Books and Films for Hispanic Heritage Month

The Poudre River Public Library District recognizes Hispanic individuals and families contribute to our community every day; they are an essential part of our community and our organization.

Across the country, Hispanic community members contribute to our country as business owners, entrepreneurs, veterans, teachers, and public servants among many other professions. Although National Hispanic Heritage Month encourages us to recognize and honor their achievements and contributions from September 15 – October 15, we celebrate their culture every day.

Here are a few books, audiobooks, films, and television series to get started exploring Hispanic culture. Visit PoudreLibraries.org to find many more!

Adult’s Picks for Hispanic Heritage Month

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A Long Petal of the Sea

by Isabel Allende

In the late 1930s, civil war gripped Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them wants, and together are sponsored by poet Pablo Neruda to embark on the SS Winnipeg along with 2,200 other refugees in search of a new life. Giver, who reveals the dark secrets behind the utopian façade.

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Children of the Land

by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

When the author was five years old and his family was preparing to cross the border between Mexico and the United States, he suffered temporary, stress-induced blindness. Castillo regained his vision, but quickly understood that he had to move into a threshold of invisibility before settling in California with his parents and siblings. Thus began a new life of hiding in plain sight and of paying extraordinarily careful attention at all times for fear of being truly seen. Before Castillo was one of the most celebrated poets of a generation, he was a boy who perfected his English in the hopes that he might never seem extraordinary.

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Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity

by Paola Ramos

Young Latinos across the United States are redefining their identities, pushing boundaries, and awakening politically in powerful and surprising ways. Many of them–Afrolatino, indigenous, Muslim, queer and undocumented, living in large cities and small towns–are voices who have been chronically overlooked. In this empowering cross-country travelogue, journalist and activist Paola Ramos embarks on a journey to find the communities of people defining the controversial term, ‘Latinx.’

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The House of Broken Angels / La casa de los ángeles rotos

by Luis Alberto Urrea

In his final days, beloved and ailing patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, affectionately called Big Angel, has summoned his entire clan for one last legendary birthday party. But as the party approaches, his mother, nearly one hundred, dies, transforming the weekend into a farewell doubleheader. Among the guests is Big Angel’s half brother, known as Little Angel, who must reckon with the truth that although he shares a father with his siblings, he has not, as a half gringo, shared a life.

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In the Dream House

by Carmen Maria Machado

On a sunny day in Berkeley, California, in 1942, a woman sees a Machado shares an engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming.

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Latin@ Rising: An Anthology of Latin@ Science Fiction and Fantasy

Edited by Matthew David Goodwin

The story of illegal aliens in California, told through the eyes of This is the first anthology of science fiction and fantasy written by Latinos/as living in the United States. The 22 authors and artists included in this anthology come from all over the U.S. and from eight different national traditions. They include well-known creators like Kathleen Alcalá, Pablo Brescia, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Ana Castillo, Junot Díaz, Richie Narvaez, Giannina Braschi, and Daniel José Older; they also include new voices, well worth hearing.

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Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation

Television series from PBS

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his mThe TV series chronicles the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have for the past 500-plus years helped shape what is today the United States. It is a story of people, politics, and culture, intersecting with much that is central to the history of the United States while also going to places where standard U.S. histories do not tend to tread. (Season 1 – hoopla)

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The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo

Film by Phillip Rodriguez

March leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War, but his experiences will utterly change his marriage This genre-defying film introduces the radical Chicano lawyer, author and counter-cultural icon, Oscar Zeta Acosta. Acosta was the basis for Dr. Gonzo in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” written by his friend, Hunter S. Thompson. From his origins in rural California, to his stint as a Baptist missionary in Panama, to his radicalization in the Chicano movement of the late 60’s, and finally to his mysterious disappearance off the coast of Mexico in 1974, the film offers a complex vision of a Chicano icon who was emblematic of a generation, and yet totally unique in so many ways. (Kanopy)

Children’s Picks for Hispanic Heritage Month

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Bravo!

by Engle Margarita

This book features an excellent collection of biographical poems encapsulating the accomplishments of both well-known and lesser-known Latinos from different backgrounds and countries of origin. With stunning graphic portraits and biographical poetic journeys through the fascinating lives of over 15 historically important Latinos – this poem book is not to be missed. All we have to say is – Bravo!

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Cool Salsa

by Lori M Carlson

A rich vision of growing up in the United States as a Hispanic or Latino individual, Cool Salsa celebrates what it means to lead a multicultural life. Exploring both the glory and pain of growing up multiculturally in the United Sates, Cool Salsa includes a series of poems that cover everything from parties with family, to challenges from bullies, to food choices and more. With poems from poets including Martin Espada, Gary Soto, and Ed Vega this book encapsulates a broad view of what it means to be Latino American

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Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes

by Juan Felipe Herrera

This visually stunning picture-book by 2015-2016 U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe is an inspiring view of the contributions and accomplishments of Hispanic Americans. The book features 20 influential Hispanic American artists, scientists, athletes, activists, and political leaders who contributed to transformational societal, political, artistic, and humanitarian aspects of the United States today. Incredible portraits of Hispanic American heroes like Cesar Chavez, Joan Baez and Julia de Burgos are accompanied by excellent biographies.