The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

How I Found: If I have a favorite genre it would have to be magical realism. One Hundred Years of Solitude was my first read, and it sucked me in and spit me out a changed reader. Ever since, I have searched for another book that could pull me in so deeply to another culture, language, and country. This is it. From Teresita’s birth to her rebirth and all of the changes of Mexico she signifies,  this realm of possibilities opens a magnificent world where, “Death is alive . . . Death lives inside life, as bones dance within the body. Yesterday is within today. Yesterday never dies.”
Why You Might Like: This is also a historical fiction which I didn’t realize until the Author’s Note at the end. A beautiful bilingual book of English and Spanish, accessible for non-native Spanish speakers, or a breath of fresh air for those who navigate between worlds. Characters like Huila will make your heart hunger for the mysteries of nature we’ve suppressed and realize that some of her secrets still survive. Hold on tight and delve into the magic that surrounds us.