Shopping for gifts for people you don’t regularly spend time with can be a little overwhelming and stressful. Yes, it’s the season of giving but chances are you’ve gone to the store with the intention of buying the gifts you know your nearest and dearest will love and not a clue as what to give to your catsitter watching your little baby while you’re away for the holidays.. This book gift guide is filled with ideas for those people including your hairdresser, neighbor and your significant other’s little sobrina that they’ll surely love. This mix of contemporary novels and classics is for everybody so beware cause (let’s be real) you may just find some books for yourself here too.
For la jefa who knows all about the hustle
The revised edition of the beloved “The New Latina’s Bible: The Modern Latina’s Guide to Love, Spirituality, Family, and La Vida” by Sandra Guzmán comes nearly a decade after the initial book release that became a must-have guide for Latinas. Emmy award-winning journalist Sandra Guzman knows all about what it takes to be a jefa and the work-life balance having also worked as the editor-in-chief of Latina magazine. Your boss will appreciate the range of topics from family to sex to career, all written in Guzman’s characteristic humor and warmth with a healthy dose of personal wisdom. The updated edition includes chapters on timely topics like abuse, interracial love, and gender identity making it as relevant as it is essential.
Buy it here.
For the office manager who gets sh*t done
Managing money is an issue everyone would appreciate help with and “A Latina’s Guide to Money” by Eva Macias is a lesson on how to get it right. Office managers are obviously familiar with budgets and just how much they can use for those office parties that tend to be the best part of the day. “A Latina’s Guide to Money” by financial expert Eva Macias is specifically written to guide Latinas through the hurdles that are specific to the cultura and the immigrant experience.
Buy it here.
For the neighborhood pal who is always on the lookout
For the pal who knows all the houses in the neighborhood but really needs to check out la casa on Mango Street. This 1984 classic is a coming of age story about Esperanza Cordero, a teenage Latina, who struggles with her life in a Chicano and Puerto Rican neighborhood of Chicago. The story is about the future she sees for herself and is broken up in vignettes that will make you feel all the feels.
Buy it here.
To your prima who is always there for a good talk
Actress and immigration activist Diane Guerrero’s heartbreaking story “In The Country We Love: My Family Divided” is about the deportation of her undocumented parents when she was a young girl, is a worthwhile and educational read. Guerrero, whose family is from Colombia, is best known for her roles on Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin and she’s now using her platform to advocate for immigration reform. This one will make whoever you gift it to want to discuss the very important issues in the book.
Buy it here.
Your significant other’s young sobrina/sobrino
“Alma and How She Got Her Name” by Juana Martinez-Neal is an endearing children’s book follows Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela’s journey to discovery about her history through the stories behind all six of her names. The message is focused on learning about and loving your roots and familia and even adults can appreciate that message. This is Peruvian Juana Martinez-Neal’s author-illustrator debut with autobiographical elements because let’s be real, most Latinx can relate to Alma.
Buy it here.
For your co-worker who makes the day tolerable
“Today’s Inspired Latina Volume III: Life Stories of Success in the Face of Adversity“ by Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz a book that is worthwhile for two reasons: 1. It’s full of inspiring stories 2. It’s Volume Three so if they love it (and why wouldn’t they?) there’s more volumes to enjoy. It’s basically the gift that keeps on giving. The anthology features stories about overcoming language barriers, self-doubt and other barriers that may keep you from happiness. Anyone, Latina or otherwise, can appreciate stories of perseverance and success.
La peluquera who knows all about good hair and good gossip
“Peinate: Hair Battles Between Latina Mothers & Daughters” edited by Raquel I. Penzo peers into the concept of “pelo malo” permeates Afro-Latinx culture and this book is all about embracing the curls instead of resenting them. Hairdressers with Latinx customers are all too familiar with our varying textures and will appreciate the message and truth behind this collection put together by Dominicana Raquel Penzo. This anthology includes stories, poems, and essays about the battles, insecurities, identity issues, and acceptance revolving around pelo and how it affects family bonds.
Buy it here.
For the babysitter that’s not your mamá or hermana
For her debut Young Adult novel, Dominicana Elizabeth Acevedo unleashes her passion for poetry and the healing effects its had through her protagonist, 16-year-old Xiomara Batista. Xiomara struggles with religion and exploring love and freedom of expression. It’s a captivating read written in verse with the same passion she uses to deliver her poems on stage. Learn more about her and other Afro-Latinx writers.
Buy it here.
Your dog walker who deserves a good read
The award-winning “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika L. Sanchez is already being made into a movie so yeah, it’s that good. The story revolves around Julia as she copes with the death of her sister Olga and her family’s treatment of her and she battles their perceptions of how she should behave to be the “perfect daughter”. It’s a story of discovery filled with poignant humor and revelations that explores the stereotype and pressures of growing up in a Mexican-American home. Learn more about Sanchez and other Mexican-American writers.
Buy it here.
Your significant other’s best friend who loves to cook
In Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate” magical realism classic infuses two things everybody enjoys: food and love. It tells the story of Tita who is pining for her beloved Pedro but is confined to taking care of her mother till she passes. Her passions and feelings are transferred into her food, the only way she’s able to express herself. The book has spawned a movie and series but they pale in comparison to the original which (literally) leaves you hungry for more. Bonus: it comes with recipes for the meals featured in the book so it’s kinda like two gifts in one!
Buy it here.
For your Lit professor who loves a good read
In “The House of Spirits” Isabel Allende creates an epic family saga which has long been considered one of the greatest novels of all time so it’s a no-fail gift to give. It spans generations in the Trueba family exploring love, pain, familial conflict, and obviously, the spirit world. Yes, there’s also a movie the three of you could sit down to enjoy together after he/she finishes the book so it’s a win-win.
Buy it here.
Your significant other’s mom who will appreciate this ode to la fuerza de mamas
Aja Monet is a Cuban-Jamaican poet and writer based in Brooklyn who released “My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter” in 2017 as an ode to all mothers. These powerful poems take on racism, sexism, genocide, displacement, heartbreak, and grief, but also love, motherhood, spirituality, and Black joy. It speaks to women who know the struggles and the joys of motherhood and also the greater issues beyond family bonds that enrich and sometimes complicate life. Any mom would appreciate the words that drip with honesty and passion. Learn more about her and other Afro-Latinx poets.
Buy it here.
Read: Gift Guide for the Concha-Lovers in Your Life
