2023 is an excellent year for exciting and highly anticipated new book titles from Latine authors in our community. So diversify your reading list and bookshelf this year with the storytellers in our community.
I don’t know about you, but I made a goal for how many books I will read this year. I love exploring our community’s diverse perspectives and experiences through reading, so I’ll add a few more to my reading list from this one. So we have curated a list of English and Spanish books released this year and others you’ll want to preorder and support. And if you’re a bookworm like us, join our Amigahood’s Latinas & Libros book club and gush about the amazing books written by our community.
Plantains and Our Becoming | Melania Luisa Marte
Dominican poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte’s debut poetry collection, “Plantains and Our Becoming,” is about identity, culture, home, and belonging. Through exploring themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, her writing finds a way to uproot stereotypes and create a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.
The Wind Knows My Name | Isabel Allende
New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende graces us with a powerful and moving novel that traces the ripple effects of war and immigration on one child in Europe in 1938 and another in the United States in 2019. Intertwining the past and present, “The Wind Knows My Name” illustrates the tale of these two unforgettable characters in search of family and home.
Menstruación Consciente | Gina Castellanos
Tapping into your menstrual cycle can help you achieve true self-love, success, and wellness. Author Gina Castellano breaks down the how and why in her book ‘Menstruación Consciente. In these pages, she accompanies you on a path of awakening your feminine consciousness and cultivating powerful self-awareness tools.
Wealth Warrior | Linda Garcia
Financial educator and proud Latina Linda García breaks down one of the most elusive yet effective financial systems in existence that have been historically kept from communities of color. ‘Wealth Warrior’ is an investment playbook that guides you on establishing a budget, creating an “opportunity fund,” and paying yourself first to build generational wealth.
Asada | Bricia Lopez
Oaxaca authors Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral are back with the first major cookbook about how to create asada—Mexican-style grilled meat—at home. “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” offers 100 recipes that show you how to prepare the right dishes and drinks for your next carne asada gathering. It will both guide you in crafting mouthwatering food and inspire the right laidback atmosphere.
Platanos Are Love | Alyssa Reynosa-Morris
Dominican and Puerto Rican author Alyssa Reynoso-Morris graces us with a nostalgic picture book about how plantains shape Latinx culture, community, and family, told through a young girl’s experience in the kitchen with her abuela. Her story captures the immense sense of community and love experienced that permeates our cultures.
El Viaje de Los Colibríes | Sue Zurita
“The Journey of the Hummingbirds,” a novel for those who don’t know to live in captivity, already has a place in the hearts of Mexican readers since Sue Zurita published her independent edition 8 years ago. This new edition, revised and updated, includes an unpublished chapter: A new ending for the main character Romina. All told in the new ending of the novel.
Ligereza | Yung Pueblo
New York Times bestselling author of “Clarity & Connection” publishes the Spanish version of his latest book ‘Lighter.’ Lighter explores how we can all move forward in our healing from learning self-compassion to letting go to becoming emotionally mature.
Soy La Madre Naturaleza | María José Flaqué
Forty days are enough to transform the habits and routines that prevent you from releasing your full potential and manifesting the reality you desire. Best-selling author María José Flaqué you will go through a path of rituals, meditations, visualizations, and daily reflections that will allow you to heal the energetic blockages that do not let you connect with your highest frequency.
Una Historia Compartida | Julia Navarro
Up to the twentieth century, history was written by men. Julia Navarro’s most personal book is a suggestive invitation to share stories written and lived by women – with men, without men, for men, in front of men. It’s not only the history of women, but of all, not told through male supremacy, but from common ground.
Trilogía Hermanos Hidalgo | Ariana Godoy
The stories of Ares, Artemis, and Apolo Hidalgo are now together in a single pack, thanks to author Ariana Godoy! Raquel has obsessed over Ares Hidalgo all her life, her attractive and mysterious neighbor. But, much to her regret, they have never even said a single word to each other. What Raquel doesn’t know is that this is about to change.
Alguien Habló de Nosotros | Irene Vallejo
Books like this one invite us to pause and make room for ideas, to converse with those voices that have asked the same questions before us. Irene Vallejo’s essays published in the Heraldo compiled here to reflect upon the different ways the present is linked to our history.
El Invencible Verano de Liliana | Cristina Rivera Garza
A haunting, unforgettable memoir about a beloved younger sister and the painful memory of her murder from “one of Mexico’s greatest living writers.” Inspired by feminist movements across the world and enraged by the global epidemic of femicide and intimate partner violence, her relative, Cristina Rivera Garza embarks on a path toward justice.
My Dominican Kitchen | Vanessa Mota
“The Dominican Kitchen” is a collection of 80+ authentic, traditional recipes inspired by author Vanessa Mota’s heritage and upbringing in the Dominican Republic. Created with easy-to-find ingredients and featuring comforting traditional flavors, Vanessa’s recipes are designed for modern families.
Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy | Toni Okamoto
Popular budget-conscious and plant-based chef Toni Okamoto is back to make mealtime delicious, affordable, and easier than ever—with 100 vegan recipes for meal prep, one-pot and one-pan meals, make-ahead dishes, sheet pan suppers, and more.
About the Author
Chantelle Bacigalupo
Chantelle Bacigalupo is #WeAllGrow Latina’s Editorial Staff Writer. She is a Bolivian-American photographer, multimedia journalist, and activist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work focuses on issues ranging across immigration, social & environmental justice, preserving Indigenous cultures, and reproductive justice. You can read more of her pieces here.
