Book Review: Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes, her second Caribbean Kitchen mystery, returns to Coral Shores, Miami to pick up where Miriam Quinones-Smith left off after her last mystery. With the Halloween season upon the small town, when a body is found among the tombstones on Miriam’s front yard, it seems that her decorations are in the spirit. That is until see realizes that it is not a decoration, but an unconscious woman, and from that moment forward, the bodies keep popping up. Miriam struggles to balance the bodies that keep appearing, no matter what she does, on top of her mother in law’s expectations for the Women’s Club annual gala, which is shortly approaching.

Despite the stressors going on in Miriam’s life, she tries to focus on her everyday activities: taking care of her young son and working on her cooking show segments, on the local Spanish television network. However, Miriam, Coral Shores very own Veronica Mars, cannot stop stumbling onto tiny hints and information that she wants to puzzle together, in order to solve the mystery that seems to be surrounding her.

Visits from her old partner Detective Pullman go from collaborative, to warnings, to stay out of it. But wherever Miriam stumbles, chisme follows or appears at her door unexpectedly. Even her prep for the Women’s Club gala grows dangerous as hints keep appearing. But will Miriam’s “luck” finally catch up to her and leave her in a less than warm embrace?

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking is a fun and light mystery that takes the reader on a fast pace adventure, filled with the smells and tastes of delicious cultural food (Miriam’s anthropology degree never fails to inspire new information.) Guided by the planning and execution of the Women’s Club gala, the reader works in tandem with the shifting social hierarchy of Coral Shores, in hopes of solving who is behind these sudden murders, before more bodies can be found. Reyes writes in a delightful fashion making the reader fall in love with Miriam and those close to her, no matter how many sticky situations arise. Even though the story is lighthearted, Reyes does address discrimination and stereotypes that Latinx individuals face in a thought-provoking way, without being heavy headed.

“Reyes writes cultural love letters to Latinx communities.”

Miriam consistently stumbles into places she shouldn’t be, but she also shows incredible kindness to those around her, sees the best in people, and is delicate with the cultures around her. This book, while having the perfect dashes of Halloween shivers and mysterious fun, manages to feel like a warm hug. Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking holds community, family, and the joy of food at the heart of it; keeping it immensely joyful, while being an incredibly fun read. For readers that want something a little different, dashes of fun and spooky, to diversify their TBR lists, Reyes and her Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries are perfect. Reyes writes cultural love letters to Latinx communities.

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RAQUEL V. REYES writes Latina protagonists. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and Spanglish feature prominently in her work. Mango, Mambo, and Murder, the first in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series, won a LEFTY for Best Humorous Mystery. It was nominated for an Agatha Award and optioned for film. Raquel’s short stories appear in various anthologies, including The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022. Find her across social media platforms as @LatinaSleuths and on her website LatinaSleuths.com

TEREZA LOPEZ (she/her) is a recent graduate from Clark University with a double major in English and history. She attended Clark University again in Fall 2021 and obtained a Master’s in communication. When she is not studying, you can find her obsessively reading or taking care of her new kitten.

Book Review: This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves

In this incredible Young Adult novel, we follow our protagonist, Enrique or Quique, as he navigates his teenage life as a bisexual latine. He’s hopelessly in love with one of his best friends, Saleem, but is 99.9% positive that the feeling is not mutual and that Saleem is straight. Thankfully his best friend (Fabiola) is determined to give Quique a hot girl summer and encourages him to explore different prospects. Quique has a wide range of people to pursue. Through each new interaction, Quique learns about himself and his resilience to overcome the challenges of being bisexual.

I loved this book for so many reasons. The cast of characters are so loveable and were each uniquely flushed out. Their personalities really added to the plot and fed different perspectives to the reader. It was heartwarming to see young adults come together to learn from extremely difficult challenges.

In addition, I thought that the plot was extremely well thought out. Aceves does an amazing job portraying the difficulty of exploring one’s sexuality and the different perspectives people can have. Enrique is put into very challenging scenarios that make him feel ashamed about his sexuality and even objectified. As a reader, it was extremely painful to see Enrique be treated so badly but it was heartwarming to see his growth and realization of the relationship he deserves.

“It was heartwarming to see young adults come together to learn from extremely difficult challenges.”

Contemporary young adult books are some of my favorites to read because it’s so exciting and refreshing to see the increasing diversity in characters and experiences that authors are capturing in the present day. As a half Mexican and half Korean teen, I remember feeling distant from books. However, looking back, I realize it’s because there was nothing connecting me to the characters. I could enjoy reading books but there was always the barrier of not seeing myself in the characters and being able to relate to them. That’s why I’m so happy that there is another book that depicts the strength of a YA latine bisexual character. Bisexuality is not typically represented in LGBTQIA+ books and there is even less representation of the intersectionality of being a bisexual latine teenage male. As painful as some of these scenes were to read, it’s so important to be aware of these uncomfortable possibilities to learn how to stand up for yourself, give yourself grace, or be a better ally, friend, sibling, parent, neighbor, etc.

This will be a great resource for current and future young adult generations but also current older generations that didn’t have this type of book available during their young adult chapter. I hope that Aaron Aceves writes more novels to continue to add representation and help many communities.

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Aaron H. Aceves is a bisexual, Mexican American writer born and raised in East Los Angeles. He graduated from Harvard College and received his MFA from Columbia University. His fiction has appeared in jmww, Epiphany, and them., among other places. He currently lives in Texas, where he serves as an Early Career Provost Fellow at UT Austin. He can be found at AaronHAceves.com or @AaronAceves on Instagram or @AaronHAceves on Twitter and TikTok.

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

Exclusive Excerpt: Are We Ever Our Own

THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN

Before the oyster folk took him from me, my father gave me his fiddle and told me the story it carried. On the island, he said, there were two sisters. I didn’t know if he meant his island—cane and tobacco fields wracked by war—or Mam’s—sea cliffs and highland meadows emptied by famine—or one of the many islands where he’d lived. The crowded island city where he met Mam. Or maybe an island he’d never even been to. My father held his fiddle up so that it seemed to hover in the air between us. Two sisters, he said, one dark-haired and the other one fair and they both fell in love with the miller’s son.

I rolled my eyes. I hated stories about fair-haired sisters and miller’s sons. My father cuffed my ear to make me listen. You’ll like how this one goes, he told me. Both sisters loved the miller’s son, but he had eyes for the fairer one. I scoffed again, but he just smiled. The smile that always made our audience—no matter what town we were in, how small, how ragged, how hungry they were for food other than flour and lard cakes—lean in and listen. The smile that told them he didn’t care how side-eyed the townsfolk had first looked at him, at Mam and him together, at Mrs. Zhao leading her wagon, her daughter June behind her. The smile that said, if they just listened, if they just waited, he’d give them some-thing as fine as stacks of cash-not-company-scrip, as the right amount of rain, as an answer to these hard times that wouldn’t end. I waited for him, just like his smile told me to, just like every audience always did.

My father said the miller’s son only wanted the fairer sister, so the dark-haired one went for a walk with her sister to the furthest point of their island. They passed palm groves and sea grape, walked until they were at the cliff’s very edge. Then the dark-haired sister pushed the fair one over the cliff and down into the waves.

My father paused and raised his eyebrows, as if daring me to stop him, knowing I wouldn’t now. Stories about

miller’s sons and fair sisters never went this way. The fair sister almost always died—on a riverbed or beneath a willow, run through by a saber, dropped by poison wine, or mad in an asylum like Cecilia Valdés—but never by her own sister’s will. My father said the waves swept the fair sister out to sea. Fight as she did, clawing at water, kicking at waves, she sunk beneath the surface. The sea tugged her and carried her and stole her final breath. The sea pulled her deep. Sharks fed on her ribs, shrimp clung to her fingernails, until she was just a body, not a sister anymore and no longer fair.

Finally, the waves spit her back up. A wandering musician found her washed ashore and he didn’t run away or call the priest or the mayor. The wanderer knelt down beside the mound of bones and hair.

My father asked me what I thought the wanderer did and I shook my head. I didn’t know.

The wanderer picked up her finger bones, my father said, and he cut off her long, fair hair. He plucked her sternum from between her ribs and, because he was in need of it, he made a fiddle out of her. Her finger bones became the fiddle pegs, her hair the long bow strings, her white sternum the fiddle bridge.

Then my father handed me his fiddle, which he’d never before let me touch. We’d just crossed the border from Oregon to Washington, and were camped outside a logging town. The mud streets were empty, everyone deep in the woods sawing down cedar and sitka, the ground too wet for our wagons to move through and the rain too hard for even us to play a show in. I crouched on my bunk, tucked in a corner of our wagon. The rain beat down on the canvas tent above us, but it was warm inside. We’d start off again as soon as it was dry, searching for a town with people in it, though what kind of people and what they might ask of us, we never knew.

The pegs of my father’s fiddle were deeply concaved, paper-thin in the middle and a pale yellow like old teeth, with hair-strand-wide dark cracks running over them. The bridge was the same color as the pegs, almost translucent in its delicacy. Since I could remember, I’d wanted to hold his fiddle: to trace the flor de mariposa and banana flowers carved across the back, to touch the wood stained almost black around the f-holes and deep red on the edges where it was constantly touched.

No matter what role he took in our show, my father always played his fiddle. He’d play a fast song at the beginning to rile up the crowd and a sad song at the end because everyone wants a lonesome ending. It brings the audience back again, hopeful they didn’t remember right, that we’ll give them the right ending the next time around. Though my father could play any instrument you could name, the fiddle was his favorite. But when he handed it to me in our muggy wagon—the horses chewing oats out of their feed box, Mam curled around him in their bunk, braiding the fringes on his jacket sleeve—I didn’t question that I should get it. I had wanted it, had wanted the sound it made, the catch and pluck, its power to mold a crowd, to decide how

well we would eat, how long we would stay by this mill or that farmstead. I had wanted the fiddle for what felt like an unimaginably long time. Back then, in our tent, steam rising off the horses and mixing with Mam’s wordless hum, I would have used the word forever.

I didn’t know how young I was. Didn’t doubt what was owed me. Now, I wonder if my father gave me his fiddle because he knew something I didn’t. If he had an idea of what would happen when we reached the oyster town we were headed towards. If he could scent some particular danger in the combination of mud, sea, and sawed cedar, and he gave me what mattered most to him. Offered me his fiddle for safe-keeping, heedless of my clumsy, too-small hands.

My father asked me what I thought the fiddle in the story sounded like. I was still holding his fiddle up in the air as he had handed it to me, not yet believing I could pull it close. When the wanderer first played the fiddle he’d made of the sister’s bones and hair? What was the song? I couldn’t speak, I shook my head again. Finally, I eased the fiddle down into my lap and traced its carvings: the flor de mariposa petals, the spider—intricate as a thousand I’d seen—perched on the flower’s stem.

The fiddle sounded like the wind, my father said. The wind off the sea that carried the sister away, like the water dragging her under and spitting her back a heap of scraps, like the fishes that eat drowned girls. The fiddle sounded like the dark-haired one pushing her only sister off a cliff and the sound the dark-haired one made when she did what she thought she’d wanted and the sea carried her sister away. The fiddle sounded like the dark-haired sister’s cruel heart, like her broken heart. Like the wind too, and like the rain that fell on her sister when she was only bones for a wanderer to comb through.

I nodded. He was right. That was how my father’s fiddle sounded.

Excerpted from "The Ballad of Tam Lin," published in Are We Ever Our Own, copyright May 24, 2022 by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes, BOA Editions, Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.

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Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes is the author of Are We Ever Our Own, winner of the BOA Short Fiction Prize, and the novel The Sleeping World (Touchstone-Simon & Schuster, 2016). She has received fellowships from Hedgebrook, Willapa Bay Artists in Residency, Yaddo, the Millay Colony, Lighthouse Works, and the Blue Mountain Center. Her work has appeared in New England Review, The Common, One Story, Cosmonauts Avenue, Slice, Pank, NANO Fiction, Western Humanities Review, and elsewhere. She holds a BA from Brown University, an MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. She grew up in a Cuban-Irish-American family in Wisconsin. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland where she teaches creative writing and Latinx literature

Meg Medina: The first Latina National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Congratulations to Cuban American author, Meg Medina, who on January 18, 2023, was named national ambassador for young people's literature by the Library of Congress. Medina is taking over the role from Jason Reynolds and has become the FIRST Latina to hold the position.

As reported by NBC, “Medina will be promoting books and libraries, but she said that with her job as ambassador she also hopes to encourage parents and families not to undervalue their oral stories of "how we came to be, of the people who loved us, the people still over there loving us [in the case of immigrant families], the people who imagined us before we ever were." Sharing oral stories, she said, is pivotal for developing basic literacy in children.”

Latinx In Publishing is proud to support Medina and looks forward to what she will accomplish during her time as ambassador for young people’s literature.

Photo credit: Scott Elmquist

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Meg Medina is current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Merci Suárez Changes Gears, which was also a 2018 Kirkus Prize finalist, and which was followed by two more acclaimed books about the Suárez family: Merci Suárez Can’t Dance and Merci Suárez Plays It Cool. Her young adult novels include Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which won the 2014 Pura Belpré Author Award, and which will be published in 2023 as a graphic novel illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas; Burn Baby Burn, which was long-listed for the National Book Award; and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. She is also the author of picture books Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez, Jumpstart’s 2020 Read for the Record selection; Mango, Abuela, and Me, illustrated by Angela Dominguez, which was a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Book; and Tía Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Muñoz, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award; and the biography for young readers She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia. [https://megmedina.com/]

January 2023 Latinx Releases

On SALE january 3, 2023

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SINCERELY SICILY | TAMIKA BURGESS | MIDDLE GRADE

From debut author Tamika Burgess comes the captivating and empowering story of Sicily Jordan—a Black Panamanian fashionista who rocks her braids with pride—who learns to use her voice and take pride in who she is while confronting prejudice in the most unexpected of places.

UNSEELIE | IVELISSE HOUSMAN | YOUNG ADULT

Iselia "Seelie" Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde...but as an autistic changeling left in the human world by the fae as an infant, she has always known she is different. Seelie's unpredictable magic makes it hard for her to fit in—and draws her and Isolde into the hunt for a fabled treasure. In a heist gone wrong, the sisters make some unexpected allies and find themselves unraveling a mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike.

Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister and herself?

BREAKUP FROM HELL | ANN DAVILA CARDINAL | YOUNG ADULT

Miguela Angeles is tired. Tired of her abuela keeping secrets, especially about her heritage. Tired of her small Vermont town and hanging out at the same places with the same friends she's known forever. So when another boring Sunday trip to church turns into a run-in with Sam, a mysterious hottie in town on vacation, Mica seizes the opportunity to get closer to him.

It's not long before she is under Sam's spell and doing things she's never done before, like winning all her martial arts sparring matches--and lying to her favorite people. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more weird things start to happen, too. Like terrifying-visions-of-the-world-ending weird.

Mica's gut instincts keep telling her something is off, yet Sam is the most exciting guy she's ever met. But when Mica discovers his family's roots, she realizes that instead of being in the typical high school relationship, she's living in a horror novel.

She has to leave Sam, but will ending their relationship also bring an end to everything she knows and everyone she loves?

LATIN AMERICANS IN HISTORY: 15 INSPIRING LATINAS AND LATINOS YOU SHOULD KNOW | MONICA OLIVERA | MIDDLE GRADE

Amazing stories of Latin Americans who changed the world.

Discover the incredible contributions that people of Latin American heritage have made to world history! Learn about Simón Bolívar, a Venezuelan soldier who helped many South American countries achieve independence from Spain. Meet Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro, a former journalist and the first female president of Nicaragua. And get to know Gloria Estefan, the Cuban singer and songwriter who became the "Queen of Latin Pop." From politicians and physicists to poets and painters, these biographies explore 15 incredible Latin American people who used their creativity, intelligence, and strong beliefs to improve the world around them.

THE HOUSE IN THE PINES | ANA REYES | ADULT

Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend's sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed.

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can't account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer--the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin.

On SALE january 10, 2023

BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON | DAVID VALDES | YOUNG ADULT

Shy foster kid Jonas and self-assured vlogger Shani met online, and so far, that's where their relationship has stayed, sharing memes and baring their souls from behind their screens. Shani is eager to finally meet up, but Jonas isn't so sure—he's not confident Shani will like the real him . . . if he's even sure who that is.

Jonas knows he's trapped himself in a lie with Shani—and wants to dig himself out. But Shani, who's been burned before, may not give him a chance: she talks her best friend Ash into playing spy and finding out the truth. When Ash falls for Jonas, too, he keeps that news from Shani, and soon they're all keeping secrets. Will it matter that their hearts are in the right place? Coming clean will require them to figure out who they really are, which is no easy task when all the pieces of your identity go beyond easy boxes and labels.

BARILOCHE | ANDRÉS NEUMAN | TRANSLATED BY ROBIN MYERS | ADULT

Demetrio Rota, a garbage collector from Buenos Aires, sleeps in the afternoons and assembles puzzles at night before leaving for work. His daily life is mediocre and he keeps his balance through sheer exhaustion. However, through the puzzles, Demetrio inspects and sorts through his own memories. At the end of the journey through his history, the present seems to devour him, until he's left with only the emptiness of himself and his daily misery. A parable of memory and deterioration, Andrés Neuman's Bariloche juxtaposes the astonished memories of youth with a skeptical conscience; the impossible idealization of nature or first love with the moral and physical suffocation of the big city; being uprooted with returning to one's origins, with a language fascinated by both lyricism and rottenness.

THE NIGHT TRAVELERS | ARMANDO LUCAS CORREA | ADULT

Four generations of women experience love, loss, war, and hope from the rise of Nazism to the Cuban Revolution and finally, the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin, 1931: Ally Keller, a talented young poet, is alone and scared when she gives birth to a mixed-race daughter she names Lilith. As the Nazis rise to power, Ally knows she must keep her baby in the shadows to protect her against Hitler's deadly ideology of Aryan purity. But as she grows, it becomes more and more difficult to keep Lilith hidden so Ally sets in motion a dangerous and desperate plan to send her daughter across the ocean to safety.

Havana, 1958: Now an adult, Lilith has few memories of her mother or her childhood in Germany. Besides, she's too excited for her future with her beloved Martin, a Cuban pilot with strong ties to the Batista government. But as the flames of revolution ignite, Lilith and her newborn daughter, Nadine, find themselves at a terrifying crossroads.

Berlin, 1988: As a scientist in Berlin, Nadine is dedicated to ensuring the dignity of the remains of all those who were murdered by the Nazis. Yet she has spent her entire lifetime avoiding the truth about her own family's history. It takes her daughter, Luna, to encourage Nadine to uncover the truth about the choices her mother and grandmother made to ensure the survival of their children. And it will fall to Luna to come to terms with a shocking betrayal that changes everything she thought she knew about her family's past.

Separated by time but united by sacrifice, four women embark on journeys of self-discovery and find themselves to be living testaments to the power of motherly love.

On SALE january 17, 2023

ABUELA’S SUPER CAPA | ANA SIQUEIRA | ILLUSTRATOR ELISA CHAVARRI | PICTURE BOOK

A heartwarming bilingual picture book about a young boy who learns to accept that Abuela needs to retire her super capa.

Saturdays are superhero days. Equipped with their milkshakes and capas, Luis and his abuela can turn anything into an adventure.

But when Abuela gets sick, Luis has to learn a new way to be a hero. With some help from his sister, Luis learns that change isn't all that bad and there are many new adventures to have, even if they look a little different.

On SALE january 24, 2023

THE FARAWAY WORLD | PATRICIA ENGEL | SHORT STORIES

From Patricia Engel comes an exquisite collection of ten haunting, award-winning short stories set across the Americas and linked by themes of migration, sacrifice, and moral compromise.

Two Colombian expats meet as strangers on the rainy streets of New York City, both burdened with traumatic pasts. In Cuba, a woman discovers her deceased brother's bones have been stolen, and the love of her life returns from Ecuador for a one-night visit. A cash-strapped couple hustles in Miami, to life-altering ends.

GOD IS JUST LIKE ME | KAREN VALENTIN | ILLUSTRATOR ANTONIETA MUÑ0Z ESTRADA | PICTURE BOOK

God may be hard to describe, but one young Puerto Rican girl in New York City finds examples of God's character all around her. As she goes day-by-day through the week, she talks to God about the delightful ways she and God are similar. From vivid sunrises and colorful paintings, dancing to music in the park, loud thunderstorms, and fishing on a quiet lake, the evidence that she is made in the image of God is everywhere she looks.

This joyful, heartfelt story offers a fresh take on what it means to be made in God's image.

LE DICEN FREGONA: POEMAS DE UN CHAVO DE LA FRONTERA | SPANISH EDITION| DAVID BOWLES | POETRY

A companion to the Pura Belpré Honor book They Call Me Güero.

"You can be my boyfriend." It only takes five words to change Güero's life at the end of seventh grade. The summer becomes extra busy as he learns to balance new band practice with his old crew, Los Bobbys, and being Joanna Padilla's boyfriend. They call her "fregona" because she's tough, always sticking up for her family and keeping the school bullyin check. But Güero sees her softness. Together they cook dollar-store spaghetti and holdhands in the orange grove, learning more about themselves and each other than they could have imagined. But when they start eighth grade, Joanna faces a tragedy that requires Güero to reconsider what it means to show up for someone you love.

Honoring multiple poetic traditions, They Call Her Fregona is a bittersweet first-love story inverse and the highly anticipated follow-up to They Call Me Güero.

On SALE january 31, 2023

PLÁTANOS GO WITH EVERYTHING / LOS PLÁTANOS VAN CON TODO | LISSETTE NORMAN | ILLUSTRATOR SARA PALACIOS | PICTURE BOOK

Plátanos are Yesenia's favorite food. They can be sweet and sugary, or salty and savory. And they're a part of almost every meal her Dominican family makes.

Stop by her apartment and find out why plátanos go with everything--especially love!

Best Books of 2022 According to Latinx In Publishing

2022 has been a wonderful year for Latine books. This year we asked the Latinx in Publishing board and our co-directors what books moved them, and that they would highly recommend. Here’s what they selected!

MISS QUINCES by Kat Fajardo

Kat Fajardo makes a funny, touching middle grade debut with this graphic novel. Sue just wants to spend her summer with her friends, but instead she gets dragged on a family trip to Honduras. She is not happy: she loves her abuela, but there’s NO INTERNET, she has to spend a bunch of time with her older sister who calls her “boring and weird,” and all her mom seems to care about this summer is throwing Sue a quinceañera celebration she doesn’t want. But the trip ends up opening Sue’s eyes to things she never saw before—and her family eventually sees the value in celebrating Sue the way she WANTS to be celebrated. Fajardo is a truly excellent visual storyteller, and there’s so much in this story to relate to and be moved by for anyone who’s felt like a misfit in their family.

– Sophia Jimenez, Writers Mentorship Co-Director 

How Not To Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

An absolutely captivating story about Cara Romero, a Dominican woman in her 50s in the Bronx, who through the act of seeking employment lays bear her entire life. This is a book that makes me forget I am reading. I see Cara sitting right in front of me, addressing me, in all her messy, irresistible humanity. Inspiring both deep belly laughs and streaming tears, Angie's Cruz's latest novel is for all those seeking an unpretentious and yet profound read.

–Toni Kirkpatrick, Board Secretary 

HIGH-RISK HOMOSEXUAL by Edgar Gomez

 Diagnosed with a serious case of being a 'high-risk homosexual," Edgar writes a memoir exploring the interacting layers of identity as a gay, Latinx man and the love it takes to be proud to be who you are in a culture intent on erasing you. We follow Edgar from childhood within the confines of machismo, opening from his uncle's cockfighting ring in Nicaragua where he is taken to become “a man,” to the queer spaces he navigates in Florida and other parts of the U.S. as he comes of age. Smart, funny, and with sharp fashion sense, it's hard to imagine Edgar as kind of shy... but that's where his vulnerability and thoughtfulness shine as a writer. One thing about Edgar in this book, he's going to be honest about the mess. A strong-hearted debut!

–Andrea Morales, Communications Co-Director 

A WOMAN OF ENDURANCE by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

This is a powerful story about Pola, who is taken from her home in Africa and enslaved in Puerto Rico, where she is used for breeding purposes. Pola has a hard life, but she endures. She fights to survive and then she fights to reclaim her humanity in the face of brutal circumstances. It's a hard read at the beginning but at the end we have a woman with the strength and courage to love herself and embrace the community around her.  Very emotional read but so worth it.

–Maria Ferrer, Board Member, Interim Treasurer & Events Director 

Frizzy by Claribel Ortega, illustrated by Rose Bousamra

 Marlene is dealing with a mother and a society that tells her that her natural hair isn’t desirable or acceptable. And all everyone in her family can talk about is how people look, which can get pretty exhausting. Luckily she has her awesome Tía Ruby (we all need a Tía Ruby!) to provide some rooftop gardening time and much-needed perspective. 

My ten-year-old and I read this graphic novel together, and I’m so glad that she and other young readers have this powerful book that will encourage them to question the adults in their lives, to name and recognize anti-Blackness when they see it, and to speak up for themselves when necessary. And for adult readers, this books acts as a gentle reminder that it’s *our* job to unlearn and heal from the messages we may have internalized when we were young. Beautifully illustrated and highly recommended.

–Nancy Mercado, Board Member, Fellowships Co-Director 

WILDS OF THE UNITED STATES: The Animals' Survival Field Guide by Alexander Vidal 

This beautiful and informative guidebook tells the stories of the wild creatures that live from Alaska to Florida and explores each unique region in the United States. Alexander Vidal visited more than 30 national parks, forests, grasslands, mountains and oceans researching this book. Readers will feel as if they are along for the hike meeting their animal neighbors to see up-close the skills that the animals use to survive. The author also includes a Land Acknowledgement honoring Indigenous communities. Packed with information and lushly illustrated, this book is a one-of-a-kind gift for any family passionate about nature, animals, travel and outdoor adventure.

–Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Board Member, Fellowships Co-Director 

Mariana and Her Familia Written by Mónica Mancillas and illustrated by Erika Meza

 This heartwarming picture book follows Mariana on her first trip to visit family in Mexico, where she becomes overwhelmed by new faces and Spanish phrases she doesn’t understand only to soon learn there's no language barrier when it comes to love. Mariana and Her Familia is perfect for any reader who, like me, has a big, warm extended family to visit over the holidays, but not so much the fluency to keep up with all the chisme. It'll have you quickly remembering that there are many ways to treasure time with loved ones.

– Carolina Ortiz, Writers Mentorship Co-Director 

YOU SOUND LIKE A WHITE GIRL by Julissa Arce

I love a good nonfiction book, especially one that I can find some common ground with. It's also important for me to read books by authors from all backgrounds and paths of life. I enjoy strong, unapologetic voices who believe deeply in their subject matter. I appreciated the blunt and honest way in which Arce approached this book and her sincerity and vulnerability in discussing her personal life; her journey to break her assimilation into our complex society. I love the detailed accounts that were provided of historical events. I also found that there were many ideas left for discussion, contemplation and analysis. Books that strive to make a difference in the lives of others and society are a must for me. 

– Tiffany Gonzalez, Communications Co-Director 

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Book Review and Q & A: River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan

Book Review: River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan | October 4, 2022

From the very beginning, River Woman, River Demon had this reviewer guessing and investigating — I mean, a psychological thriller based in New Mexico with a strong Chicana protagonist that practices curanderisma*? Yes, please. Written by award-winning Mexican-American and Indigenous author, Jennifer Givhan, this book was fulfilling all my antsy-continued-NYC-COVID-days-read-needs. 

Givhan’s protagonist, Eva Santos Moon, particularly strikes a chord. There is a relatability through her internal struggle of authentically knowing her craft (the brujería and her artistry, if we should even think of those separately,) her culture, and, of course, herself — we’re all just doing our best, am I right? 

As I’m introduced into Moon’s world, I become, dare I say it, bewitched. I’m incredibly charmed by Eva’s bold and magickal disposition, hers x’s, and the bond she has with the spiritual, especially through her partner, a local university professor and well-respected root worker.

Once settled in and ready for the ride, Givhan throws the reader through a reckoning which, completely devastates the family’s New Mexico ranch — Eva’s husband has been accused of murder … and on their actual property. 

What follows next and also precedes, is a suspenseful investigation into not only her husband’s potential crimes, but into Eva’s. Take it from the title, fam, the river plays a major character in this book, with ghosts from the past utilizing its energy to connect with Eva. But why? Who’s to blame? Who…what is the river demon? 

A suspenseful page turner, River Woman, River Demon is perfect for those who find themselves questioning their agency in uncertain times and it’s especially for those looking for a little bit of extra spiritual support and cultural empowerment. Personally, I felt that reaching this book’s cathartic conclusion was my own much-needed literary limpia*. 

Note: This review is based on an early uncorrected proof.

*curanderisma: Based in Latin America and the United States, curanderisma blends religious beliefs, faith, and prayer with the use of herbs, massage, and other traditional methods of healing.

*limpa: spiritual cleansing ritual in Mexican and Mexican-American culture.

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Author Q & A

Chelsea Villareal (CV): As someone with Rio Grande Valley ancestral roots, I loved digging into your Southwestern magickal mystery! What made you want to write a brujerîa thriller?

Jennifer Givhan (JG): In many ways, this book is a protection spell written from experiences where my family’s semblance of safety became torn and encroached upon by an interwoven spider’s web of systemic oppression and violence, personal hauntings and trauma, and choices we made as a result. As folk magick practitioners, Eva and Jericho in RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON are tested individually and together, although my focus for this particular book remains closely on Eva, a mother whose self-worth and mettle are tested and whose unreliable narration we glean in order to, I hope, better empathize with imperfect and thereby endearingly human mothers. 

Brujería has too long been seen as the source of darkness, brujas, witches, and misunderstood women as the malevolent forces to be fought. In subverting the mainstream narrative for the point of view of a family and mother of color, I wanted to turn the tables and show how the brujería, the magick and spirituality and worldview that it stems from, is neither good nor evil in and of itself, that shadow plays an integral part in finding the light, and that women of color (and in Eva’s case, a Latina and indigenous woman) can kick some serious ass and right major wrongs. But I also didn’t shy away from the horror and trauma, nor gloss over the necessary shadow work and duende integral to finding one’s truths and using it to fight injustice in all its forms. 

CV: Did you do a lot of research for the book? Or was curanderisma something that you grew up with? 

JG: My familial practices formed the bulwark of the brujería in the novel, but I adore researching and reading nonfiction to inform and uplift my own work, so I've certainly been informed by research as well. Most helpful to my understanding of hoodoo, beyond my husband’s practice, were the books by Stephanie Rose Bird. She’s written several illuminating volumes I highly recommend, including 365 Days of Hoodoo, which offers one piece of advice/aspect of a ritual or fixing per day, leading toward a larger body of knowledge and praxis that follow the seasons, and I found this book incredibly buoying, like she was with me each day, guiding me on my journey. Witchery by Juliet Diaz is another that I pored through again and again, early on my own bruja’s path, and even now, I’ll return to it for the wisdom of my bruja hermana I found in its pages.

I think, at this point in our (insert enraging adjective of your liking) year 2022, we’re all feeling a bit disconnected from our magickal roots. Any advice to readers looking for empowerment? What would you say readers can gain from knowing your strong Chicana protagonist, Eva?

JG: One of the most integral aspects of brujería and witchcraft to own my life is the cyclical nature of all things, spirit and material. The lessons we need to learn will keep coming to us again and again, and they’re not always something to fear or distrust. In the beginning of RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON, Eva is terrified by the idea that “Nothing comes we haven’t conjured or called one way or another.” But this phrase transforms and takes on a completely new meaning by the novel’s end. Still, she’s learning lessons; still, she is calling things to herself from her past. And yet, because of her willingness to travel through the dark night of the soul, la noche oscura del alma, and do battle with the duende in the underbelly, she is changed utterly, and so she’s more able to recognize the lessons and their teachers coming to her; with this recognition comes understanding and respect. We leave Eva not at the end of her journey of brujería, but, really, at the beginning. We believe that she is now solidly on the path she was always meant to traverse, and that’s what we can carry with ourselves back into our lives. The journey doesn’t get easier, but we recognize, finally, that we are stronger. Brujería isn't about calling something external but recognizing our inner strength that has already built a stronghold within and surrounding us.  

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Jennifer Givhan, a National Endowment for the Arts and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices fellow, is a Chicana and indigenous novelist, poet, and transformational coach. She is the author of Jubilee, which received an honorable mention for the 2021 Rudolfo Anaya Best Latino-Focused Fiction Book Award, and Trinity Sight, winner of the 2020 Southwest Book Award. She has also published four full-length poetry collections and her honors include the Frost Place Latinx Scholarship and the Joy Harjo Poetry Prize. She raises her children in New Mexico.

Chelsea P. Villareal (she/her) is a Queer Mexican American media strategist from PDX. She holds a BUPA in Political Science & Media Studies from Portland State University and recently completed her Master’s in Communication & Education at Columbia University. Her passions focus on participatory cultures, civic imagination, speculative storytelling, and intersectional Latinx identity representation — across all media. She proudly works on the marketing team at Schell Games and at We Need Diverse Books as their Senior Program & Partnerships Manager. 

#SalaSundays with Talisa Ramos

Talisa Ramos hosted our Instagram on December 4th for our weekly #SalaSundays series. Below are a few questions that we asked Talisa.

Latinx In Publishing (LxP): What do you do?

Talisa Ramos (TR): Most recently I’ve been an associate manager selling part of the list published by Penguin Young Readers into Barnes & Noble. Shortly though, I will be transitioning into a marketing role where I can help strategize on campaigns that will help get our books on the radars of the most folks possible.

LxP: How did you get started?

TR: My story might be an outlier, in the sense that now that I have experience in this industry, I know how difficult it can be to get your foot in the door of publishing and how folks often will intern and/or do publishing courses in order to gain experience & contacts that will help them get started. I lucked out in that I had complete beginner’s mind when I decided to try and get a publishing job, which was about 6 months after graduating from my Bachelor’s degree. I applied to a Sales Assistant role that was on PRH’s entry level jobs page, and got called for an interview. I will say that I worked hard on my cover letter, but otherwise am grateful that the timing aligned and know it’s not so often such a clear cut entry point.

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

TR: I wish I knew that as much as it’s wonderful to have a focus on curiosity and learning when you’re getting started, and to learn from other people’s expertise/experience, that does not have to mean that you’re not also eligible to contribute your ideas and perspectives. In many ways, it’s wonderful to start out and look at things from the perspective of someone who was most recently an engaged book lover/consumer themselves, who’s willing to consider new avenues for exploration and in general is not so tethered to existing processes or philosophies because you’re looking at everything from a fresh perspective. Especially as folks from marginalized and/or underrepresented communities, it is especially important to feel that you have a right to share because you likely have a deeper understand about what might resonate/reach folks who aren’t traditionally focused on in book campaigns or considered “target consumers.”

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

I’m excited for Doodles from the Boogie Down, a Middle Grade graphic novel coming from Kokila next April.

Talisa Ramos is a born and raised 2nd generation New Yorker/Nuyorican. A graduate of Barnard College, she earned her degree in American Studies & currently works at Penguin Random House. A proud Brooklynite, she lives in Fort Greene with her dog Jax, where she can be found marathon reading or marathon watching compelling stories of all genres.

December 2022 Latinx Releases

On Sale December 1, 2022

Still Standing: The Ti Kais of Dominica by Adom Philogene-Heron

Still Standing tells the story of the traditional wooden homes (known as ti kais) of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean. This gorgeously illustrated book pays tribute to these humble buildings that have withstood hurricanes and earthquakes since the end of slavery. Often ignored and now in danger from development, this unique vernacular architecture is is an important part of Dominica's rich creole culture.

On Sale December 6, 2022

MELTDOWN: Discover Earth’s Irreplaceable Glaciers and Learn What You Can Do to Save Them by Anita Sanchez

Packed with information, grounded in the latest science, with lively writing and illustrations throughout (including graphs, charts, infographics, photographs, and full-page art), Meltdown gives readers an eye-opening overview of glaciers and how important they are: There are over 100,000 glaciers covering 10% of earth's landmass, that hold almost three-quarters of the planet's fresh water, and act as protective shields to cool the atmosphere and combat climate change. We learn how glaciers were formed (some over two million years ago), how they move and carve the planet's landscape, and how scientists study them (the bluer the ice, the older it is). We learn the secrets of earth's climate history hidden deep in a glacier's core--and discover how climate change is causing glaciers to melt at unprecedented rates, putting the health of the planet in jeopardy.

But we are not left without hope. The final chapter offers positive steps readers can take to become climate activists, reduce their carbon footprint, and save the glaciers.

On sale December 13, 2022

The Musician by Heloisa Prieto

Thomas has felt alone most of his life, his only companions the musical creatures that he can see but others can't. Wealth, talent, charisma, good looks, and fame conceal the eighteen-year-old's lingering pain following the loss of his parents. His music is his bridge to the world, and his favorite form of connection.

A chance meeting with a group of strangers leads to the eventual revelation of his magical musical secret-and there are those who wish to steal it from him. Soon the wealthy Dr. Alonso and his beguiling daughter, Dora, trick Thomas into joining a cult from which he may never escape.

When Marlui, a young Guarani shaman, senses the danger surrounding Thomas, she vows to protect him from Dr. Alonso at all costs. Can she rescue him, or will Thomas succumb to the advances of Dora and lose not only his heart but the powers that bring him joy?

ON SALE DECEMBER 27, 2022

That Dangerous Energy by Aya de León

Marrying a billionaire will fulfill this struggling artist's dreams--and enable her to make a difference. But exposing the truth will put all her convictions on one dangerous line . . . Coming from a troubled youth, Morgan Faraday grabs every opportunity to up-level her life. So she definitely plans to keep oil company heir Sebastian Reid interested . . . all the way to the altar. He's brilliant, supportive, and is turning his billion-dollar company green to make up for his ancestors' exploitation. With him, Morgan can have love, money, and the power to make the world better. And securing her future is far more important than the attractive environmental activist she suddenly has unexpected feelings for . . . But once Morgan gets a glimpse of Sebastian's secret allies and confidential emails, she's stunned to find he's only talking a good game. His company is responsible for several ecological disasters, and a chance encounter makes it clear to Morgan the lengths he'll go to stay on top. To gather enough evidence to expose him, Morgan will have to rely on her quick wits and new friends to stay one step ahead of a corporate conspiracy. But as the danger comes closer, will Morgan put herself first and run--or face down the risk, even at her cost of her life?

Interview with Rudy Ruiz author of Valley of Shadows

On belhalf of Latinx In Publishing, I had the opportunity to ask Rudy Ruiz a few questions about Valley of Shadows.

Chelsea Villareal (CV): As someone who also has Rio Grande Valley ancestral roots, I was thrilled to pick up Valley of Shadows! What made you want to write this genre-bending thriller?

Rudy Ruiz (RR): In my previous novel, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez, I applied magical realism to border life in a story that wove together love, history and a family curse. I wanted to explore the idea of that family curse further as well as delve more deeply into the conflicted and dark history of the border region and the multigenerational traumas that have haunted many families in the area, dating back to when the Rio Grande River was declared the border at the end of the US-Mexico War. Valley of Shadows provided me the opportunity to pursue that line of thinking while bringing elements of the Western, horror and mystery genres to a tale that touches on the historical atrocities and social injustices of the mid- to late-1800's. Unfortunately, many of those same issues of racism and discrimination against Latinos, Indigenous Peoples, African Americans and Asian Americans are still very real and pressing, which I feel makes the novel very relevant to readers today.

CV: One of the book’s stronger themes centers on borders, whether they be magickal, geographical, or metaphorical (or a decent mix) — could you tell us more about how you went about interweving all these nuances within the story?

RR: Borders are a motif in my writing. I was born and raised on the border, and my writing always takes me back there. They say you can take a person out of the border but you can't take the border out of a person. That saying definitely applies to me. Growing up, the border was an invisible line my family and I crossed every day. Because of that, I see borders as porous membranes through which people, animals, goods, services, and the environment must continuously traverse and transmit back and forth. In my work, I explore the idea of porous borders with respect to place, culture, language, time, and even life and death. Magical realism lends itself to that exploration in a very fluid and natural manner which also resonates culturally. When it comes to borders I see bridges instead of walls. I see beginnings instead of endings. I see an opportunity for people to come together and build something constructively and collaboratively. I try to reflect that world view and that vision for life through my characters and the situations and challenges they encounter and overcome within my stories.

CV: Tell us more about Solitario, your protagonist (anti-hero?). He exemplifies another key theme of your book; loneliness — how did you go about developing such a character?

RR: In Solitario, I yearned to create an imperfect person that could feel real and flawed, but also be someone worthy of rooting for, someone readers would empathize with and care for throughout the story. He's had a hard life and he's lost everyone he has loved. Whether it's because of his family curse, sheer bad luck or poorly made decisions, he has ended up a very lonely person, isolated and afraid to engage with the world. I created Solitario during the pandemic, and the heightened isolation of that time period inspired me. I think many of us felt isolated during the pandemic in a way we never had before in our lives. That sense of isolation helped me conjure up how Solitario might have felt in his self-imposed exile. Coming out of isolation has also been emotionally difficult for many people after the pandemic. That painful process, which involves taking big risks, informed my approach to how Solitario copes with opening his heart up to others. Likewise, I didn't make it through the pandemic alone. I doubt most people did. My family helped me get through it. For Solitario, the same holds true. Through the gift of "found family," vital friendships and alliances, Solitario is able to journey back into the world and fulfill his purpose as a member of his community. The dichotomous combinations of vulnerability and toughness, fear and courage, loneliness and yearning, resentment and moral compass render Solitario Cisneros a compelling character.

CV: How much historical research did you have to do for the book? There was an impressive amount of historical nods in the storyline.

RR: Thank you! I conducted extensive historical research to bring authenticity to the historical context of the novel. It started with genealogical research that my father began years back before he passed away. Through the research he did, I came to learn more about the history of the border and the families that originally settled it in the late 1700's. Our own family was one of those, the Cisneros. Through that history, I learned about the family's original Spanish land grant, Caja Pinta, which is actually a historical fact within the storyline and also the fictional Solitario's birthplace. In wanting to branch out from La Frontera, the mythical border town I created in The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez, I imagined that Solitario would have wanted to flee the curse afflicting the men of his family. This leads him to join the Rurales, a paramilitary force that was part of the Mexican government and played a key role in fighting the French Imperialist invasion. And, eventually, Solitario ends up in Chihuahua and West Texas, in another mythical border town I created called Olvido. In fleshing out the details of those phases of Solitario's life, I learned a great deal about the history of Mexico and of West Texas, including the historic tragedy of the Porvenir Massacre of 1918 and the role of the Mescalero Apache people in defining the region. It was very eye-opening to do the historical research because I did not learn any of these facts in classrooms growing up. Unfortunately, the way most history text books have been written the perspectives of Mexican-Americans and Indigenous People have been largely omitted. This is one reason I'm excited to share this novel with the public. I see Valley of Shadows as a contribution towards reclaiming our rightful place in American history, redefining the Western genre, and adapting Southern Gothic to the Southwest and border regions.

CV: Any advice to readers looking to tap into their ancestral empowerment to break down oppressive borders, just like the ones you explored in your book? A lot of our community at LatinxinPub are also writers — any words of advice to those looking to take inspiration from their family’s stories and incorporate them into a book, much like you did with Valley of Shadows?

RR: Listen to your abuelitos and abuelitas, your mamá and papá. They harbor a world of wisdom and knowledge. Their stories – whether heartbreaking or funny, spiritual or painfully real, nostalgic or aspirational – are filled with a special magic that is embedded in our culture and DNA. When we retell those stories, use them as jumping out points, flesh them out with historical context, we can find ourselves inspired, either to overcome personal and professional obstacles, advocate for social justice, or engage in new ways with our own families and communities. When we understand our histories and we can process the traumas that might have been passed down through the generations, we can better face these issues and also begin to heal as individuals and families. And, if you're a writer or an artist, you might find yourself with a life-changing project on your hands that is both enlightening and empowering.

Valley of Shadows brilliantly blends magical realism, western, and horror genres into a page-turning Rio Grande Valley epic — a haunting frontera tale, perfect for folks looking for their next thrilling read.

—Chelsea Villareal

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Rudy Ruiz is a writer of literary fiction, essays and political commentary. His earliest works were published at Harvard, where he studied literature and creative writing, and was awarded a Ford Foundation grant to support his writing endeavors.

Seven for the Revolution was Ruiz’s fiction debut. The collection of short stories won four International Latino Book Awards.

Ruiz’s short fiction has appeared in literary journals including BorderSenses, The Ninth Letter, New Texas, and the Notre Dame Review. In 2017, Rudy Ruiz was awarded the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction. In 2020, Ruiz was a finalist for both the Texas Institute of Letters’ Best Short Story Award as well as the Texas Observer’s annual Short Story Contest.

In 2020, Blackstone Publishing released Ruiz’s novel, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez. The novel received critical acclaim and was named one of the “Top 10 Best First Novels of 2020” by the American Library Association’s Booklist. The Southern Review of Books stated: “Ruiz’s prose is buoyant and immersive…Its effusive descriptions are reminiscent of Laura Esquivel.” The novel was longlisted for the Reading the West Award and a Finalist for the Western Writers of America Silver Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel. It also was awarded two Gold Medals at the International Latino Book Awards, including the Rudolfo Anaya Prize for Best Latino Focused Fiction and Best Audio Book.

Follow Rudy Ruiz online: Website: RudyRuiz.com | Twitter: @Rudy_Ruiz_7

Chelsea P. Villareal (she/her) is a Queer Mexican American media strategist from PDX. She holds a BUPA in Political Science & Media Studies from Portland State University and recently completed her Master’s in Communication & Education at Columbia University. Her passions focus on participatory cultures, civic imagination, speculative storytelling, and intersectional Latinx identity representation — across all media. She proudly works on the marketing team at Schell Games and at We Need Diverse Books as their Senior Program & Partnerships Manager.