I read. A lot. To give a complete list of my personal favorites of Latin American literature would just be too excessive. So here are the books I've read about Latin America, or by Latin Americans, since I've been living in Brazil. And these are only the recommendable ones.
- Como Agua para Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (purchased in Rio)
I read this in Spanish, and it was awesome, even though I'd already seen the movie. It made me want to run off to rural Mexico and learn to cook amazing Mexican cuisine.
- Um soldado brasileiro no Haiti, by Ricardo Lisias, as told by Tailon Ruppenthal (purchased in Rio)
I read this in Portuguese, and I'm not sure it's been translated into any other languages, soo...good luck finding it. It tells the story of a Brazilian soldier who was on the first Brazilian-led UN "peace-keeping" mission in Haiti after Aristide left. (Brazil still has troops there) It is horrifying, though not surprising, with some of the gruesomest photos I've ever seen.
- Cuba por Korda, edited by Christophe Loviny e Alessandra Silvestri-Lévy (purchased in Rio)
The most amazing book of photography I own and have ever seen. Korda's photos of Castro and Che are some of the most well-known, as well as lesser-known (and just as impressive) photos out there.
- Noticias de un secuestro, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (purchased in New York)
I read this one in Spanish, though it was a bit challenging. A very depressing non-fictional book by the master himself. It discusses a string of kidnappings of influential Colombians, orchestrated by Pablo Escobar. It made me think, "Is this where Brazil is headed?"
- The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende (purchased in Rio)
I read this in English, because I found it here in English, though it's originally in Spanish. The translation was pretty good though. It tells an epic story of a Chilean family through the 20th century, with the final part of the book telling the family's survival during the Pinochet dictatorship. An obvious must-read.
- Doce Cuentos Peregrinos, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (purchased in Rio)
Yeah, I'm a little obsessed. I read this one in Spanish. Mr. GM is an amazing storyteller, though there a few stories in here that I was like, really? Did this merit going into this collection? There are, however, several wonderful wonderful short stories, including my favorite short story of all time that I first read in high school Spanish, "El rastro de tu sangre en la nieve." If you have not read this short story, go out and find this book. Please.
- Son de Almendra, by Mayra Montero (purchased in NY)
A novel by a wonderful Cuban author about pre-revolutionary, mob-infested Havana. I was really sad when I finished because I loved escaping to Cuba every night. I read it in Spanish and gobbled up every word of Caribbean Spanish that I miss so much. It's available in English too. The only thing I didn't like about it was I felt it was missing the lusty passion that I find in other Cuban novels, like the Dirty Havana Trilogy.
- O que faz o brasil, Brasil? by Roberto da Matta (purchased in Rio)
A non-fiction book that summarizes most of his major works, this little ditty by a famous Brazilian anthropologist helped shed light on some of the things I didn't understand about Brazilian society and culture and confirmed in a very astute and concise way the things I did understand. I had a little trouble reading anthropological language in Portuguese, but I got the big picture.
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