In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, YES Prep invites you to learn about four hispanic authors from our YES Prep Atlas reading list. These authors, along with their novels, allow readers to understand and explore more about different aspects of Hispanic culture.
Viola Canales is a Mexican American author and poet, whose books include Orange Candy Slices, Other Secret Tales and The Tequila Worm, for which she won the Pura Belpre Award in 2006.
The first book on the 6th graders' reading list, The Tequila Worm is based on the author's real-life upbringing in McAllen, Texas. Canales introduces the reader to Sofia, a young girl from a family of storytellers. The tales of growing up in the barrio, full of the magic and mystery of family traditions engage readers and enrich our understanding of this vibrant border culture.
Meet Luis Valdez, a Mexican- American author and producer. Valdez's story starts in Delano, California where he was born to migrant farm workers. His interest in theatre began in the first grade, and has then made a career out of it. Valdez is known as the father of Chicano theatre and is best known for his play Zoot Suit, his movie La Bamba, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino.
Zoot Suit and Other Plays is a book featured on our Atlas reading list for AP Literature. This fictional play is about Henry Reyna and others in his group who are accused of a murder in which they had no part. They are rounded up by the police because of their race and their choice of clothing. The gang members are then thrown into prison and put through a racist trial. As Henry considers his fate, he has a conversation with El Pachuco, a figure from his own conscience who makes him contemplate a choice between his heritage and his home country.
Meet Sandra Cisneros, a Chicano American author from Chicago, Illinois. Cisneros's early life provided her with experiences that she would eventually use in her writing. President Obama awarded her with the National Medal of Arts in 2015, which is the highest honor given to artists and art patrons. Cisneros is regarded as a key figure in Chicana literature.
The House on Mango Street is a book featured on the 7th grade reading list. Cisneros offers us Esperanza, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. This is Cisneros’ most acclaimed text and as one of the most celebrated Latina writers both in the United States and Mexico, readers will dive into each vignette more connected to the characters than the one before.
Meet Luis Alberto Urrea, a Mexican American author who was born in Tijuana, Mexico. In 2005, Urrea was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame. He is known for using his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.
The Devil's Highway, is a book featured on the 10th grade reading list. Urrea tells a story based on true events about a group of Mexican immigrants and their journey to the United States. The group is lost in the Arizona desert and not many make it out alive. The Devil's Highway will offer readers a blunt and true description of what many individuals face when crossing the border into the United States. Urrea has won the Lannan Literary Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize for The Devil's Highway.
About the YES Prep Atlas
The YES Prep Atlas is a collection of diverse and purposefully-chosen texts that together form the literary experience YES Prep students engage in from grades 6-12. The title Atlas was chosen because it represents a collection of works representative of a variety of places and worldviews; in an atlas, you can find home and explore new places.
To access or download a digital version of the YES Prep Atlas, please click here.