Second Generation Authors of Hispanic and Caribbean Origin
Click below to jump to authors with origins in . . .
Caribbean . . . Colombia . . . El Salvador . . . Mexico . . . Peru . . .Yanomami
Introduction
Ernesto Galarza was a Mexican-American writer and social activist who advocated on behalf of agricultural workers.
Mexicans make up the largest part of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean. Starting in the early 1900s, Mexicans began entering the U.S. as agricultural laborers. During World War II and the Korean War, Mexican laborers were sought by the U.S. to ease the labor shortage.
Of the rest of the immigrants from this region, a large percentage have come from the Caribbean islands.
As of the 2010 Census, about 16% of Americans identify as Hispanic (Census Bureau Data).
Caribbean
Alvarez, Julia (born 1950) — Alvarez was born in New York City but lived in the Dominican Republic until the age of 10, when her family fled the Dominican Republic for the United States.
- Before We Were Free
(young adult novel)
- Finding Miracles
(young adult novel)
- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
(interconnected short stories)
- How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay
(chapter book for children)
- In the Time of the Butterflies
(novel)
- Return to Sender
(young adult novel)
Danticat, Edwidge (born 1969) — Danticat was born in Haiti and moved to Brooklyn, NY at the age of 12.
- After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti
(memoir/travel)
- Behind the Mountains
(young adult novel)
- Breath, Eyes, Memory
(novel)
- Brother, I’m Dying
(memoir)
- The Dew Breaker
(novel)
- The Farming of Bones
(novel)
- Krik? Krak!
(novel)
Diaz, Jaquira — Diaz was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, Florida.
- Ordinary Girls (memoir)
Diaz, Junot (born 1968) — Diaz was born in the Dominican Republic. He moved to New Jersey at the age of 8.
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
(novel)
- Drown
(short stories)
- This Is How You Lose Her
(short stories)
Eire, Carlos — Eire left Cuba at the age of 11.
- Learning to Die in Miami (memoir)
Garcia, Cristina (born 1958) — Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated at the age of two to New York City, where she grew up.
- The Aguero Sisters
(novel)
- Dreaming in Cuban
(novel)
- Dreams of Significant Girls
(young adult novel)
- A Handbook to Luck
(novel)
- I Wanna Be Your Shoebox
(young adult novel)
- The Lady Matador’s Hotel: A Novel
- Monkey Hunting
(novel)
Gay, Roxane — Gay was born and raised in Nebraska. Her parents are immigrants from Haiti.
- An Untamed State
(novel)
- Ayiti
(short stories)
- Bad Feminist: Essays
(short stories)
Guy, Rosa (born 1925) — Guy was born in Trinidad and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven.
- The Disappearance
(young adult novel)
- Edith Jackson
(young adult novel)
- The Friends
(young adult novel)
- My Love, My Love: The Peasant Girl
(young adult novel)
- Ruby
(young adult novel)
Hijuelos, Oscar (born 1951) — Hijuelos was born in New York City. His parents immigrated from Cuba.
- Beautiful Maria of My Soul
(novel)
- Dark Dude
(young adult novel)
- Empress of the Splendid Season
(novel)
- The Fourteen Sisters of Emilio Montez O’Brien
(novel)
- The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
(novel)
- Mr. Ives’ Christmas
(novel)
- Our House in the Last World
(novel)
- A Simple Habana Melody
(novel)
- Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir
Hudes, Quiara Alegria — Hudes was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Her mother is from Puerto Rico.
- My Broken Language (memoir)
Marshall, Paule (1929 – 2019) — Marshall was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were immigrants from Barbados.
- Brown Girl, Brownstones (Contemporary Classics by Women)
(novel)
- The Chosen Place, The Timeless People
(novel)
- The Fisher King: A Novel
- Praisesong for the Widow
(novel)
- Reena and Other Stories: Including the Novella “Merle”
(short stories)
- Triangular Road: A Memoir
Mohr, Nicholasa (born 1935) — Mohr was born in New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Puerto Rico.
- All for the Better: A Story of El Barrio (Stories of America)
(novel for children)
- El Bronx Remembered
(short stories for teens)
- Felita
(novel for children)
- Going Home
(novel for children)
- In Nueva York
(short stories)
- A Matter of Pride and Other Stories
- Nilda
(novel)
- Rituals of Survival: A Woman’s Portfolio
(short stories)
Obejas, Achy (born 1956) — Obejas was born in Cuba and immigrated at the age of 6. She grew up in Indiana.
- Days of Awe
(novel)
- Memory Mambo: A Novel
- Ruins
(novel)
- We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?: Stories
Santiago, Esmeralda (born 1948) — Santiago was born in Puerto Rico, came to the United States at the age of 13, and grew up in New York City.
- Almost a Woman
(memoir)
- America’s Dream
(novel)
- Conquistadora
(novel)
- The Turkish Lover: A Memoir
- When I Was Puerto Rican
(memoir)
Thomas, Piri (1928-2011) — Thomas was born and raised in the Spanish Harlem section of New York City. His mother was from Puerto Rico and his father was from Cuba.
- Down These Mean Streets
(memoir)
- Seven Long Times
(memoir)
- Savior, Savior, hold my hand
(memoir)
Colombia
Guerrero, Diane — Guerrero was born in New Jersey and raised in Massachusetts.
- In the Country We Love (memoir)
Hernandez, Daisy — Hernandez was raised in New Jersey. Her parents are from Colombia and Cuba.
El Salvador
Zamora, Javier — Zamora immigrated alone to the U.S. at the age of 9. He lives in Arizona.
- Solito (memoir)
Mexico
Castillo, Marcelo Hernandez — Castillo came to the U.S. at the age of 5.
- Children of the Land (memoir)
Cisneros, Sandra (born 1954) — Cisneros was born and raised in Chicago.
- Caramelo
(novel)
- Hairs/Pelitos
(children’s picture book)
- The House on Mango Street
(interconnected stories)
- Vintage Cisneros
(anthology)
- Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories
Galarza, Ernesto (1905-1984) — Galarza was born in Mexico and immigrated as a child to California.
- Barrio Boy: 40th Anniversary Edition
(memoir)
Rodriguez, Luis (born 1954) — Rodriguez was born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in Los Angeles.
- Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
(memoir)
- It Calls You Back: An Odyssey through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing
(memoir)
- Music of the Mill: A Novel
- The Republic of East LA: Stories
Rodriguez, Richard (born 1944) — Rodriguez was born and raised in California.
- Brown: The Last Discovery of America
(memoir)
- Days of Obligation: An Argument with My Mexican Father
(memoir)
- Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
(memoir)
Ruiz, Ricardo — Ruiz was born and raised in Othello, Washington.
- We Had Our Reasons (collaborative poetry)
Villareal, Jose Antonio (born 1924) — Villareal was born in Los Angeles. His parents were immigrants and migrant workers.
- Pocho
(novel)
Peru
Arana, Marie (born 1949) — Arana was born in Peru and immigrated with her family at the age of 9.
(memoir)Sayman, Michael — Sayman was born and raised in Miami, Florida. His parents are from Peru and Bolivia.
Yanomami
Good, David (born 1986) — Good was born in Pennsylvania to an American anthropologist and a Yanomami tribeswoman.
Dear Jyotsna Sreenivasan, I appreciate the work you have done for this website about the writings by children of immigrants to America. I found myself wondering if others had written about their experiences growing up this way as I have. A few years ago I published the story of my family coming to America (We Became Mexican American: How Our Immigrant Family Survived to Pursue the American Dream). I am now writing about how I grew up and became an American. I am an octogenarian and finding it a therapeutic thing to do.
Saludos.
Thanks for your comment and for letting me know about your book!