Dive into April’s new book releases with titles focusing on a diverse cast of Latinas. From the true story of Chita Rivera’s rise to fame on Broadway to a haunting work of fiction by Latina spooky book queen V. Castro, there is something for every reader this month!

Chita: a memoir by Chita Rivera 

Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, known in the entertainment industry as Chita Rivera, was always present center stage. She was influential in creating some of Broadway’s most iconic and acclaimed roles, including Anita in West Side Story and Rosie in Bye Bye, Birdie. Chita invites readers into workrooms and rehearsal studios, on stage and set, revealing the highs and lows of an extraordinary show business career and how her upbringing and heritage indelibly shaped her work and career.

 

 

 

Alondra by Gina Femia 

Sixteen-year-old Alonda couldn’t be happier. She’s met a group of teens in her Coney Island neighborhood that are as into professional wrestling as she is. As the group works to put on a show to remember, Alonda sheds her old self and becomes Alondra, the Fearless One. But as she deals with her feelings for both King and Lexi, she must decide if she can be as fearless outside the wrestling ring as she is inside it.

 

 

 

 

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro 

Alejandra is struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her. But no one around her seems to notice. Not her husband, to whom she’s only a wife. Not to her children, to whom she’s only a mother. They don’t see the ghostly visions nor the apparition of the weeping woman in a ragged white gown. Alejandra begins visiting with a therapist and delves into her family history. Starting with a mother she never knew before reaching further back to the other women in her family before her. She discovers that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors.

 

 

 

The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Lorraine Avila 

Yolanda Alvarez is having a good year. She’s feeling more comfortable at Julia De Burgos High, her school in the Bronx. Victory is her best friend. And Yo is getting closer to a senior boy, Jose. And soon, she hopes, her initiation into her family’s bruja tradition will begin. But then a white boy, a politician’s son, arrives at her school, and his vibes are off. And Yo’s initiation begins with visions of violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community in a world that doesn’t listen? Only with the wisdom and love of her family, friends, and community – and the Brujas Diosas, her ancestors, and guides. 

 

 

 

Carmen and Grace by Melissa Coss Aquino 

More like sisters than cousins, Carmen and Grace have survived a childhood marked by neglect, addiction, and a system that never valued them. Doña Durka swept into their lives and changed everything. Durka, the leader of an underground drug empire, is a larger-than-life matriarch who understands the vital importance of taking what power she can in a world too often ruled by violent men. When she dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances, chaos takes control of Carmen and Grace’s lives.