Summer School: Your Official Chicana Literature Syllabus is Here

Michele Serros has long been regarded as one of the most influential Chicana authors of our time. She was an American author, poet and comedic social commentator, who used humor, brutal honesty and true tales of her experiences as a Chicana growing up in California to comment on the difficulties of finding your identity in a multicultural society.

In her book, Serros talks about her upbringing as a fourth-generation Californian in Oxnard, and how her life was influenced as much by Californian pop culture as it was by her heritage and her Latina roots. She shares short stories and poems about Latina life in California, from the middle school student who criticized her “sloppy Spanish” to the person who accused her of being a Chicana false (hence the name of the book). She uses her stories to help present a different type of life and a different existence that many young women don’t see in mainstream media — a life that resembles their own complicated, confusing life as an outsider.

She also wrote How to Be a Chicana Role Model, another book that should be on your must-read list. This novel chronicles her experiences and responsibilities as a Chicana poet and writer, struggling to find success and also find her place in her community. This book is an essential work of literature for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong, like they weren’t Latina enough or like they had to defend who they wanted to be and where they come from. Sadly, Serros passed away from cancer in 2015, but her work stands the test of time and will continue to inspire future generations of Chicanas as they deal with similar issues of identity crisis and self-discovery.

Ana Castillo is a Chicago-born Chicana novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and scholar whose work continues to inspire and help Latinas navigate the world.In her novels she often tackles sensitive subjects and intense issues such as race, Chicana feminism, class and gender, but she approaches these topics with profound insight and humor.
So Far from God is a modern take on medieval mythology, following the lives and struggles of Sofia and her four daughters in contemporary New Mexico, where they live. The novel touches on a wide range of topics and issues, from family relationships to racism, poverty, exploitation and war.

Valeria Luiselli is one of the most celebrated Mexican writers today, and her work is complicated, compelling, beautiful, haunting and impossible not to ignore. She creates work in both English and Spanish, but her novel Faces in the Crowd tells the tale of a young mother living in Mexico City who writes a novel looking back on her time spent working as a translator of obscure works at a small independent press in Harlem. She becomes obsessed with a Mexican poet from the days of the Harlem Renaissance, and as she becomes immersed in his work and her own, she deals with issues of identity, memories, what is real and what is a lie.

In this autobiographical book, a work that is a combination of both poetry and prose, written in Spanish and English, Moraga manages to blend stories of family history with political theory and social commentary.She tells stories of her own coming-of-age experiences as a Chicana and a lesbian, and also examines the Mexican legacy of Malinche, the symbolic mother of the first mestizo peoples, and how women have been sexually and culturally contextualized since then. It’s no wonder this book has been celebrated and considered a classic since its 1983 release. Moraga talks about how she had to embrace her own sexuality whole also proudly remaining loyal to Chicana feminism, ultimately finding a way to honor her family, her heritage and her identity.

While Chicana author Sandra Cisneros might be best known for her debut novel The House on Mango Street, which was published in 1984, she continues to create work that inspires Latinas and other emerging writers.She also connects with her loyal Instagram following — over 48k followers and growing! — an impressive feat for an author well into her 60s. Her 1992 novel Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories deals with real issues including poverty, the formation of Chicana identity, belonging to multiple cultures and misogyny, but she communicates those messages in such an accessible way that you relate to her characters struggles on a deep, meaningful level. This collection of short stories helps readers to explore and think about what it really means to be Latina, American, and how to deal with the struggles if you don’t necessarily fit into any of those identities or gender boxes.

Gloria Anzaldúa is one of the most celebrated authors of our time. She is a Chicana-tejana-lesbian-feminist poet, theorist, and fiction writer, and her collection of essays and poems shared in this semi-autobiographical book challenges you to consider the borders in your life — physical borders as well as social, cultural and emotional borders — and to think about what influences your identity and how you see yourself. Through her work Anzaldúa shares stories of her upbringing and explores her own identity as a queer Chicana growing up on the Mexico-Texas border.

You’ve likely heard of the film, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but the book Like Water For Chocolate is a classic for a reason, and is well worth a read. Laura Esquivel’s novel was released in 1989 in Mexico and later translated to multiple languages and made into an award-winning film in 1994, with Esquivel in charge of the screenplay. It tells the story of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico, where Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of Mama Elena, struggles to deal with her fate. She is destined to remain single so she can care for her mother in old age, but the novel follows her as she tries to balance her desire to uphold her family’s Mexican tradition and also her desire for love. The book is also peppered with recipes and sensual descriptions of food and flavors — each chapter begins with a recipe — allowing readers to fully feel immersed in the Mexican culture and the character’s deep connection with food.

Erika L. Sánchez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, is a Chicago-based poet and novelist. Her bestselling debut novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, a young adult novel, was a National Book Awards finalist. It covers heavy topics, such as loss, grief, sisterhood, family, and the pressures and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican-American home. It’s a perfect blend of cultural commentary and a humorous and honest coming of age story — a book that is both timely and timeless.

This collection of short stories — each one documenting the life, personality and adventures of a woman in Mastretta’s family lineage — uses autobiographical snapshots to deliver life lessons on the importance of family and being a strong Latina woman. The book covers the lives of 39 indomitable aunts and it was originally written as a way to tell the author’s daughter about her long line of powerful, passionate and driven female ancestors. It is written with honesty and humor, giving an entertaining glimpse into Latina culture. And as a bonus, the book is written in both English and Spanish, so the bilingual format is great for those looking to learn Spanish or perfect their Spanish while reading an engaging story of life, love and family.