Top Ten Latino Books for High Schools LatinoStories.com
The Credible Source for Latino Literature
 

Home    Contact Us    About Us
 Latino Authors By: Ethnicity    Literary Award    Author Sites   
Best Latino:  Nonfiction    Films    Authors    Children's Books    New Authors    Books for H.S.   
U.S. Latino Statistics    Latino Publications    Statistics on Latin American Countries
 

Top Ten
Latino Books for High School Classes

Although it's geared for college-level classrooms, naturally, we'd add Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature to the list since it includes many of these great authors  Like the anthology, these books have been tested by people who matter the most--students.
 

1)  The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  There is a reason why this book is number one on many lists.  Once you read it, you'll know why.

2) Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. We know the real reason it was banned from a few high schools, but if anything, that should encourage everyone to read this classic.

3) Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas.  This book is about a Black Puerto Rican in New York and was one of the first to bring up race within Latino cultures.

4)  Dreaming in Cuban. This novel has a creative style that might challenge some students but will enlighten all.

5) Living Up The Street by Gary Soto. Quite simply, Gary Soto is the best Latino author for young children and young adolescents.

6) In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.  This historical novel will help any student understand what it means to escape from a dictatorship.

7)  Silent Dancing by Judith Ortiz Cofer.  This book shows off this author's diverse talents as she describes growing up Puerto Rican in New Jersey.
 

8) Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire.  It is hard to believe that this Cuban American Yale Professor had never written a creative, non-scholarly book before winning the National Book Award for this book.

9)  ...y no se lo tragó la tierra / ...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera.  This classic work helped define Chicano literature.

10) Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes.  To read this book is to get a true sense of what it means to be a migrant worker.

 



Last Updated: July 17, 2010
Copyright 2006 LatinoStories.com design and content by John S. Christie and Jose B. Gonzalez  
Copyright 2006 Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature, Pearson Education, Inc.
Copyright 2006 Latino Fiction and the Modernist Imagination, John S. Christie