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CHICA LIT contemporary Latina fiction with romance, humor, sadness, and hope
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by Julia Alvarez
A wealthy family is exiled from the Dominican Republic after a failed coup. The four daughters come of age, weathering the cultural and class transitions from privileged Dominicans to New York Hispanic immigrants.
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by Jorge Amado
Dona Flor loses her unlucky gambler husband and remarries a sweet guy. She can't quite get hubby Number 1 out of her head. Then he suddenly reappears, looking to take up where he left off - especially in the bedroom. also available in Spanish
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by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Ultima, a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic, comes to Antonio Marez's New Mexico family when he is six years old, and she helps him discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past.
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by Gina Apostol
While at first the book seems gonzo in its approach, the result is a portrait (though incomplete) of Casiana Nacionales, the insurrecto for whom the book is named, a woman whom "history barely knows."
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by Ana Castillo
Carmen Santos, a flamenco dancer, whose affair with her married director has begun to sour, begins seeing his godson, and a furious love triangle takes shape.
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by Veronica Chambers
The daughter of a Mexican telenovela superstar pretends to be a poor scholarship kid at a posh Los Angeles prep school.
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by Sandra Cisneros
Every summer, all three Reyes brothers drive with their wives and children from Chicago to Mexico City to visit their parents. This year begins with a particularly dreadful trip during which "the Awful Grandmother" reveals a shameful secret from her favorite son's past to humiliate her detested daughter-in-law.
also available in Spanish
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by Chanel Cleeton
It's 1959 at the Havana airport, and the four sugar heiress Perez sisters are leaving for Miami, unsure of when they'll return -- perhaps next year?
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by Jennifer Clement
Ladydi, named after Princess Diana, spends her childhood dressed as a boy, as do all the girls from her village, since they will otherwise be kidnapped and forced into prostitution or drug smuggling.
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by Junot Díaz
Living with an old-world mother and rebellious sister, an urban New Jersey misfit dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and believes that a long-standing family curse is thwarting his efforts to find love and happiness.
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by Simone Elkeles
Sparks fly when cheerleading it-girl Brittany Ellis is paired with gang-banger bad-boy Alex Fuentes in chemistry lab. Soon enough, Brittany's snaky quarterback boyfriend dumps her, and her friends spread rumors that she and Alex are hooking up.
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by Laura Esquivel
An enchanting, bittersweet story, touched with graphic earthiness and wit, that shows us how keeping secrets will always lead to unhappiness, and how communication is the key to love.
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by Cristina García
Half-sisters Reina and Constancia Aguero can't bear one another's personalities, life styles, or friends. Constancia leaves Cuba with her young family to seek relief from Reina and Castro in the United States. As the women grow older, they are drawn together by the need to establish the truth about their parentage.
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by Oscar Hijuelos
Cesar and Nestor Castillo--two very different Cuban brothers--recall their heyday in 1950s New York, when they led an orchestra, were known as "the Mambo Kings," and appeared on the "I Love Lucy" show
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by Meg Medina
A move to a new neighborhood in Queens means a new high school for almost- sixteen-year-old Piddy (short for Piedad) Sanchez. Instead of a welcoming committee, she gets word that someone she doesn't even know has it in for her.
also available in alternate format(s)
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by J. J. Murray
Self-employed Internet lawyer Matthew McConnell is devastated when his live-in girlfriend skips town. He begins an adventurous dating spree, but each ends in disaster. His only reliable joy is a flavorsome cup of coffee at Smith's Sweet Treats and Coffee.
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by Luis Alberto Urrea
It is 1889, and civil war is brewing in Mexico. A 16-year-old girl, Teresita, the illegitimate but beloved daughter of the wealthy and powerful rancher Don Tomas Urrea, wakes from the strangest dream-a dream that she has died. Only it was not a dream.
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by Alisa ValdesWhy does Vanessa keep falling for married men? Not that she knows she does. At least not at first. But every man who seems like he might be the one turns out to be someone else’s.
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by Mario Vargas Llosa
Sexy, sophisticated, older Aunt Julia, now divorced, seeks a new mate who can support her in high style. She finds instead her libidinous nephew, and their affair shocks both famiy and community.
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by Ibi Aanu Zoboi
Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.
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Main Branch Richmond Public Library 101 E. Franklin St. Richmond, VA 23219 (804)646-7223
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