“SOFIA VALDEZ, FUTURE PREZ”

by Andrea Beaty

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13: 978-1419737046

Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school…until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill, and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses him and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea—the town can turn it into a park! She brainstorms, plans and works up the courage to go to City Hall—only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.

“TURNING PAGES: MY LIFE STORY”

by Sonia Sotomayor

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Preschool – 3

Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin Random House)

ISBN-13: 978-0525514084

As the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor has inspired young people around the world to reach for their dreams. But what inspired her? The answer: books! They were young Sonia’s mirrors, her maps, her friends and her teachers. They helped her to connect with her family in New York and in Puerto Rico, to deal with her diabetes diagnosis, to cope with her father’s death, to uncover the secrets of the world, and to dream of a future for herself in which anything was possible. This story shows readers that the world is full of promise and possibility.

“THE RAINBOW TULIP”

by Pat Mora

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten – 3

Publisher: Puffin Books

ISBN-13: 978-0142500095

“At home I’m Estelita.  At school my name is Stella.”  Stella knows her Mexican heritage makes her different from the other kids at school. No one else speaks Spanish at home or has an accent. Of course, Stella loves her family, but she doesn’t always like being different. Now her class is going to dance around the Maypole at the school’s may parade, and Stella wants her tulip costume to be special. Even if she won’t look like the other girls, sometimes being different can be exciting.  This touching story that celebrates diversity is based on Pat Mora’s mother’s childhood.

“MERCI SUÁREZ CHANGES GEARS”

by Meg Medina

Amazon Recommended Grade Level: 4 – 7

Publisher: Candlewick Press

ISBN-13: 978-0763690496

Winner of the 2019 Newbery Medal, this coming-of-age tale is about sixth-grader Merci Suarez. Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school because she and her brother are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Plus, Merci’s grandfather has been acting strangely—forgetting important things and getting angry over nothing.

Higher Education

“CELEBRATING DEBUTANTES AND QUINCEAÑERAS: COMING OF AGE IN AMERICAN ETHNIC COMMUNITIES”

by Evelyn Ibatan Rodriguez

Publisher: Temple University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1439906279

Looking beyond the satin gowns, opera-length gloves and sparkling tiaras that signify Filipino debutantes and Mexican quinceañeras, Evelyn Ibatan Rodriguez examines the meaning of these coming-of-age rituals for immigrant American families. “CELEBRATING DEBUTANTES AND QUINCEAÑERAS” draws parallels between these communal ceremonies, as they each share a commonality in Spanish heritage and Catholicism and include a highly ritualized party.  Drawing on more than fifty in-depth interviews with members of these fast-growing American Asian and Latino populations, Rodriguez shows how these communal celebrations of daughters have been adapted by immigrant families to assert their cultural pride and also affirm their American belonging.

“THE CUBANS OF UNION CITY: IMMIGRANTS AND EXILES IN A NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY”

by Yolanda Prieto

Publisher: Temple University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1592132997

As a result of the conflicts between Cuba and the U.S., especially after 1959, Cubans immigrated in great numbers.  Most stayed in Miami, but many headed to Union City, making it second only to Miami in its concentration of Cubans.  In “THE CUBANS OF UNION CITY,” Yolanda Prieto discusses why Cubans were drawn to this particular city and how the local economy and organizations developed. Central aspects of this story are the roles of women, religion, political culture and the fact of exile itself, conveying an ongoing research agenda extending over more than twenty years, from 1959 to the 1980s.

“IDENTITY AND POWER: PUERTO RICAN POLITICS AND THE CHALLENGE OF ETHNICITY”

by José E. Cruz

Publisher: Temple University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1566396059

On the surface, identity politics appears to promote polarization.  But Political scientist José E. Cruz argues that, instead, fragmentation and instability are more likely to occur only when the differences are ignored and nonethnic strategies are employed.  Cruz illustrates his claim by focusing on one group of Puerto Ricans and how they mobilized to demand accountability from political leaders in Hartford, Connecticut.  The activities of the Puerto Rican Political Action Committee from 1983 to 1991 illustrate the power of ethnic mobilization and strategy in an urban setting.  Though their success was limited, their work constitutes a springboard for further change.

“LATINO MAYORS: POLITICAL CHANGE IN THE POSTINDUSTRIAL CITY”

Edited by Marion Orr and Domingo Morel

Publisher: Temple University Press

ISBN-13: 978-1439915431

As recently as the early 1960s, Latinos were almost totally excluded from city politics. This makes the rise of Latino mayors in the past three decades a remarkable American story—one that explains ethnic succession, changing urban demography and political contexts. The vibrant collection “LATINO MAYORS” features case studies of eleven Latino mayors in six American cities: San Antonio, Los Angeles, Denver, Hartford, Miami and Providence.  The editors and contributors analyze Latino mayors for their governing styles and policies. They also address coalition politics, political incorporation and how community groups operate, as well as the challenges these pioneers have faced.