If you have advanced heritage learners of Spanish in a classroom designed for second language learners, I think the best thing you can do with them is share a love of reading and good fiction. Yes, even if this is an upper level L2 class, the advanced heritage learners are in the wrong class! In this worst of situations, I give heritage learners choices. They can hang out and enjoy class with the rest of the students (and are responsible for passing the daily exit quizzes) or they can grab a book and write a daily summary in place of the daily exit quiz.
In this newsletter I’d like to share some of the titles that I love to offer to my advanced heritage learners. These books are probably more likely to appeal to students that Kim Potowski refers to as “homeland” Spanish students: those who spent a good part of their childhood in a Spanish-speaking country and have developed a decent proficiency in Spanish but now no longer use the language much beyond family situations. These books might not be a good fit for heritage learners who spent their entire childhood here in the U.S., at least for independent reading. These books are a bad fit for heritage learners that have a strong cultural connection to Spanish-speaking cultures, who have “heritage motivation”, but whose language proficiency is weak.
These are the books I turn towards when, for example, I have a student who attended an elite school in Tijuana until she was 13, before moving to the States. If the student is reading independently, I like to have them keep a reading diary simply so that I can write notes after class and develop a conversation about the book. The key is to keep the dialogue conversational– you are sharing a good book, not quizzing. Don’t require long plot summaries– just enough to keep the conversation flowing. This works best if you read the book too, even if you’ve read the book before, so that your comments are fresh. I read at night or right after school for about 20 minutes and that is usually enough to keep up with my student.
Keep in mind that I am a high school teacher who does not censor too much, so there will be scenes that may raise eyebrows. However, nothing that would be banned in, say, an English lit class. Nothing shockingly graphic. I always tell my students that they can skip scenes that make them uncomfortable or stop reading a book altogether.
I have included a description of the book (mostly from Amazon) and, when available, a link to a short video about the book that I often share with students before reading.
Todas las hadas del reino (Laura Gallego García) Camelia es un hada madrina que lleva trescientos años ayudando con gran eficacia a jóvenes doncellas y a aspirantes a héroe para que alcancen sus propios finales felices. Su magia y su ingenio nunca le han fallado, pero todo empieza a complicarse cuando le encomiendan a Simón, un mozo de cuadra que necesita su ayuda desesperadamente. Camelia ha solucionado casos más difíciles; pero, por algún motivo, con Simón las cosas comienzan a torcerse de forma inexplicable…
video review from an excited reader: Todas las hadas del reino, de Laura Gallego – YouTube
Transportes González e Hija (María Amparo Escandón) Libertad González, puesta en prisión por un crimen que no revelará inaugura el club de lectura semanal de la biblioteca, leyendo a sus compañeras de prisión de cualquier libro a su alcance, desde Los tres mosqueteros hasta Guía Fodor’s de puertos del Caribe. La historia que surge, no tiene nada que ver con las palabras impresas en esas páginas. En su lugar, ella relata la historia de un ex profesor de literatura, prófugo del gobierno mexicano, que se reinventa como troquero de larga distancia en los Estados Unidos donde se enamora de la mujer que dará a luz a su única hija. Cuando repentinamente, Joaquín Gonzáles, se encuentra solo en la ruta con una bebita, nace la compañía Transportes González e Hija. Padre e hija hacen su hogar en la cabina del camión de 18 ruedas y comparten todo—aventuras, libros, comidas en los paraderos de camioneros y recuerdos de la mujer que fuera la madre de la chica — hasta que un día la niña se convierte en mujer y un encuentro fortuito con un hombre la provocan a rebelarse contra otro.
video review: Booktube World Tour ✈️🌎 📚: México y E.E.U.U. 🇲🇽🇺🇸 María Amparo Escandón, Transportes González e Hija – YouTube
El libro de los americanos desconocidos (Cristina Henríquez) A moving book about a group of immigrants living in a building in Delaware. There is a scene with adolescent sexuality that will require a thoughtful discussion about consent. Students love this book.
video by author: Cristina Henríquez on the Concept of Home in The Book of Unknown Americans – YouTube
Caramelo (Sandra Cisneros) Mike’s comment: this is among my top three favorite books that I’ve ever read. Every year, Ceyala “Lala” Reyes’ family—aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala’s six older brothers—packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother’s house in Mexico City for the summer. Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother’s life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family narrative turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo, or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love.
Short, insightful interview with author: Jorge Ramos entrevista con Sandra Cisneros – YouTube
Rumbo al hermoso norte (Luis Alberto Urrea) Nineteen-year-old Nayeli works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her father, who journeyed to the US to find work. Recently, it has dawned on her that he isn’t the only man who has left town. In fact, there are almost no men in the village — they’ve all gone north. While watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north herself and recruit seven men — her own “Siete Magníficos” — to repopulate her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it over. Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, Into the Beautiful North is the story of an irresistible young woman’s quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.
Long interview with author that I share after reading the book: Encore: Between Two Worlds — Life on the Border May 4, 2012 Full Show on Vimeo
La fruta del borrachero (Ingrid Rojas Contreras) Un debut fascinante situado en Colombia durante la violencia devastadora de los años 90 sobre una joven protegida y una empleada doméstica adolescente, quienes inician una improbable amistad que amenaza con deshacerlas a ambas.
La casa entre los cactus (Paul Pen) This is a fairly easy-to-read thriller by a Spanish author (yes, names don’t always reveal who is a native speaker). My students have enjoyed this tale set in Baja California where many of my students have roots. Elmer y Rose han creado una familia perfecta entre los enormes cactus de un remoto paisaje desértico, un hogar lleno de amor para sus cinco hijas, todas con nombres de flor: Edelweiss, Iris, Melissa, Dahlia y Daisy. Pero la inesperada llegada de Rick, un excursionista en busca de refugio, revoluciona a las hermanas. Y cuando Elmer y Rose descubren que el muchacho no es quien dice ser, el enfrentamiento que librarán -una lucha entre la verdad y la mentira, la justicia y el crimen- destapará terribles secretos que cambiarán para siempre la vida de todos ellos.
Author interview (from a country where authors are rock stars): Likes: ‘La casa entre los cactus’, la nueva novela de Paul Pen #Likes270 | #0 – YouTube
Huesos de lagartija (Federico Navarrez) Engaging novel about the Conquest from the perspective of an indigenous priest, written for adolescents. Frequently read in Mexican schools.
reseña: Huesos de lagartija | Libroreseña – YouTube
