authors
More Salt Than Diamond author
Aline Mello
more salt than diamond key themes
Identity, immigration, longing, displacement, resilience.
Identidad, inmigración, anhelo, desplazamiento, resiliencia.
Raza y latinidad
How racial identity shapes and influences the shared sense of belonging ("Latinidad") among Latinx communities. It explores how Latinx people experience race both within their own communities and in broader society.
Inheritance author
Elizabeth Acevedo
the couple in the cage key themes
Colonialism, exoticization, spectacle, systemic racism, audience complicity.
Colonialismo, exotización, espectáculo, racismo sistémico, complicidad del público.
Separate Is Never Equal author
Duncan Tonatiuh
poemas key themes
Feminism, cultural identity, resistance, everyday life, emotional honesty.
Feminismo, identidad cultural, resistencia, cotidianidad, honestidad afectiva.
Afrolatinos
Latin Americans and U.S. Latinx individuals who are of African descent. They have cultural ties to Latin America but also identify with African heritage, challenging ideas that Latinx identity is only mestizo (mixed Indigenous-European).
La misma luna director
Patricia Riggen
la misma luna key themes
Family separation, immigration struggles, resilience, love and sacrifice.
Separación familiar, luchas de inmigración, resiliencia, amor y sacrificio.
"Hard to Say" author
Sharon Morse
hard to say key themes
Language and silence, generational trauma, cultural identity, emotional struggle.
Lenguaje y silencio, trauma generacional, identidad cultural, lucha afectiva.
Blanqueamiento
whitening: A historical and social process where societies encourage European immigration, intermarriage, or cultural assimilation to "whiten" the population, often valuing whiteness over Indigenous or African roots.
burden of representation
The pressure on people from marginalized groups to represent their entire community, often unfairly. A few Latinx figures in the media may be expected to "speak for" millions of diverse experiences.
latinx representation in the media
How Latinx people are portrayed in TV, film, news, and other media. Often involves stereotypical roles (like maids, gangsters) or underrepresentation altogether.
Poemas author
Violeta Orozco
how to tame a wild tongue key themes
Language and identity, resistance to assimilation, cultural pride, hybrid identities.
Lengua e identidad, resistencia a la asimilación, orgullo cultural, identidades híbridas.
Brazilians and latinidad
Examines whether Brazilians, who speak Portuguese and have unique racial dynamics, are included in or excluded from broader ideas of "Latinx" identity, which is often centered on Spanish-speaking countries.
inheritance key themes
racial identity, beauty standards, empowerment, cultural pride.
Identidad racial, estándares de belleza, empoderamiento, orgullo cultural.
migrant melodrama
A storytelling style in media and film where migrants are portrayed as helpless, suffering, and passive victims, often to create emotional sympathy but not necessarily deeper understanding of their agency or complexity.
"How to Tame a Wild Tongue" author
Gloria Anzaldúa
separate is never equal key themes
Racial justice, activism, education equity, perseverance, family strength.
Justicia racial, activismo, equidad educativa, perseverancia, fortaleza familiar.
cultural capital vs cultural wealth
Cultural Capital: Knowledge, skills, and education that help people succeed within dominant (often white, middle-class) society.
Cultural Wealth: Expands on this idea by recognizing the strengths and resources communities of color already possess (like bilingualism, resilience, strong family networks).
"The Couple in the Cage" creators
Guillermo Gómez-Peña y Coco Fusco
tropicalization
A process where Latin American or Caribbean cultures are stereotyped as exotic, fun, wild, and "hot," often flattening the complex realities of these places into tourist-friendly fantasies.