Four Books To Honor Hispanic Heritage Month
With a follow up book published this year and recent controversies arising, perhaps the 1992 family saga Dreaming in Cuban is now relevant more than ever.
Loosely based on novelist and journalist Cristina Garcia’s life, the book tells the experience of the del Pino family during the Castro regime. It follows the story of a grandmother, mother, and daughter through the 1930s to 1980s.
Dreaming in Cuban offers a heartbreaking portrait of how politics can force a family to separate, as the novel goes back and forth between Cuba and the United States. Recently banned in certain districts, Dreaming in Cuban is an important story that must not be silenced. It is a feminist postcolonial masterpiece that deals with issues that are still prevalent in the community today.
For fans of the surreal and bizarre, perhaps Jorge Luis Borges is the author for you. A prolific author of essays, poems and plays, Ficciones is a great introduction to the literary legend and his books.
Published in 1944, Ficciones is a short story collection in which Borges blends reality and fantasy, creating dreamlike stories that force you to think deeply about human nature. The collection feels like exploring the maze of his mind. My favorite story in the collection, The Library of Babel, asks questions about human nature and greed, through a library filled with all the knowledge in the universe. A cerebral work full of existential questions and allegories, Ficciones is a wonderful book to get lost in.
Regarded as one of the greatest books of the 20th century and a cornerstone of the magical realism genre, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, is one of those books you must read before you die.
Recounting the story of the Buendia family, the novel goes through one hundred years worth of history. The actions of generations come back to haunt their descendants and mistakes are constantly repeating themselves. It takes place in the mystical town of Macondo, Colombia. The piece is a commentary on Latin American history and politics, as well as a warning that those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them.
Considered the debut masterpiece of legendary author, Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits is remembered for its creativity and epic nature.
Drawing influence from Márquez’s use of familial generations to explore his country’s history and politics, Allende uses the de Valle family to not only explore Chilean history, but the personal history of her family.
Spanning across four generations, The House of the Spirits follows sisters Clara and Rosa as they grow to understand their family and social atmosphere through ghosts, prophecies and other spiritual interventions. A testament to love, family and fate, The House of the Spirits will leave readers in tears and awe.
