In The Community
“Malas” by Marcela Fuentes
Image Credit: Marcela Fuentes
As a Pushcart Prize-winning fiction writer and essayist, Marcela Fuentes wrote a love letter to Tejano culture and community with her debut novel “Malas.” Set in 1951, in a small border town in Texas, the novel opens with a mysterious old lady confronting Pilar Aguierre about stealing her husband. In a heated exchange, the old lady curses Pilar and her family.
Fast forward over forty years, and we meet Lulu Muñoz, who’s dealing with all sorts of chaos—her dad's unpredictable moods, strict rules, and her secret gig as a punk band singer. On top of all that, she's gearing up for her quinceañera. When her beloved grandma passes away, things take a wild turn. At the funeral, a stranger crashes the scene and Lulu’s inexplicable connection to her will start unraveling long-buried family secrets.
This dual-POV dual-timeline story, switching between Lulu in the 90s and Pilar in the 50s, explores what family means through complex and compelling female characters. It’s also a love letter to Tejano culture and community from Fuentes, a proud Texan.
Add it to your summer TBR if you like literary fiction, 90s nostalgia, intriguing plots, and the breaking of generational curses (and who doesn’t want to read about how one goes about breaking generational curses? Sign us up.)
“Witch of Wild Things” by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Image Credit: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Magical realism meets romance in “Witch of Wild Things,” Raquel Vasquez Gilliland’s adult debut. A certified plant lover who enjoys talking to her plants in her free time, Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter obsessed with the lineage of things. In this book, Vasquez Gilliland blends magic, family drama, and romance in a way that will keep you flipping the pages way past your bedtime.
The story follows Sage Flores, a woman who has been running from her family and their mystical gifts (including her own) since her sister Sky died. 8 years after she left her hometown, she’s back and she has fallen seamlessly into place, even getting her old job at the Cranberry Rose Company back. There, she uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the area.
Things get complicated (and juicy) when she finds out she has to work with the guy who broke her heart in high school, Tennessee Reyes. Being close to him stirs up old memories and it also brings new feelings to the picture. Sage doesn’t have time for romance with everything that’s going on in her life, but being with Tenn is electric and unavoidable. Will things fall into place?
This book is quite a ride and it’s a must-read if you like fantasy, mystery, and enemies-to-lovers romance stories that will leave you believing in the power of magic.
“Oye” by Melissa Mogollon
Image Credits: Melissa Mogollon
“Oye” perfectly combines a touching family saga with coming-of-age comedy and telenovela-worthy drama. This contemporary, literary fiction and LGBT novel stands out because it’s told through phone calls. This is a fresh concept and Melissa Mogollon executed it in a funny, moving, and unique way, making her debut novel a must-read.
The story follows Luciana, the youngest in her big Colombian American family, and the calls she makes to her older sister Mari, who’s away at college. Luciana's always been the quiet one, but she finds herself being the voice of reason when crisis after crisis hits the family. The latest and biggest crisis is that Luciana’s beloved grandma gets a shocking cancer diagnosis that she doesn’t want to face.
Luciana, who’d rather be skating or sneaking out to meet girls, suddenly has to share her bedroom with her spitfire Abue and she finds herself facing adulthood sooner than expected. Throughout her senior year, Luciana's got to juggle being a caretaker, translator, and the keeper of Abue's shocking secrets. Will Luciana rise to the occasion?
This book feels exactly like eavesdropping on a juicy conversation between sisters and there are no dull moments. It explores not just family dynamics and the transition from teen to adult, but also how secrets can fester and cause damage when they’re left in the dark. It’s a powerful reminder that sharing our stories is how we can start to heal.
Expect to both laugh and cry as you get to know the characters in “Oye” and reflect on your own life experience. Chances are, you’ll find a lot to relate to inside these pages.
“Plantains and Our Becoming” by Melania Luisa Marte
Image Credits: Melania Luisa Marte
A good poetry collection can make you discover things about yourself, put feelings and experiences into words, and move your very soul. Melania Luisa Marte’s poetry collection is one of those. You may recognize this author from her viral poem “Afro-Latina,” which was featured on IG TV during National Poetry Month, or her features in publications like PopSugar, Remezcla, Ain’t I Latina, Teen Vogue, and more.
“Plantains and Our Becoming” explores the Afro-Latina and Black experience through relatable, empowering, and emotional poems. Marte kicks off the collection by pointing out that the term "Afro-Latina" isn't even in the dictionary, which is wild. She uses this as a starting point to explore what it means to create your own identity and narrative, especially when the usual references don’t acknowledge your existence.
The poems dive deep into the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, really celebrating the Black diasporic experience. Marte explores themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, racism, colonialism, and ancestral knowledge in a powerful and imaginative way. She also celebrates culture, identity, and belonging. It’s a personal collection because Marte takes readers from New York, where she’s from, to the Dominican Republic and Texas, where she lives, and Haiti, which is part of her heritage.
If you’re a fan of poets like Jasmine Mans, Fatimah Asghar, or Maya Angelou, this poetry collection should be at the top of your reading list.
“Catalina” by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Image Credit: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
“Catalina” is the kind of novel that packs a powerful punch in less than 250 pages, and we love those! Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is also the author of the National Book Award finalist “The Undocumented Americans,” and her work is known for exploring themes like immigration, race, and culture.
In “Catalina,” we follow our titular character, Catalina Ituralde, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who got accepted at Harvard. She came to the U.S. as a child to be raised by her undocumented grandparents after losing her parents in an accident and getting into Harvard feels like winning the lottery, but it’s not without its challenges.
The novel reads like a fictional memoir, focusing on Catalina’s experience in college, where she infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures and finds herself drawn to a fellow student, all while feeling the clock ticking down until graduation. Set in a time before DACA, Catalina’s job prospects will be limited to non-existent, and the threat of deportation looms large.
The book explores the insecurities, fears, and emotional struggles of undocumented Latinos and their families. It also explores a young woman’s search for identity and love. Catalina speaks to readers honestly and the writing style is stream-of-consciousness, which makes the book feel very personal and vulnerable. “Catalina” is an impactful coming-of-age story that will hook you from page one.
Any of the books on this list could elevate your summer and help you diversify your reading list. What could make it better? Free books!
Penguin Random House is elevating the summer experience for a few lucky readers with one grand prize of 10 summer reads, $1,000 to organize a poolside retreat, and a dual chaise pool float, and fifty other winners will get a 3-book bundle of summer must-reads. Check out the Meet Us Poolside sweepstakes and enter for a chance to win!- Books Are Inherently Political: It's Why They Are Burned and Banned ›
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[Illustrated portion of design imagined with AI by Luz Media editorial staff]
Tensions started when El Paso mayor Thomas Calloway Lea Jr. requested a quarantine be put in place to prevent the spread of typhus allegedly by "dirty, lousey, destitute Mexicans" coming into El Paso from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This led to U.S. authorities implementing a process for sanitizing Mexican immigrants at a “disinfecting station” in El Paso, a practice that would eventually extend throughout the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
According to reports, men and women were placed in separate disinfecting facilities where they were stripped of all their clothing and valuables. Their possessions were then steamed and treated with toxic cyanogen gas, while the people themselves were scrutinized for lice.
Mexican male workers in the Bracero Program undergoing a routine health inspection while nude.Carlos Marentes, Proyecto Bracero Archives, Centro de Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizos, El Paso
If a man were found to have lice, his hair would be shaved close to his scalp. Women's hair would be immersed in a blend of vinegar and highly flammable kerosene, covered with a towel, and allowed to sit for at least 30 minutes. After the lice inspection, people were gathered in a shower area and sprayed with a liquid made from soap chips and kerosene oil. After collecting their disinfected garments, they received a vaccination and were issued a certificate indicating their completion of the process.
Keep in mind that these were workers employed in El Paso, meaning they had to undergo this procedure almost every day, potentially leading to a buildup of highly toxic chemicals in their bodies. Furthermore, rumors that the border patrol officers supervising the searches took nude photos of women and shared them at local bars quickly began to spread.
State border plant inspection maintained by the USDA between Mexico and the United States. Shoppers returning from Mexico (Juarez) to the United States (El Paso) over the bridge which carries all the traffic are required to open their packages for inspection, June 1937. Library of Congress
One January morning in 1917, a brave 17-year-old Mexican woman named Carmelita Torres would lead what is now known as the 1917 Bath Riots. Working as a maid in the United States, Carmelita had heard that nude women were being photographed while in the baths, and that bathers were at risk of catching fire due to the flammable substances used in the baths.
Concerned for her health and safety and outraged by the inhumane treatment, she refused to comply with demands by inspectors to disembark from the trolley she was riding to work and submit to the humiliating disinfection process.
Upon her arrival, she asked to be granted entrance without undergoing bathing. After her request was denied, she proceeded to shout at the authorities and persuaded other women to support her in her demonstration.
Within an hour, more than 200 women had blocked the entrance to El Paso, throwing rocks at officers as they attempted to break up the protest. Most of the early protesters were young women employed as domestic workers in homes in El Paso. But soon, the crowd grew to several thousand people demanding to be treated with dignity.
The Bath Riots headline an El Paso newspaper on January 29, 1917. The report describes Carmelita as an “auburn-haired amazon.” https://texashistory.unt.edu/
Within three days, the agitation had eventually subsided, but the sterilization of Mexicans at the United States border would persist for decades to come.
Carmelita's story, deemed as the "Latina Rosa Parks" by some, seemed to be forgotten by history once she was detained and subsequently went missing. Her destiny remains shrouded in mystery to this day, with no concrete knowledge of what really happened to her.
Nevertheless, her legacy endures. The migrant residence located on the other side of the Stanton Street Bridge in El Paso, known as “Casa Carmelita,” was named in her honor. In his book “A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son,” Sergio Troncoso composed a short story titled "Carmelita Torres," part of a sequence of interrelated short stories about immigration.
The narrative explores hypothetical scenarios in her life and underscores the reasons why she should be remembered by scholars and readers for generations. David Dorado Romo's impactful book, "Ringside Seat to a Revolution," was published in 2006, reigniting public interest in the Bath Riots story.
Mexican male workers in the Bracero Program being doused with chemicals while undergoing a routine sanitization.Photography by Leonard Nadel, 1956, National Museum of American History.
Still, the fight for equality was far from over. Dangerous and humiliating policies, like the fumigation process, continued to be enforced until the late 1950s. Even the Bracero Program, which brought Mexican workers to the U.S. to work in agriculture and other industries, was plagued by countless abuses and violations of workers' rights.
The history of mistreatment and discrimination against Mexican guest workers at the U.S. border left a lasting impact on their health and well-being. Yet, the 1917 Bath Riots unveiled the appalling mistreatment of Mexican laborers at the United States border and the unjust practices of American officials.
The protests prompted a movement for workers' rights and kindled future activism in the Mexican-American community.
But in the face of such adversity, one individual stood out. Carmelita's courage and determination in the face of oppression serve as a testament to the resilience of marginalized communities and the power of collective action. Her legacy is a reminder of the importance of fighting for justice and human rights and the ongoing struggle for equality in our society.
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- The Lost History of the Adelitas of the Mexican Revolution - Luz Media ›
