The following is a pile of books that came recommended, won awards, or are books I've heard about for years, all written for Spanish speakers and about the LGBTQ experience.
En la casa de los sueños / In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado is about a woman coming to terms with the abuse she suffered at the hands of another woman. It plays with different tropes in each chapter—a haunted house, a bildungsroman, erotica—in a witty and inspired way. Machado's wit and playfulness balance the dark subject matter of the memoir.
In Las Aventuras de China Iron, author Gabriela Cabezon Camara rewrites Martín Fierro from a feminist, LGBTQ, and postcolonial perspective. China Iron travels across Argentina by covered wagon, learning about the cultures, languages, and environment along the way. It was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize and was named one of the best books of 2017 by The New York Times.
¡Cuéntamelo! Oral Histories by LGBT Latino Immigrants / Testimonios de Inmigrantes Latinos LGBT by Julián Delgado Lopera is a mix of oral histories, photographs, and drawings of immigrants coming to the United States in the '80s and '90s. They speak of Cuba, coming out, drag, Miami and the 'boat people' and more. The book is bilingual with stories in both Spanish and English.
Juliet Takes a Breath/Juliet Respira Profundo by Gabby Rivera is about a young Puerto Rican lesbian, Juliet, who just came out to her family and is worried that her mom will never speak to her again. She spends the summer interning under her favorite author and isn't sure if she's figuring out her life or running away. Rivera gives us a character who is authentic and not often seen in literature.
Cuando Amanos Cantamos/When We Love Someone We Sing To Them by Ernesto Javier Martínez is about a little boy who wants to serenade another little boy. It's a lovely reclamation of the serenata tradition. It has won the International Latino Book Award for Best Picture Book and Best First Book-Children & Youth-Bilingual in 2019.
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