BOSTON, MA - September 12, 2024 - To honor National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Boston Public Library (BPL) is releasing Vida Latina, a booklist of recently published titles focusing on the cultures, histories, experiences, and diversity of the Hispanic community. Celebrated from September 15 through October 15 annually, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the contributions and experiences of Hispanic Americans - specifically, those whose ancestors originated from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The BPL will also observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting special events for all ages across branches and by highlighting notable items in the BPL collections.
The Vida Latina booklist, featuring selected books written either by Hispanic authors or about Hispanic history and culture, is compiled by staff librarians from the Adams Street, Chinatown, East Boston, Faneuil, Lower Mills, and South Boston branches, along with staff from the Central Library in Copley Square. The 108 titles comprising the Vida Latina booklist highlight selections for adults, teenagers, and children by authors such as Isabel Ibañez, Xochitl Gonzalez, Cristina Henríquez, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Aida Rodriguez. Genres in this collection include biography, expressions, history and contemporary issues, and fiction.
Each book listing contains a brief synopsis and is accompanied by an image of the book cover as well as classification information. In addition to print books, select titles are available as eBooks, audiobooks, or in Spanish as well as English.
Along with the booklist, the BPL will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with author talks and lectures, performing arts events, film screenings, book group discussions, arts and crafts workshops, and more. The full list of programs can be found at bpl.org/events. Highlights include:
- Film Screening — Birds of Passage / Aves de Paso | September 12, Central | A film screening of the 2010 documentary film by Rachel Lears, Birds of Passage / Aves de Paso, a lyrical journey through the everyday lives of two young Uruguayan songwriters.
- Laura Macias Bilingual Storytime | September 16-26, various locations | Join Laura Macias for a bilingual Story Time for children ages 3-5 years old.
- The Legend of the Inca's Empire Origin / La Leyenda del Origen del Imperio Inca (English/Spanish Storytelling) | September 21, Charlestown | A bilingual telling of the legend of the origin and the foundation of Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca Empire. This event is designed for school-aged children.
- Hyde Park Book Club: Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine | September 26, Hyde Park | The book club will discuss Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, an epic of betrayal, love, and fate spanning five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family in the American West.
- Documentary Club: Miss Angela | October 1, Mattapan | A screening of the 2021 film Miss Angela, which chronicles the remarkable life and career of Cuban American singer Angela Alvarez, from the momentous and inspiring story of Angela’s flight from Cuba in the 1960’s to her sudden success in her 90’s.
- Celia Cruz: A National Hispanic Heritage Month Event with Rosalba Solis from La Piñata | October 1-7, various locations | An interactive workshop about Celia Cruz, a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. The workshop will be led by Rosalba Solis, professional teacher, dancer, and musician, and founder of La Piñata, a Latin American cultural, performing arts, and community organization.
Additionally, BPL's Special Collections department welcomes patrons to a hands-on experience in the Special Collections reading room. The Special Collections Sampler for National Hispanic Heritage Month will allow patrons to explore notable objects from the BPL's collections highlighting Hispanic authors' and creators' contributions to society.
Items highlighted and celebrated include Flower Market by Diego Rivera, a 1930 lithograph spotlighting the common people and workers of Mexico; Pedro Páramo, Juan Rulfo’s influential 1955 novel that explores the intersection of life and afterlife in a fictionalized version of the Mexican town of Comala, with original “two-sided” prints by Enrique Chagoy; selections from the Old South Fund Records, which represent a snapshot of Boston’s Hispanic community’s needs in late 1980s, through community organizations’ requests for grant funding; and a rare album of photographs from the 1880s taken in Puerto Rico, mostly San Juan, by a commercial photographer C. Lepero Lopez.
Patrons can delve deeper into the history of these objects at a Special Collections open house, to be held on September 24 from 2-4 p.m. in the Special Collections reading room at the Central Library in Copley Square. Special Collections staff will be available to answer questions as visitors explore these items up close. For those unable to attend the open house, the items will also be available for viewing in the Special Collections reading room during Hispanic Heritage month each Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
Other distinguished pieces from the BPL collection depicting Hispanic history, culture, and achievements will be featured on the BPL's social media platforms during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Physical copies of the Vida Latina booklist will be available at all BPL locations starting September 15, 2024; it can also be accessed digitally. In addition, the booklist and information about National Hispanic Heritage Month programs will also appear on the BPL website at bpl.org and on the BPL social media accounts (X, Facebook, Instagram).
Patrons can view many years' worth of prior affinity booklists, such as those from Black History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Disability Pride Month, and Native American Heritage Month in an online archive.
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ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
