Can't-Miss Classic and Contemporary Books By Latine Authors

Latine Heritage Month is the perfect time to celebrate and reflect on the contributions of the Latino community around the world. The hope is that using this dedicated time to learn more about the work of this diverse community will encourage everyone to continue seeking out the many cultural contributions of Latino and Latina people year-round, including those whose literary works have sustained voracious readers, past and present. As a lifelong insatiable reader with Mexican immigrant parents, I’ve been lucky enough to have been exposed to literature from Latinx authors my whole life, and began reading classics by Isabel Allende, Paulo Coelho, Laura Esquivel, Pablo Neruda and many more at a fairly young age. In more recent years, I’ve sought out contemporary authors from Latin American and the global diaspora, and I’m always struck by the vibrancy of their work. Below, I’ve rounded up a few can’t-miss classic and contemporary books by Latine authors for those who want to dive into the many gifts our varying countries and cultures have to offer.