September 15th through October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual celebration of the history and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx communities throughout the history of this country. First introduced as a week-long celebration in 1968, and expanded to a full month in 1989, this celebration of the increasing number of Americans coming from Hispanic and Latino communities was designed to pay tribute to their roles in the history, and future, of this country.
While the date in the middle of September might seem an odd choice, the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with a number of declarations of independence for a number of Central and South American countries. September 15th is the day of celebration for the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua from Spain, while Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16th and Chile does so on the 18th.
In honor of this month’s celebrations the Smithsonian will be hosting a number of virtual events to highlight notable Hispanic and Latnix figures in both history and modernity. The calendar of events can be found here, as well as links to the events on the same page. More information, including further event calendars and other resources, can be found on the website for the celebration here.
In addition, we at DBRL have collected a list of novels by Hispanic and Latinx authors for interested teens, so take this opportunity to celebrate this occasion with a great novel! The list of novels can be found here, with some of my favorites being:
- Cemetery Boys by Adien Thomas: a supernatural romp starring a Latinx trans boy brujo and a bad boy ghost companion out to solve the mystery of how a loved one’s spirit disappeared and what will need to be done to free it.
- Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas: a story of a Cuban American teen dealing with the fallout of her parents divorce and the loss of her beloved abuela by striving for excellence in a demanding French kitchen.
- Lobizona by Romina Garber: a novel, taking inspiration from Argentinian folklore, that follows Manu, a girl who lives in a small Miami apartment with her family in constant fear of being discovered by ICE. After a traumatic experience that separates Manu from her family, she discovers that her origins might not be what she thought, and that her place in the world might be more fantastical than she had suspected.
