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Book recommendations for Hispanic Heritage Month

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Hey, Leila, I know you know it's Hispanic Heritage Month.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Oh, my gosh, yes. And, of course, I've been marking it with incredible food. That's how I celebrate most things, Michel.

MARTIN: As well you should.

FADEL: (Laughter).

MARTIN: The food, yes. But I know you know this too. There is much more than incredible meals.

FADEL: Yeah.

MARTIN: This is a time to celebrate the contributions of Latinos to science, public service, art, music.

FADEL: Another way to mark the month is reading a great book written by a Latino author.

LUPITA AQUINO: It's a very magical experience to be able to, like, see yourself in the pages of a book.

MARTIN: That's Lupita Aquino. She is a book enthusiast who recommends titles to people on TikTok and Instagram. Her account is Lupita Reads, and she says sometimes it can be hard to know where to start.

AQUINO: I actually didn't read my first book by a Latino Hispanic author until I was around 17, 18.

MARTIN: So Aquino has a few ideas for books to read during Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond. First...

AQUINO: It is personally one of my favorite memoirs that I've read all year, if not, like, ever. It's called "Magical/Realism: Essays On Music, Memory, Fantasy, And Borders" by Vanessa Angelica Villarreal.

MARTIN: A book recently considered for the National Book Awards for nonfiction.

AQUINO: She's navigating - reconnecting to her roots as a Mexican American. There's just so much in this memoir that I think would appeal to so many people.

FADEL: Second - "How Not To Drown In A Glass Of Water" by Angie Cruz, a novel with what Aquino calls an unforgettable protagonist.

AQUINO: She's a woman in her 50s looking for a job after being laid off. And she has come from the D.R., and so there's just this tenderness to her trying to find a job in a world where she speaks English and Spanish and just navigating a new world for her, a new culture for her.

MARTIN: And third - "Say Hello To My Little Friend" by Jennine Capo Crucet.

AQUINO: It's pitched as "Scarface" meets "Moby-Dick," and it is absolutely that without the boring parts of "Moby-Dick."

FADEL: The boring parts. I've got my list, and I'm ready to multitask, read and eat.

MARTIN: Invite me over.

FADEL: Yes.

MARTIN: Invite me over.

FADEL: Let's do it.

MARTIN: OK.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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