Puerto Rican Heritage Month Book List

Disclaimer: Some links in this Puerto Rican Heritage Month book list are affiliate links. If you click them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Whether or not you make a purchase is entirely up to you.

In November, we celebrate Puerto Rican Heritage Month. The experiences that make up Boricua culture span a wide range. From the Nuyorican diaspora to growing up second-generation in the United States, no two stories are the same.

If you want to diversify your bookshelves and learn more about Puerto Rican culture, take a look at the books below.

1. The Latin Deli: Telling the Lives of Barrio Women by Judith Ortiz Cofer

I read this book in college during my undergrad years at UCF. It was the first exposure I had to poetry that centered Puerto Rican and Latin culture. Until I read this collection of poems, I never truly felt like my experiences were poetry-worthy.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Poetry collection
• Carving out lives as Americans
• Short stories

2. Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz

Lana Torres has dreamed of playing in the Blazewrath Games since childhood and of representing her home country of Puerto Rico. When she catches the eye of the International Blazewrath Federation’s president and gets chosen as team Puerto Rico’s runner, she thinks all her dreams are coming true. But when she learns the sinister truth, she must fight against a system and people she’s admired all her life.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Young adult fantasy
• Dragons and magic
• Magical sport

3. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

From the moment I saw the cover, I knew this was a story written for me. A tan girl with a round face, dark, wavy hair, and glasses; she looks exactly like I did in high school. Albeit more confident. As I read the novel, I felt Charlie so deeply in my bones. Playing tough and confident on the outside, while secretly living in shame and self-doubt. The way she constantly compares herself to her best friend and thinks she comes in second hit so close to home.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Young adult romance
• Plus-size main character
• Contemporary coming of age

4. Strikeout by Millie Perez

I loved these characters. I’m not usually keen when the romance is instant love, but in this case, the writing just worked. They were just such a fun couple to read. I had genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Sports romance and age gap
• Baseball player and his daughter’s nanny
• Boricua MMC who doesn’t speak Spanish fluently

5. P Fkn R by Vanessa Díaz, Petra R. Rivera-Rideau

How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance. Since I recently joined the Bad Bunny fan club over the last couple of years, this has jumped onto my TBR. I can’t wait to dig into this look at Benito’s rise to fame and how he uses that platform to advocate for his home.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Nonfiction – ethnography
• Music, art, and politics
• Interviews, history, and journalism

6. When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

Being Puerto Rican on my mother’s side, there were many familiarities for me throughout. It was especially interesting because the author’s story takes place around the same time my mom grew up in New York. So, Esmeralda’s mother’s attitude and personality were very familiar to me in the form of my grandmother.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Memoir/autobiography
• Coming of age
• Nuyorican diaspora

7. and 8. Five Midnights and Category Five by Ann Dávila Cardinal

I’ve already reviewed both of these books on my blog here and here, so I won’t go too in-depth. I love how these books follow the stories of a girl who grew up in the States and a boy who is from the island. And they weave classic Puerto Rican lore and mythology into narratives that critique colonization and gentrification.

IN A NUTSHELL:

• Boricua legend of El Cucuy
• Tragic history of American colonization and its repercussions
• Young adult horror

Find these titles for Puerto Rican Heritage Month here!