Asian Ties to Hispanic Heritage Month

​National Hispanic Heritage Month  (September 15 to October 15) recognizes the many contributions of Latin Americans,  currently 17 % of our nation’s population.  Latinos of Asian descent make up only a small percentage in Latin American countries, but here are some books that teachers may wish to add:

​Yes! We Are Latinos:  Poems and Prose About the Latino Experience (by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, illustrated by David Diaz. 2016)  shows different racial, religious,  time periods, and national backgrounds of young Latinos  in free verse and prose.  Indigenous, African, and Spanish influences are celebrated, as are Asian influences in Latin America.  This book is also valuable for its list of resources and inspirational Latinos.  Grades 4-8.

​Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Rafael López 201 is a story based on Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese/African Cuban girl who broke Cuba's taboo against female drummers.  The poetic text and colorful illustrations show both African and Chinese cultural influences in Cuba.  Grades K-2.

Mama and Papa Have a Store by Amelia Lau Carling  
Mama and Papa Have a Store is a beloved book that was reprinted in 2016.  It shows a Chinese family in Guatemala City, based on the author/illustrator’s memories .  Many of the details are familiar to Chinese Americans:  food, siblings, memories of China, using an abacus, and running a store.  Others are related to Guatemala:  selling thread to Mayan weavers, interacting with Spanish speaking clientele, and Guatemalan foods.  Grades 1-3.

​Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words
Lion Island:  Cuba’s Warrior of Words by Margarita Engle is set in the 1870s.
This is a powerful historical fiction based on the early years of Cuban activist Antonio Chuffat who protested the slave/near-slave conditions of both sides of his African/Chinese family.   The author created two friends, Wing and his sister Fan, to show how refugees fled to Cuba from the anti-Chinese riots and lynching in Los Angeles.  Despite its somber subject matter, the book is uplifting and addresses questions of multi-racial identity.  Grades 6-8. 

​El Chino by Allen Say.  The book begins with Billy Wong’s childhood in Arizona and depicts his subsequent journey to become a bullfighter in Spain.  The writing and watercolor illustrations are beautiful, but there is controversy over bullfighting, both in Spain and Latin American countries.  Grades 1-3.

​Sylvia and Aki by Winfred Conkling. This is a chapter book based on the young life of Sylvia Mendez whose court case Mendez v Westminster challenged segregation of Mexican American students in the 1940s.  It also tells the story of Aki, a Japanese American girl who is sent away to a relocation camp, and later becomes Sylvia’s friend.  Grades 4-6.

God of Luck by Ruthanne Lum McCunn is the story of a young Chinese man who was captured and sent on a slave ship to Peru in the 1800s. The details are grim and draw parallels to the African slave trade. The grief and marginal survival of his wife and family in China are also told.  About 100,000 Chinese men were kidnapped and ultimately perished in Peru in large numbers (almost 75%) due to brutal treatment in the harvest of guano deposits.  Few ever found their way home.  This short book is bleak, but important for its historical facts.  Teachers may choose to use one chapter from it.  High School.