* Recommended for Teens

FICTION

Aztec Blood
by Gary Jennings.
A mestizo boy in 16th century New Spain flees his home during the fall of the Aztec empire and embarks on a search for his roots.

Bitter Sugar: A Lupe Solano Mystery
by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera.
Lupe investigates a mysterious offer to buy property rights to sugar mills confiscated long ago by Castro. Murder and mayhem in Miami follow.

* Breaking Through
by Francisco Jiménez.
A teenager and his family struggle to avoid deportation to Mexico and to overcome hardship when forced to leave their California home and work in the migrant fields.

Call Me Magdalena
by Alicia Steimberg.
The Planeta Prize-winning murder mystery, set in Argentina, explores faith, romantic entanglements and religious and national identity.

Dirty Havana Trilogy
by Pedro Juan Gutiérrez.
After the Soviet Union's collapse and ensuing recession, a former Havana journalist's life takes a downturn as he struggles with life in the streets.

The Feast of the Goat
by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Haunted by memories, 49-year-old Urania Cabral returns to her native Dominican Republic and finds herself reliving the brutal regime of Trujillo.

Frida: A Novel
by Barbara Louise Mujica.
Written in the voice of the sister of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, this is a fictionalized story of Frida's tumultuous personal and artistic lives.

The Ghost of John Wayne and Other Stories
by Ray González.
This debut collection of short stories explores the mystical and magical in everyday settings throughout the Southwestern United States, combining folklore and legend with reality.

In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd
by Ana Menendez.
Four aging Latinos gather regularly in a Miami park to play dominoes and tell stories.

Interesting Monsters: Fictions
by Aldo Alvarez.
A gay New York couple, one a pop-music producer, the other a Puerto Rican antique collector, examine their lives in the face of AIDS.

Let Their Spirits Dance
by Stella Pope Duarte.
This debut novel examines the effects of the death of a young soldier in Vietnam on his Chicano family in Arizona through three decades.

Loving Pedro Infante
by Denise Chávez.
While having an affair, Tere Avila fantasizes about a deceased Mexican singer, but eventually is faced with reality and the choices she must make.

My Mother's Island
by Marnie Mueller.
Sarah Ellis, who is burdened with a terrible secret, travels to Puerto Rico to care for her widowed mother who is dying of cancer.

Portrait in Sepia: A Novel
by Isabel Allende.
Set in 19th century Chile, a young woman learns the secrets of her heritage while searching for her roots. Sequel to "Daughter of Fortune".

Red House
by K. J. A. Wishnia.
An ex-cop and single mother from Ecuador, Filomena Buscarsela is an apprentice private investigator. Her current case involves an illegal immigrant.

The Road to Santa Fe
by Norman Zollinger.
Enrique Garcia, a district attorney in New Mexico, runs for governor. Meanwhile he investigates a murder, begins a romance and dodges a political scandal.

The Scared Stiff
by Judson Jack Carmichael.
A South American couple in financial trouble concoct a scheme to collect the husband's life insurance payment, a plot that quickly goes awry.

A Simple Habana Melody (From When the World Was Good): A Novel
by Oscar Hijuelos.
In 1947, a Cuban composer returns to his native Habana after imprisonment at Buchenwald to recount his pre-war life, including a Parisian romance.

Soledad
by Angie Cruz.
A young art student is forced to return to her poverty-stricken Dominican neighborhood to care for her depressed, widowed mother.

Song of the Water Saints
by Nelly Rosario.
This Dominican-born author explores a century in the lives and loves of three generations of women, beginning in the Dominican Republic and concluding in New York City.

Swift as Desire
by Laura Esquivel.
In Mexico City, Lluvia tries to mend the rift between her estranged parents during her ailing father's final days.

Tarzan's Tonsillitis
by Alfredo Bryce Echenique.
A Peruvian musician and a cultured Salvadoran engage in a tempestuous 30-year relationship that spans 1960s to 1980s Paris, El Salvador and Chile.

Woodcuts of Women
by Dagoberto Gilb.
Ten poignant stories about love, lust, betrayal and heartbreak. Full of passion and humor, the book is a tribute to love's redemptive power.

HISTORY

Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America
by John Charles Chasteen.
From the violent conquests of Cortes to Che Guevara's quest for political and social equality, six centuries of history are examined.

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World
by Nick Reding.
The supposedly extinct Chilean gauchos, or cowboys, are torn between those who want to assimilate to the 20th century and those who want to hold onto their hundreds of years of tradition. F3134 .R43 2001

Latino U.S.A.: A Cartoon History
by Ilan Stavans; illustrated by Lalo Alcaraz.
This book is "a breezy, quick-paced romp through Latin American history, beginning in 1492 and running through the present day," completely illustrated in cartoons. E184.S75 S752 2000x

A Traveller's History of Mexico
by Kenneth Pearce.
This unconventional history examines the groups of Indians, from the Olmec to modern-day Maya, who have been the foundation for this passionate and highly complicated country. F1226 .P36 2002

Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution
by Frank McLynn.
This biography of the controversial revolutionary Mexican heroes examines their disparate visions for their country set against the backdrop of corrupt politics and American interests. F1234 .M155 2001x

EXPRESSIONS

Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States
edited by Nicolás Kanellos.
This compilation embraces Chicano, Nuyorican, Cuban American, and Latino writings, the voices of immigrants and the voices of exiles. PS508.H57 H48 2002

I Ask the Impossible: Poems
by Ana Castillo.
The everyday life and hardships of Latinos are examined in this fifth book of poetry by the author of The Mixquiahuala Letters and Peel My Love Like an Onion. PS3553.A8135 I15 2001

In an Angry Season
by Lisa D. Chávez.
Captivity, racism, and personal struggle are among the themes in this second collection of poetry by Chávez. PS3553 .H3463 I5 2001

Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions
edited and with an introduction by John Bierhorst.
Set yourself "loose in a vivid world of tricksters, witches, amorous young men, sneaky wives, and animals with magic powers." GR111.H57 L37 2002

Latin & Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified
by Linda Bladholm.
"This guidebook identifies and tells you how to use the vast array of herbs, chiles, fruits, sauces, meats, beans, and prepared foods at your neighborhood mercado." TX349 .B5325 2001x

Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas
by Elijah Wald.
This unusual and controversial genre of modern outlaw music which blends the sensibilities of medieval ballads with the edgy grit of gangsta rap is examined. ML3570 .W35 2001x

Palm Crows
by Virgil Suárez.
Born in Havana but currently living in the United States, Suárez explores loss, longing, and the meaning of exile in this book of poetry. PS3569.U18 P35 2001

Salud: A Latina's Guide to Total Health
by Jane Delgado, Ph.D.
Addressing the physiological, cultural, and spiritual concerns of Latinas, this revised edition features updated lists of relevant books, hotlines, and websites. RA778.4.H57 D45 2002x

Twentieth Century Art of Latin America
by Jacqueline Barnitz.
An in-depth look at the major movements and artists of the last century, including Wilfredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo. N6502.5 .B36 2001

* Wáchale! Poetry and Prose about Growing Up Latino in America
edited by Ilan Stavans.
This collection includes works by Judith Ortiz Cofer, Martin Espada, and Gary Soto. The title is Spanglish for "watch out" or "listen up." PZ5 .W12 2001

Zarela's Veracruz
by Zarela Martínez with Anne Mendelson.
This cookbook features over 150 recipes from the Gulf coast of Mexico, including Seafood Salad in Avocado Halves, Chicken Chileatole, and Coconut Layer Cake. TX716.M4 M378 2001

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

Cuba Diaries: An American Housewife in Havana
by Isadora Tattlin.
The wife of an energy consultant describes her daily experiences and her impressions of Cuban politics and culture through journal entries covering four years. F1765.3 .T38 2002

Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
by Rubén Martínez.
An award-winning journalist follows the journey of a Mexican family as they migrate from the small town of Cheran to Missouri, California, and Wisconsin. E184.M5 M388 2001

Hands to Work: The Stories of Three Families Racing the Welfare Clock
by LynNell Hancock.
A journalist reveals the lives of three South Bronx women, including a Puerto Rican single mother, as they try to find jobs before their welfare benefits expire. HV99.N59 H36 2002

The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People
by Ilan Stavans.
A novelist and scholar reflects on American Latino society through observations about its art, literature, language, and history. E184.S75 S75 2001x

The Other Face of America: Chronicles of the Immigrants Shaping Our Future
by Jorge Ramos.
Univision newscaster Jorge Ramos tells the stories of Latino immigrants to America in this collection of 49 essays. E184.S75 R3613 2002x

* Out of War: True Stories from the Frontlines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia
by Sara Cameron.
Sara Cameron tells the stories of nine extraordinary children who work toward solutions to violence and war in Colombia. HQ784.V55 C35 2001

Secret Missions to Cuba: Fidel Castro, Bernardo Benes, and Cuban Miami
by Robert M. Levine.
The author exposes the hidden influence of a Cuban American lawyer, whose ties to Fidel Castro affected the Elian Gonzalez controversy and the 2000 election. E183.C9 L46 2001

BIOGRAPHY

The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo
by Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Frank and honest journal recounting the Congolese years of this famous 20th Century Cuban revolutionary. DT658.22 .G8413 2001

American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood
by Maria Arana.
Shuttling between two distinct cultures, the author recalls her childhood as the daughter of a Peruvian father and an American mother. PN4874.A567 A3 2001

The Empress of Farewells: The Story of Charlotte, Empress of Mexico
by Prince Michael of Greece.
The sad and extraordinary tale of the ill-fated Empress Carlotta, beautiful wife of Austrian Archduke Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico. F1233.M45 M5313 2002

On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language
by Ilan Stavans.
The author reflects on his youth in Mexico City's Jewish ghetto in order to find his place in the world.
PQ7079.2 .S78 Z47 2001

* Shakira; Woman Full of Grace:
by Ximena Diego.
The story behind the Grammy-winning crossover sensation. ML420.S528 D5413 2001

The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutierrez
by Jimmy Breslin.
From hometown village to Brooklyn, N.Y., the tragic tale of a young Mexican illegal killed in a New York City construction accident. HD8085.N53 B74 2002

Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Columbia
by Ingrid Betancourt.
A prominent Colombian woman tells of her personal struggle to re-establish democracy by confronting government corruption and the drug cartels that control it. F2279.22.B48 A3 2002