children from Central America that make the journey to the United States without family, but whose first-hand accounts go largely unheard of. Commonly referred to as “unaccompanied minors” by media coverage and political pundits, the poet challenges this very notion and forces you to move past the legalistic term through impeccable detail, rendering the grueling 3,000-mile journey in the most visceral of emotions. 

The book begins with Zamora yearning to finally go on this “trip” he has been hearing about, one his father and mother made years ago due to the ongoing effects of the Salvadoran Civil War and one he must make to reunite with them. What was expected to take two short weeks turns into nine weeks of life-altering events, a coming-of-age for Javier. He faces the wide open sea for the first time, experiences different cultures that he must take on in order to keep moving north, goes on tiresome desert treks, and encounters border patrol. His detailed descriptions and observations are both honest and zany, the roots of a young writer begin to show: his personification and naming of cacti, his meticulous reporting of dates and events, and his attention to the smells and textures associated with his time in the desert are all notable. 

Solito, while a book immediately about migration, is an ode to the family he found in the strangers that accompanied him, Chino, Patricia, and Carla. They become his family for the sake of travel, but the tenderness and care they show was not all what Javier expects. He extends this

sentiment for other strangers, those who are left behind and even to those whose character is questionable. This journey, as expected, is not without obstacle, but surprisingly, not without love. As they move closer and closer to the U.S., an impending sense of loss infuses the last few chapters. 

And we are not given relief. We are not to revel in a nine year old boy’s reunion with his parents. Perhaps, it is just as well—this book is not for us, but for Zamora’s nine year old self, for the solitos and solitas to fill in the blanks with their own stories. Whether it was an awkward hug, leaping into family members’ arms, we are not privy to it, nor should we expect it. 

Solito is not just a story of the desire to reunite with family, but of how to reunite with his family he must say goodbye to his beloved home in El Salvador, his extended family, and must eventually part ways from Chino, Patricia, and Carla─his surrogate family. It is a must-read, letting us in on the reality of migration. It’s a story that has no desire to contribute to the countless books and articles of trauma-laden migration narratives, the “prequel” to the myth of the American Dream.

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Javier Zamora was born in El Salvador in 1990. His father fled the country when he was one, and his mother when he was about to turn five. Both parents’ migrations were caused by the U.S.-funded Salvadoran Civil War. When he was nine Javier migrated through Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert. His debut poetry collection, Unaccompanied, explores the impact of the war and immigration on his family. Zamora has been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard and holds fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

Allison Argueta-Claros is an undergraduate student at New York University. She is studying an individualized major centered on immigration narratives through policy, literature, and journalism with a minor in Creative writing. She spends her time writing, reading, and making playlists.

#SalaSundays with Rose Heredia

Rose Heredia hosted our Instagram on November 13th for our weekly #SalaSundays series. Below are a few questions that we asked Rose.

Latinx in Pub (LxP): What do you do?

Rose Heredia (RH): I'm currently an Editorial Fellow with Latinx in Publishing, non-related to publishing, I currently work in HR for a non-profit law firm.

LxP: How did you get started?

RH: I became a fellow in June of 2022 but began my journey as a literary agent intern in 1999.

LxP: What do you wish you knew before getting into the industry?

RH: I wish there would have been more accessible resources and opportunities to network with folks more than now. Social media wasn't a huge thing in the late nineties!

LxP: What book are you currently working on or reading?

RH: I'm reading Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras.

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Rose Heredia is Afro-Dominican from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing. She is a VONA and Las Dos Brujas alumna. She is a Culture writer and editor for Epifania Magazine, Assistant Non-fiction Editor for VIDA Review and recently edited The Washington Heights Memoir Project forthcoming in January 2023 published by the Dominican Writers Association.

November 2022 Latinx Releases

on sale november 1, 2022

Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho | Young Adult

Trust neither thin-bottomed frying pans nor Molinas.
Lari Ramires has always known this to be true. In Olinda, Brazil, her family's bakery, Salt, has been at war with the Molinas' bakery across the street, Sugar, for generations. But Lari's world turns upside down when her beloved grandmother passes away. On top of that, a big supermarket chain has moved to town, forcing many of the small businesses to close.
Determined to protect her home, Lari does the unthinkable--she works together with Pedro Molina to save both of their bakeries. Lari realizes she might not know Pedro as well as she thought--and she maybe even likes what she learns--but the question remains: Can a Ramires and a Molina truly trust one another?

Kiss Me Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras| Romance

Ambitious San Antonio singer Catalina "Cat" Capuleta gets the chance of a lifetime when she joins superstar heartthrob and fellow mariachi Patricio Galán on his seven-week concert tour. Demanding and arrogant, Patricio challenges Cat on every level, as an artist and as a woman. But headstrong Cat is determined to be his match. No matter how seductive Patricio's baritone voice, Cat's eyes are only on the prize: success and making her familia proud.

No woman gets under Patricio's skin like Cat. Her talent mesmerizes. Her passion is thrilling. And her drive, stemming from an old unhealed family wound, exposes a vulnerability he secretly recognizes in himself.

When the duo hits the road, the sparks don't just fly--they detonate. Stage by stage, as each reckons with the past--and with each other's quick-fire personalities--they bring crowds to their feet, and Cat's long-held dreams come true. Will their road romance go up in flames? Or could making music together kindle the most rapturous love song of their lives?

This Is Our Place by Vitor Martins, translated by Larissa Helena | Young Adult

As Ana celebrates the new millennium, she is shocked to learn that she must leave behind her childhood home, her hometown, and -- hardest of all -- her girlfriend for a new life in Rio de Janeiro.

Ten years later, Greg is sent to live with his aunt -- who runs a video rental store from her garage and owns a dog named Keanu Reeves -- as his parents work out their not-so-secret divorce.

And ten years after that, Beto must put his dreams of becoming a photographer on hold as the Covid-19 pandemic arrives in Brazil, forcing him to live with his overprotective mother and overachieving sister.

Set in and narrated by the same house, Number 8 Sunflower Street, and in three different decades -- 2000, 2010, and 2020 respectively -- This Is Our Place is a novel about queer teens dealing with sudden life changes, family conflict, and first loves, proving that while generations change, we will always be connected to each other.

Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice by Alma Zaragoza-Petty

In Chingona, Mexican American activist, scholar, and podcast host Alma Zaragoza-Petty helps us claim our inner chingona, a Spanish term for ""badass woman."" For all the brown women the world has tried to conquer, badassery can be an asset, especially when we face personal and collective trauma. Working for change while preserving her spirit, a chingona repurposes her pain for the good of the world. She may even learn that she belongs to a long line of chingonas who came before her--unruly women who used their persevering energy to survive and thrive.

As a first-generation Mexican American, Zaragoza-Petty narrates in riveting terms her own childhood, split between the rain-soaked beauty of her grandparents' home in Acapulco and a harsh new life as an immigrant family in Los Angeles. She describes the chingona spirit she began to claim within herself and leads us toward the courage required to speak up and speak out against oppressive systems. As we begin to own who we are as chingonas, we go back to where our memories lead, insist on telling our own stories, and see our scars as proof of healing.

Liberating ourselves from the bondage of the patriarchy, white supremacy, and colonization that exists in our own bodies, we begin to see our way toward a more joyful future. This work won't be easy, Zaragoza-Petty reminds us. Imagining a just and healed world from the inside out will take dialing in to our chingona spirit. But by unleashing our inner badass, we join the righteous fight for dignity and justice for all.

Chicano Bakes: Recipes for Mexican Pan Dulce, Tamales, and My Favorite Desserts by Esteban Castillo | Cookbook

With Chicano Eats: Recipes from My Mexican American Kitchen, Esteban Castillo offered his readers a look into his life, family, and culture. For Esteban, sharing stories and recipes from his childhood was a cathartic experience, and seeing so many people make and enjoy the foods that meant so much to him growing up was a dream come true.

Now, this rising food star mines his culinary roots once more. Chicano Bakes features many of the mouthwatering delights Esteban enjoyed throughout his childhood, from Pan Dulce Mexicano (Mexican Sweet Bread), Postres (Desserts), and Pasteles (Cakes) to Antojitos (Bites) and Bebidas (Drinks). Here are easy-to-make recipes sure to become fan favorites.

Esteban encourages everyone--no matter their level of experience in the kitchen--to get baking, especially those in his community who may be intimidated or discouraged by other cookbooks that overlook their cultural tastes and traditions. Illustrated with more than 100 bright and inviting photographs that capture the flavor of the Chicano Eats brand, Chicano Bakes is an homage to a culture that has existed in the U.S. for generations--and whose influence continues to grow.

on sale november 8, 2022

The Q by Amy Tintera | Middle Grade

Seventeen-year-old Maisie Rojas has spent her entire life in the Q--a post-pandemic quarantine zone that was once Austin, Texas. Born and raised behind the high-security walls that sealed their fate, she's now a trusted lieutenant for one of the territory's controlling families.

Lennon Pierce, the charismatic son of a US presidential candidate, has just been kidnapped by his father's enemies and dropped out of a plane into the Q with nothing but a parachute strapped to his back. Lennon is given a temporary antidote to the disease and crucial intel for his father, but Maisie must get him out of the zone within forty-eight hours--or he will be permanently infected and forced to remain.

With unrest brewing both inside and outside the Q, reaching the exit is a daunting and dangerous task. But if Maisie and Lennon fail, it could mean disaster for the entire quarantine zone and its inhabitants--and could cost Lennon his life.

Strap in for breakneck action and compelling characters in this timely, nonstop thriller.

on sale november 22, 2022

I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano | Picture Book

I really don't care what you think of my hair
Or my eyes or my toes or my nose
I really don't care what you think of my boots
Or if you don't like my clothes. . .
Mostly I care that you're you and I'm me
And I care that we're us and we're we.

This rhythmic, rhyming text by award-winning author Julie Fogliano celebrates the similarities and differences between two unlikely best friends.

Catalina Incognito: Skateboard Star by Jennifer Torres| Middle Grade

The Valle Grande Games skateboarding competition is coming up, and the winner gets a brand-new board. That means, if Coco wins, Catalina might finally get a skateboard of her own--Coco's old one. The trouble is, normally fearless Coco has lost her skateboarding mojo at the worst possible time. Cat discovers that Coco has outgrown her lucky flannel, and without it, she's lost her confidence.

This could be Catalina's big chance. She can enter the competition herself. If she wears the lucky flannel--and uses the magic sewing kit to make some special alterations--the judges might see a skating star and award her the new board. Which sister will come out on top?

on sale november 29, 2022

His Perfect Partner: A Feel-Good Multicultural Romance by Priscilla Oliveras

Ad executive Tomás Garcia shouldn't even be thinking about his daughter's alluring dance teacher, Yazmine Fernandez. Burned by his divorce, he's laser-focused on his career--and giving his young daughter, Maria, the secure home she deserves. But Yazmine's generous, caring spirit is sparking a desire Tomás can't resist--and doesn't want to let go . . .

For Yaz, good-looking workaholics like Tomás simply can't be part of her life ever again. She owes it to herself to get back her confidence and fulfill the dreams her papá could not. She's glad to spend time with Maria--and she's sure that she and Tomás can keep their attraction under control when there's so much at stake. But each unexpected intimacy, each self-revelation, makes the fire between them grow hotter with every step--and every risk to their hearts . . .

The Boy from Mexico: An Immigration Story of Bravery and Determination by Edward Dennis |

Based on a true story, Luz channels his inner bravery to come to America. All alone, he must face natural disasters and sacrifice everything to have a better life.

Learn bravery and independence with Luz. Luz stays strong on his journey by thinking of his family. His tale is truly a powerful representation of immigration and determination. His real-life adventure across the border will ignite hope in the hearts of every child that reads this short Spanish story.

Enjoy vivid illustrations on every page. In this easy book to read, get lost in the beautiful Mexican mountains and valleys on Luz's journey. Your thoughts will become Luz's and his dreams will become your dreams. You will be cheering him on every step of the way in this short Spanish story.

Author Interview: I'm Not Broken by Jesse Leon

I’m Not Broken is a vulnerable memoir of the life of author Jesse Leon, growing up as a Mexican American in San Diego, in the 1970s. Leon opens up about the challenges that he experienced in his childhood, which include sexual abuse, addiction, and prostitution. While Leon unravels his childhood, he also highlights the systemic changes that need to take place, in order to help victims in similar positions. Through all the hardships, Leon was able to find a community that helped him through his challenges and shaped him into a mentor, for others; he even achieved higher education at Harvard University. This memoir captures Leon’s strength, determination, and resiliency against all odds. 

Content warning: drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, prostitution, and suicide ideation.

“This memoir captures Leon’s strength, determination, and resiliency against all odds. ”

I was able to interview Jesse Leon on behalf of Latinx In Publishing to discuss I'm Not Broken.

Mariana Felix-Kim (MFK): You were incredibly vulnerable in your memoir and shared multiple impactful stories. What made you decide that it was time to share your stories and how did you decide how vulnerable to be? 

Jesse Leon (JL): I believe my book, I’m Not Broken is extremely relevant to what's happening in America today, especially given the issues of substance abuse, addiction, mental health, immigration, sex trafficking, LGBTQ+, and racial justice. I wanted to share my journey, including my vulnerabilities, all of which led me to the steps of Harvard University, so that anyone who is experiencing or has experienced issues with anxiety, accessing mental health services, sex abuse, trauma, identity issues, and/or addiction - and who feel as alone as I once did - that they can identify and realize that they are not alone and find hope. That we can be successful as human beings and as professionals. We can move from surviving to thriving. And most importantly, that our traumas don't define us and that we can be triumphant. 

MFK: You overcame many challenges on your own and endured a lot of them in silence. It wasn't until the incident, with the new student, that you were able to open up to someone. It seemed beneficial when you opened up to Officer. In your opinion, what is the best way to offer support to someone who is suffering in silence? How can we make sure more kids have trustworthy adults?

JL: The best way to offer support for someone who is suffering in silence is to build a rapport based on being present, consistent, and communicating that we are here to listen without judgement. This helps build trust. Once someone does open up - listen intently to genuinely hear what they are saying, while allowing for pauses for others to finish their thoughts and to give them the opportunity to assess your reactions for safety. Building trust is key to getting people who have experienced trauma to grow from surviving to thriving.

MFK: A big theme in your memoir is the "otherness" BIPOC communities often feel. I was interested in how you highlighted that when you were working towards becoming sober this actually became a crutch for you.  You discuss the different experiences that Hope (a white woman) and you faced. The volleyball day seemed to be a turning point for you because you realized that Narcotics Anonymous (NA) values inclusion. Do you think there is a more effective way to intertwine inclusion in order for participants to feel included sooner or do you think this was part of the journey?

JL: I think this was just part of the journey, at least for me. I had a habit of always focusing on the differences and not the similarities I had with others, whether it was in recovery, in school, at Harvard, etc. Getting to know others on a human level based on similarities and not differences took practice, and with time, I was able to get better at it. This is why ice-breakers and team building activities focused on shared underlying values are important when trying to break down barriers - especially in the workplace. Being able to see the common humanity in each other is a great way to make sure everyone feels included.

MFK:  When you were attending your mandatory therapy sessions, you revealed that your therapist was aware of the challenges you were facing and did not help you logistically and emotionally. How can we improve our State Crime Victims Compensations? 

JL: I wish the State Crime Victims Compensations board provided information in multiple languages to me as a child and to my parents about our rights and where we could go if we needed help in finding a new therapist, encountered a negative situation with a therapist, and/or had a complaint. I believe the states should provide this resource in multiple languages and that therapists should be required to share this information with their clients at their first meeting, so that clients know where to go for help or to file a complaint if needed. And those concerns or complaints should be followed up confidentially and within a required timeframe. There should be a mechanism in place to follow up with clients to ensure that they are receiving quality access to mental health and if not, re-direct individuals to the appropriate gender affirming and multilingual care. Confidential follow-up, oversight, and accountability is key to improving outcomes for survivors and their families.

MFK: Z's frustration with difficult children came out when he was introduced to you. In your own work, have you experienced the frustration Z had of Latine children satisfying society's stereotype of not caring enough to stay in school? How have you handled it?

JL: Yes, I have, especially when engaged in youth leadership development, alternatives to incarceration programs, or when mentoring young adults. I've handled it by stopping, pausing, taking a deep breath and remembering how I would have liked to have been treated growing up. I realized through journaling and therapy that because of my trauma and my inability to find the words to adequately describe what I was feeling as a child, that too often my reasoning and my emotions were not in balance. My emotions would take over and I would have an overwhelmingly incomprehensible reaction to situations, which I believe occurs with many of our young people today, who sadly experience one of these moments at the most inopportune times and end up incarcerated or penalized. I like to use curious inquiry to truly understand where a person is coming from to help get their emotions and reasoning in balance to reach a successful outcome.

MFK: While attending NA, you mention your journey to get a sponsor. You were interested in asking a Latino man to become your sponsor but were encouraged to ask a Black man since "you already knew how to interact with Latinos". Do you think this decision was the right one? Do you encourage others to pick a sponsor from a different background? 

JL: There are many different suggestions on how to pick a sponsor - it just so happened that I came together with mine unexpectedly. He exemplified the saying that we use in NA, that it's not about "age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion, or lack of religion." It’s about finding the sponsor that teaches you to love and respect yourself. That helps make you whole and sets you up to thrive.

MFK: One of my favorite lines in your memoir is "And I felt it was my duty to speak to issues of race and inequality as things that need to be addressed up front and not be add-ons or second thoughts in the creation of public policy". I strongly resonated with this quote and completely agree that race and inequality tend to be a caveat or added later on. For people that might not be in the political or activism sphere, how can we be better allies to support this mission?

I hope that sharing my story will inspire others to promote inclusion, belonging, and understanding that allows people like me to be their authentic selves. I know that if everyone does their part, we can create a world where everyone feels like we can thrive and are not broken.

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Jesse Leon is a social impact consultant to foundations and investors on ways to address issues of substance abuse/addiction, affordable housing, and mental health. He is a native English and Spanish speaker and fluent in Portuguese. He is an alum of UC Berkeley and Harvard and based in San Diego.

Mariana Felix-Kim (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. with her lovely cat, Leo. When she is not working in the environmental science field, Mariana is constantly reading. Her favorite genres include non-fiction, thrillers, and contemporary romances. Mariana is half Mexican and half Korean. You can find her on Instagram: @mariana.reads.books

#SalaSundays with Alexandra Aceves

Alexandra Aceves hosted our Instagram on November 6th for our weekly #SalaSundays series. Below are a few questions that we asked Alexandra.

Latinx in Pub (LxP): What do you do?

Alexandra Aceves (AA): I'm an Associate Editor at Holiday House Publishing. My job has two distinct sets of responsibilities: on one hand, I'm acquiring and editing new books (primarily MG and YA novels and graphic novels) for the Holiday House list. On the other, I'm overseeing the expansion of Holiday House's Spanish language publishing program. This entails looking through our backlist for books that have translation potential, coordinating with translators on new Spanish editions, steering our upcoming Spanish books through the in-house routing process, researching Spanish publishing industry standards and best practices, and scouting submissions for potential new frontlist titles that we could also publish in Spanish.

LxP: How did you get started?

AA: I had a kind of circuitous path to my publishing career. I did a traditional publishing internship many years ago now and had such a terrible experience that I decided not to pursue publishing and went into academia instead. Eventually, I realized that my heart just wasn't in academia and that kidlit publishing was where I really wanted to be, so I pivoted back. My breakout job in the industry was as an editorial assistant at Junior Library Guild, where I learned the industry from the school and library perspective. And then about a year ago I left JLG for Holiday House--my first anniversary is coming up on November 15th!

LxP: What do you wish you knew before getting into the industry?

AA: I was really not prepared for how much negotiating goes down--across the industry in general, and in editorial specifically. Like, negotiating a book deal with an agent, negotiating over a P&L at an acquisition meeting...I am not a natural haggler and have been kind of dismayed to learn what a big part of my job it is! It's definitely the only aspect of what I do that I don't enjoy, and I always dread having to go through that process to acquire a manuscript I love and want for my list. But passion for and belief in the manuscript gets me through every time. Plus, everyone I've worked with is so nice, and everyone knows it's just business; the issue is really just me being in my head about it.

LxP: What book are you currently working on or reading?

AA: I would love to talk about the books I'm working on right now because I'm incredibly excited about them, but I can't because none of my acquisitions have been announced yet! I did just wrap up editing the Spanish edition of Crystal Maldonado's No Filter and Other Lies, which was such a fun project. And my current non-work read is The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela, which is devastatingly lovely.

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Alexandra Aceves is a Latine writer and editor originally from Mexico City and currently based in Brooklyn. She works as an associate editor at Holiday House, where she oversees the expansion of the Holiday House Spanish language publishing program while also acquiring YA and middle grade fiction and elementary STEM nonfiction for Holiday House's English language list. Alex is looking for fresh-feeling contemporary realism, soft-genre fiction that draws from non-European traditions, and research-grounded historical fiction with an unusual setting. She is passionate about supporting marginalized creators and is actively seeking stories by and about people typically excluded from representation in children’s literature, particularly stories from the LGBTQ+ and Latine communities. Alex was the 2015 Honor winner of Lee & Low's New Visions Award for previously unpublished YA fiction writers whose work centers characters from marginalized communities; her debut novel is forthcoming from Lee & Low's Tu Books imprint.

Review: Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is about Pilar Ramirez, a spunky 12-year-old Dominicana from Chicago. She is an aspiring documentary filmmaker working on a project about the disappearances under a Dominican dictator. Specifically, to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her mother’s cousin, Natasha. When she hears of a professor who studies these disappearances, Pilar wastes no time. Upon entering the office and rummaging through files, she falls into a blank page and enters the magical island of Zafa. Pilar teams up with ciguapas and galipotes in their fight against the Dominican boogeyman, El Cuco, to free those who are trapped in prison – including Natasha.

Found Family is a very common fantasy trope and Randall perfectly executes it. With Pilar and the citizens of Zafa all teaming up for this life-changing event that is causing them such grief, it ultimately brings them together like a family. Pilar and one of the ciguapas begin to form a sisterly bond while she views the galipotes as matriarchs. Even an elusive and legendary Bruja grows a bond with Pilar, especially with their sarcastic quips. The people of Zafa all welcome the 12-year-old to visit them and view her as one of their own merely hours and days of knowing her. Their shared experience bonded them together and, ultimately, gave them the power to defeat El Cuco. Well, that and if you take in Pilar’s badass fighting and secret witch powers into account.

Loss and grief are prominent themes throughout the novel. Something I took from the novel was that even if you’re human or a magical or mythical creature, these emotions can take quite a toll on you. However, everyone’s hope that they will emerge victorious in this war is just as strong. Pilar has experienced loss in many forms and every adult and child in Zafa has had to pay a heavy price in the form of losing someone they love or their own livelihood. They have more in common than they think and this similarity is what bands them together to become stronger and come out victorious in this vicious war.

“Randall intended for the novel to be written . . . with the intention to feel represented by a voice and to further uncover what it means to be Dominican. ”

While reading about Pilar swinging through vines and learning how to harness her witch powers, it was heartwarming to hear how Randall intended for the novel to be written. It was with the intention to feel represented by a voice and to further uncover what it means to be Dominican. Also, Pilar’s story doesn’t end here as Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon will be released in February 2023. 

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Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black poet from Chicago. Since receiving his MFA in poetry from Ole Miss, Julian’s essays have been featured in The Atlantic, Vibe Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books, and many more. His writings have led him to receive multiple recognitions and fellowships from Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Callaloo, BOAAT, and the Watering Hole. Refuse: Poems was his 2018 debut poetry book back; and as of March 2022, he released a debut children’s novel. Randall has shown time and time again that his recent works are only scratching the surface of his dynamic novels that are to come.

Melissa Gonzalez (she/her) is a UCLA graduate with a major in American Literature & Culture and a minor in Chicana/o & Central American Studies. She loves boba, horror movies, and reading. You can spot her in the fiction, horror/mystery/thriller, and young adult sections of bookstores. Though she is short, she feels as tall as her TBR pile. You can find Melissa on her book Instagram: @floralchapters

Review and Author Q & A: Skeletina and The In-Between World by Susie Jaramillo

Skeletina and The In-Between World by Susie Jaramillo is a story about overcoming fears and finding comfort in moments of sadness. It takes place in the in-between world, where monsters, creatures and ghosts are friendly and the dead and living can come together.

Skeletina is a little girl who lives in the in-between world and loves to visit her friends, whom are filled with wise words and are lots of fun. Her favorite friends are the children who visit the in-between world; who she is able to help confront their fears and find the peace that they need, when they miss a loved one that has passed.

Throughout the pages of this book, both kids and adults will find powerful words surrounded by beautiful illustrations. The story is a reminder that anything is possible, when we believe in ourselves.

I had the opportunity to ask Susi Jaramillo a few questions about Skeletina and The In-Between World. She spoke about her childhood and the inspiration for the story, her creative influences and about future projects.

Tiffany Gonzalez (TG): What inspired you to write Skeletina and The In-Between World?

Susie Jaramillo (SJ): As a child, I suffered from intense nightmares until one night, I figured out that if you manage to let go as you dream and not fight the nightmares, they dissipate. Now, I’m a mom and my daughter also suffers from intense nightmares. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there were a little girl, who lived in the in-between world, who could help kids like my daughter deal with their nightmares? And, I imagined this little girl to be like my alter-ego: Funny, friendly, irreverent, and knowledgeable about all things in the in-between world!

TG: I loved how each character in the story held a message to push through fears, uncertainty and worries. Señor Tic Toc and his message of possibility resonated with me the most, which is your favorite character or message from the story?

SJ: My favorite character would have to be Spider Grandma. Both of my grandmothers did so much with their hands. They were constantly making, crafting, cooking, and crocheting. It’s a big part of the culture. In general, Latin culture is very crafty, we love to make things - and we like our little espresso cups too!

TG: Could you talk a bit about culture and how it is represented in this story? I see a lot of elements of El Día De Los Muertos, which derives from Mexico and their homage to deceased loved ones.

SJ: I love to draw and I’ve had this world in my head for a long time. Skeletina has Calavera markings on her face because it’s a shorthand way to show that she’s from the in-between world. She’s not like the kids that visit her in their dreams. She’s from another time completely which makes it more magical. I’m a huge admirer of the work of Jose Posada and I wanted to marry his sensibility with that of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey - both artists I loved growing up. There’s also quite a bit of MC Escher to Skeletina’s world as space and time function in a completely different way. It’s a vibrant place with lots of nostalgic details and hopefully the humor and the energy of the place comes through.

TG: The lessons in the story very much apply to adults as well, was that something you intended to do?

SJ: Yes! Most of us don’t realize that we are having the same nightmares, and these all come from similar experiences. With the Skeletina books, I’ve distilled a given nightmare into the work of a particular monster who can be easily diffused, once you get the hang of what it responds to. The trick is to remember that NOTHING can hurt you in the in-between world. You are truly in control of everything, and once you crack that - amazing things can happen. This definitely applies to both kids and adults alike.

TG: Do you have advice for parents with children who have nightmares frequently?

SJ: My best advice is to talk to your children about their dreams and see if you can get at what’s bothering them. If they can identify this and talk about it, chances are the bad dreams will go away. Empathize with them, and make sure they know you believe them. See if you can come up together with the way the dream should end. That will help children go back to sleep with confidence.

TG: Can we expect to see more of Skeletina and The In-Between World? Any other projects on the horizon that we can expect?

SJ: Skeletina will continue to help kids, one nightmare at a time! With our next book, we will take a deep dive into a dream that is super common, find out who’s behind it, and how we diffuse it. It’s one of the most common and strange dreams that we all have… and it’s all because of a greedy tooth fairy!

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Susie Jaramillo is an artist, a storyteller, an entrepreneur and a mom. An eternal student of cultures from around the world, she was born in Venezuela and raised between Caracas and Florida. At the age of 17, she moved to New York to study art at Pratt Institute where she honed her crafts in painting and printmaking, and she now resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. As a kid, she had nightmares frequently until she discovered that she was in control of her dreams. She created Skeletina to empower children like her to take control of their fears and be brave.

Tiffany Gonzalez is the Marketing Manager at Astra House and the Communications Co-Director for Latinx In Publishing. She previously worked in Production at HarperCollins Publishers. She has worked on the Publicity and Marketing campaign for Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva and on the Marketing campaigns for Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnell, The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekiyamah and The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela. She has earned her Bachelors and Master's degrees from Rutgers University - NB. She is Dominican-American and fluid in Spanish. She is a Publisher’s Weekly 2022 Star Watch Honoree. You can follow her on Instagram @wandering_tiff_ or visit her website at wanderingtiff.com

Spooky Books by Latinx Authors

Its spooky season! There is nothing like curling up with a good scary book this time of year. With Halloween just a few days away, get in the holiday spirit by picking up one of these spooky Latinx reads!

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Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

One hot summer night, best friends Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla, and Pauline hold a séance. It's all fun and games at first, but their tipsy laughter turns to terror when the flames burn straight through their prayer candles and Fernanda starts crawling toward her friends and chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors.

Over the next few weeks, shy, modest Fernanda starts acting strangely-smearing herself in black makeup, shredding her hands on rose thorns, sucking sin out of the mouths of the guilty. The local priest is convinced it's a demon, but Lourdes begins to suspect it's something else-something far more ancient and powerful.

As Father Moreno's obsession with Fernanda grows, Lourdes enlists the help of her "bruja Craft crew" and a professor, Dr. Camacho, to understand what is happening to her friend in this unholy tale of possession-gone-right.

Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories Edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz

Fifteen original short stories from YA superstars, featuring Latine mythology's most memorable monsters.

From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology offers something for every monster lover. In Our Shadows Have Claws, bloodthirsty vampires are hunted by a quick-witted slayer; children are stolen from their beds by "el viejo de la bolsa" while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, absolutely anyone, might be a shapeshifter waiting to hunt.

The worlds of these stories are dark but also magical ones, where a ghost-witch can make your cheating boyfriend pay, bullies are brought to their knees by vicious wolf-gods, a jar of fireflies can protect you from the reality-warping magic of a bruja--and maybe you'll even live long enough to tell the tale. Set across Latin America and its diaspora, this collection offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment.

Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias

In this mosaic horror/crime novel, ghosts and old gods guide the hands of those caught up in a violent struggle to save the soul of the American southwest. A man tasked with shuttling children over the border believes the Virgin Mary is guiding him towards final justice. A woman offers colonizer blood to the Mother of Chaos. A boy joins corpse destroyers to seek vengeance for the death of his father.These stories intertwine with those of a vengeful spirit and a hungry creature to paint a timely, compelling, pulpy portrait of revenge, family, and hope.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.

Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?

Five Midnights by Ann Dávila Cardinal

Five friends cursed. Five deadly fates. Five nights of retribución.

If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other's company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends. And if they want to catch the killer, they'll have to step into the shadows to see what's lurking there--murderer, or monster?

Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Vera Martinez wants nothing more than to escape Roaring Creek and her parents' reputation as demonologists. Not to mention she's the family outcast, lacking her parents' innate abilities, and is terrified of the occult things lurking in their basement.

Maxwell Oliver is supposed to be enjoying the summer before his senior year, spending his days thinking about parties and friends. Instead he's taking care of his little sister while his mom slowly becomes someone he doesn't recognize. Soon he suspects that what he thought was grief over his father's death might be something more...sinister.

When Maxwell and Vera join forces, they come face to face with deeply disturbing true stories of cults, death worship, and the very nature that drives people to evil.

Her Body & Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

In Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado blithely demolishes the arbitrary borders between psychological realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism.

A wife refuses her husband's entreaties to remove the green ribbon from around her neck. A woman recounts her sexual encounters as a plague slowly consumes humanity. A salesclerk in a mall makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of the store's prom dresses. One woman's surgery-induced weight loss results in an unwanted houseguest.

Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, Her Body and Other Parties swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

A macabre novel in verse of loss, longing, and identity crises following a poet who resurrects pop star Selena from the dead.

A young Latinx poet grappling with loneliness and heartache decides one day to bring Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla back to life. The séance kicks off an uncanny trip narrated by a Greek chorus of gossiping spirits as she journeys through a dead celebrity prom, encounters her shadow self, and performs karaoke in hell.

In visceral poems embodying millennial angst, paragraph-long conversations overheard at her local coffeeshop, and unhinged Twitter rants, Lozada-Oliva reveals an eerie, sometimes gruesome, yet moving love story.

Playfully morbid and profoundly candid, an interrogation of Latinidad, womanhood, obsession, and disillusionment, Dreaming of You grapples with the cost of being seen for your truest self.

#SalaSundays with Lauren Ortiz

Lauren Ortiz hosted our Instagram on October 16th for our weekly #SalaSundays series. Below are a few questions that we asked Lauren.

Latinx in Pub (LxP): What do you do?

Lauren Ortiz (LO): I am a publicist at Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, working specifically on the Voracious and Little, Brown Spark imprints.

LxP: How did you get started?

LO: I started my career in publishing in September of 2020. I was lucky to be connected to the publicity team at Little, Brown for an associate role and we hit it off right away!

LxP: What do you wish you knew before getting into the industry?

LO: Before getting into the industry, I had no idea how many incredible people were involved in creating a book, from managing editorial, to designers, to marketing, and more. It takes a village to publish great books!

LxP: What book are you currently working on or reading?

LO: I am currently working on the memoir for Outlander’s Sam Heughan, titled WAYPOINTS, and a fun interactive cocktail book called POUR ME ANOTHER by J.M. Hirsch.

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Lauren Ortiz joined Little, Brown in 2020 as an Associate Publicist with Little, Brown Spark and Voracious imprints focusing on lifestyle, cooking, health and wellness, science, and psychology titles. Prior to joining Little, Brown, she worked at NBCUniversal as a Page in NBCU’s Page Program and later as a publicity coordinator with NBC Entertainment, where she assisted in publicity campaigns for late night and prime time television shows including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Law & Order: SVU, and The Blacklist. In her time at Little, Brown, she’s had the opportunities of working with talented authors such as Sam Heughan, Leah Thomas, Mamadou Ndiaye, Christopher Kimball, among others. A graduate of Rutgers Business School – New Brunswick, she earned her BS in Business Marketing.