2016 Top Ten New Latino Authors
Editor’s post-publication note: This was our 10th annual list. Right around this time, other sites started to designate their top ten as well. To us this was a true testament of how we had succeeded in promoting Latinx literature. For that reason, this list is special.
1. Kirstin Valdez Quade‘s Night at the Fiestas: Stories, sits atop of this year’s list. This is a work that is masterful, with stories that captivate in such a way that the reader cannot keep track of all the delightful twists.
2. Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not has earned more accolades than we can count, and with reason. This Young Adult novel addresses happiness in a way that will leave readers of all ages thinking about the happiness in their own lives.
3. Alina Garcia-Lapuerta’s La Belle Creole: The Cuban Countess Who Captured Havana, Madrid, and Paris is an impressive, well researched biographic gem of a Cuban aristocrat.
4. Andi Teran’s Ana of California is a modernized version of the classic, Anne of Green Gables. Fans of the original will be enchanted by the way that Teran weaves this tale.
5. Claudia Melendez Salinas’ YA novel, A Fighting Chance is about a 17-year old boxer who is trying to make sense of his life and the challenges thrown at him. Written in a style that stays away from fighting clichés, this work is sure to appeal to teenage readers.
6. Vanessa Garcia’s White Light is a touching and original portrayal of an individual trying to make sense of her world through art.
7. Gustavo Florentin has had a streak of hits, and in The Schwarzschild Radius, he continues that streak with another page-turning, crime drama that keeps you guessing.
8. Wendy C. Ortiz ’s memoir, Excavation, is a powerfully heartfelt work that centers on a deeply personal experience that shapes her life.
9 Mireya Navarro. This New York Times writer shows that she fully understands humanity and our relationship with lovers, friends, and dogs. At times laugh out loud funny, Stepdog is an imaginative, entertaining work.
10. Sarah A. Chavez, an aptly, self-described American Mestiza, writes with a style that cannot be categorized. With a tone that is honest and refreshingly introspective, Chavez’ poetry collection, All Day, Talking is a shining chapbook that does not disappoint.
