One of the best ways to mark Hispanic Heritage Month is with a book that explores the rich cultural heritage of Hispanic-Americans and their countries of origin. But for countless school children across the country, those stories are out of reach.
Numerous books about Hispanic Americans, their cultures and experiences navigating life in the United States are among the nearly 23,000 books banned since 2021 in school districts from Florida to Utah. Of the unique titles banned in the 2023-2024 school year, 36% featured characters or people of color.
Books about the Hispanic experience that have been banned include biographies about icons like salsa singer Celia Cruz, artist Frida Kahlo, and activist Cesar Chavez; a picture book that adapts the children’s song, “The Wheels on the Bus” into a bilingual Spanish and English song, and novels written by Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Also removed from shelves: ¡Solo pregunta!: Sé Diferente, Sé Valiente, Sé Tú by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a book that explores what makes each person unique.
Here’s just a sample of some of the fiction and nonfiction stories that explore Hispanic experience that were counted in PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans from 2021 to 2025.
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz (Bookshop)
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Sáenz (Bookshop)
- The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Bookshop)
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedor (Bookshop)
- Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro (Bookshop)
- The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera (Bookshop)
- Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero (Bookshop)
- The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Bookshop)
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Bookshop)
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (Bookshop)
- The Insiders by Mark Oshiro (Bookshop)
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera (Bookshop)
- The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (Bookshop)
- The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes (Bookshop)
- Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña (Bookshop)
- The Moon Within by Aida Salazar (Bookshop)
- More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera (Bookshop)
- Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez (Bookshop)
- Pedro and Daniel by Federico Erebia (Bookshop)
- The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh (Bookshop)
- The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Vallavicenco (Bookshop)
- We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez (Bookshop)
- When I was Puerto Rican: A Memoir by Esmerelda Santiago (Bookshop)
- Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora Edited by Saraciea J. Fennel (Bookshop)
- Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina (Bookshop)
Find more must-read books for Hispanic Heritage Month in our curated reading list.
