Latinx Writers – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] Condomnauts, by Yoss, translated by David Frye

A paperback of Condomnauts is held up against a cloudy night sky. The cover shows a red mouth open to reveal a starry galaxy, all on a sky blue background.

(Buy this book in the Equal Opportunity Bookshop) Whew this was a weird book. But, here goes. Josué is a queer, light-skinned AfroCuban with locs, a survivor of the cutthroat slums of future Havana, and part of a highly specialized intergalactic ambassadorial sex worker class. Known as “condomnauts”, Josué and his colleagues are responsible forContinue reading “[REVIEW] Condomnauts, by Yoss, translated by David Frye”

[REVIEW] Worm, by Edel Rodriguez

The Kindle cover of Worm, depicting a small boy in a Communist Party hat and tie, all drawn in red and green and black. In the background the spine of the famous Che biography can be seen.

(Buy this book here.) If you haven’t heard the name Edel Rodriguez before, you’ve almost certainly seen his work. Think back to the bright orange cartoon of a melting Donald Trump on the cover of Time magazine in 2016, or subsequent images of the former president holding the severed head of Lady Liberty or drapedContinue reading “[REVIEW] Worm, by Edel Rodriguez”

[REVIEW] You Had Me At Hola, by Alexis Daria

The Kindle cover of You Had Me At Hola, depicting a stylized Hollywood heartthrob couple, is propped up in front of one of the best French 75 cocktails this writer has ever had.

(Buy this book here.) Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is an up-and-coming starlet looking to cement her rising career and recover from a bout of bad publicity after being dumped by her rockstar boyfriend. Ashton Suarez is a veteran telenovela heartthrob trying to break into the English language market while keeping his private life hidden from theContinue reading “[REVIEW] You Had Me At Hola, by Alexis Daria”

[REVIEW] Tender Is The Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Susan Moses

(Buy this book here.) (This book is one long content warning. If you’re sensitive to violence or gore, don’t read it or this review.) This book is disgusting. Let’s just start there. No, really. This Argentinian dystopian horror takes place in a very near future where it’s become impossible to eat animal meat due toContinue reading “[REVIEW] Tender Is The Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Susan Moses”

[REVIEW] Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas

A Black woman's hand(my hand) holds up a black e-reader in front of a leafy green plant inside a sunny cafe. The reader displays the black and white cover of Cemetary Boys, which shows two cartoon-style Latinx teen boys standing back to back with Santa Muerta rising above them in the background.

(Buy it on Bookshop here.) What’s in the sociocultural water inspiring all these queer YA ghost stories lately? Yadriel is a brujo, born into a powerful family of Latinx witches in East LA. The problem is, no-one believes him. Yads is also a gay trans boy and his community’s magic is gendered–therefore everyone insists he’sContinue reading “[REVIEW] Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas”

[REVIEW] Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest To Buy Black In America’s Racially Divided Economy, by Maggie Anderson

(Buy it on Bookshop here. Or not.) To cut right to the chase, this book really pissed me off. On its face, it’s a real life account of an affluent, educated Black family in Chicago who decided to spend all of 2009 buying from only Black businesses in order to demonstrate the ethnic disparities inContinue reading “[REVIEW] Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest To Buy Black In America’s Racially Divided Economy, by Maggie Anderson”

[REVIEW] In The Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado

(Buy it HERE.) “The memoir is, at its core, an act of resurrection. Memoirists re-create the past, reconstruct dialogue. They summon meaning from events that have long been dormant.” A long time ago, for what seems like a very long time, Carmen Maria Machado was abused by her girlfriend. While the abuse was emotional ratherContinue reading “[REVIEW] In The Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado”

[REVIEW] Too Many Tamales, by Gary Soto, illustrated by Ed Martinez

(Buy it HERE.) **This book is also available in Spanish as ¡Qué montón de tamales! Thing I said approximately 337 times while reading this book: Awwww, my HEART! 🎄⠀Christmas is a great time to create, remember and celebrate childhood memories and this beautifully illustrated picture book is great for all three. Little Maria is feelingContinue reading “[REVIEW] Too Many Tamales, by Gary Soto, illustrated by Ed Martinez”

[REVIEW] Godhead Sentiment, Juan Ibarbol

(Find it HERE.) In high school French class I often sat across from a tall, quiet Mexican kid with a name our teacher loved to yowl across the classroom at random times. “IBARROL!” she’d yelp, and he’d dutifully respond with a verb conjugation. “IBARROL!” she’d howl, and he’d move seats to join a study group.Continue reading “[REVIEW] Godhead Sentiment, Juan Ibarbol”

[REVIEW] Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo

(Buy it HERE.) 🛫⠀Yano Rios is on a flight from NYC to Santo Domingo when a mechanical error causes the plane to crash. There are no survivors, and his teenaged daughter Camino is devastated when the anticipation of her father’s yearly visit turns into unspeakable grief and sudden financial insecurity for her and her aunt.Continue reading “[REVIEW] Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo”