Celebrating Latine/x Heritage Month at The Secret Lantern
At The Secret Lantern, we celebrate communities and their stories. The most vibrant, beautiful human experiences that can be shared and connected to. Of course we are excited for Latine/x Heritage Month!
There’s a lot of ground to cover — across nations, cultures, and people — so let’s get started on (just a few) of the incredible Latine/x stories and authors out there!
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
From Mexican-Canadian author, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, comes this rich, folkloric fantasy:
“The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.”
Gods of Jade and Shadow is a perfect entry point to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s many stellar (and acclaimed) novels. The backdrop of 1920s Mexico, paired with a spellbinding look at Mayan folklore and a slow burning romance makes for pure magic. A hallmark of Moreno-Garcia’s writing is exploring the history, culture, and folklore of Mexico across many unexpected eras, with Gods of Jade and Shadow being one of the richer examples.
Other books from Silvia Moreno-Garcia that we highly recommend are:
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
WHEN JAVI DUMPED MARI by Mia Sosa
Mia Sosa is our kind of author! An Afro-Latine/x author, born and raised in East Harlem, and inspired by a stack of Harlequin romances and the musical stylings of Menudo. Sosa writes steamy and flirty romances and is a bestseller and award-winner several times over. When Javi Dumped Mari is Sosa’s latest (adorable) rom-com!
“On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier Báez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, ten years later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he's secretly pined for since sophomore year, is planning to marry—and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff.
Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, is no longer seeking Javi's dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, she's made a different pact—with herself. And to succeed, she'll need to build a future with someone else.
With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi’s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari’s changed the script and moved on without him. Which means he has eight weeks to convince her this marriage is a flop. And if Javi has to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn't that what best friends are for?”
Sosa injects When Javi Dumped Mari with her signature cultural flair, while also crafting a friends-to-lovers romance that is as relatable as it is adorable!
Other books like this that we think you will like:
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE by Isabel Cañas
Isabel Cañas is one of the most celebrated names in contemporary horror. She brings gripping Gothic horror into haunting harmony with historical Mexican settings.
“As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.
Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.
Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.
When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.
And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.”
In Vampires of El Norte, facing vampires is just the beginning. The novel explores themes of colorism, classism, and gender with a perspective as sharp as a set of fangs. Suspense, tragedy, and a slow burn romance make this read especially compelling. You won’t be able to put it down!
Other books that weave together horror and Latine/x culture:
Lieutenant Nun: The True Story of a Cross-Dressing, Transatlantic Adventurer Who Escaped From a Spanish Convent in 1599 and Lived as a Man by Catalina de Erauso
LIEUTENANT NUN by Catalina de Erauso
What a title, right? And, yes, all of that is true.
Lieutenant Nun is one of the earliest known autobiographies written by a woman and was first published in 1693. This memoir tells the incredible story of Catalina de Erauso, who escaped from a Basque convent in 1599, disguised herself as a man, and lived a life of adventure that most can only dream of.
Catalina de Erauso served as a soldier in the Spanish army, sailed to the New World (in particular, Peru and Chile), devoured the best of life with gusto (she drank, she gambled, she courted a landowner’s daughter), and even killed her own brother in a duel (totally by accident). She would go down in history as a folk hero and, today, represents one of history’s most interesting figures when it comes to exploring gender and sexuality.
Even if you’re not big on nonfiction, this is one story that is too good to miss!
Other nonfiction reads to add to your Latine/x syllabus:
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa
THE WICKED BARGAIN by Gabe Cole Novoa
For the YA crowd, there are so many incredible options for fantasy and adventure from Latine/x perspectives and authors. The Wicked Bargain may be a Latinx pirate fantasy in the realm of swashbuckling historical fiction, but Novoa’s vibrant adventure led by a transmasculine nonbinary team gives this title a sharp contemporary edge!
“Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship.
When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up your soul to save your father by the Harvest Moon or never see him again. The task is impossible--Mar refuses to make a bargain and there's no way their magic is any match for el Diablo. Then, Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate -- and the captain's son; and Dami, a genderfluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption -- or it could mean certain death.”
Gabe Cole Novoa writes from a deeply personal point of view, centering acceptance and identity in all of his works. His stories are sweeping adventures that invite young readers and adults alike to escape into fantastical worlds.
Other YA books that you should check out: