The Best Audiobooks That Capture American Latino History

Recipient of the 2018 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and part of the ReVisioning American History series, An African American and Latino History of the United States is a must-listen for anyone who wants to learn more about the true history of the United States. Professor of History at the University of Florida, Paul Ortiz questions what American history would look like if we were to shift the focus on often underrepresented Black, Latino, and Indigenous peoples. Narrated by actor J.D. Jackson, this is a listening experience that will give you a more thorough understanding of the real history of the United States of America.

While it's certainly true that the Latino population is growing, diversity is not a new reality in the US. From Spanish conquistadors to missionaries, Latinos have been present in America for as long as those of British descent have, playing a significant role in its shaping. In Our America, Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, dissects how the territory of the United States was constructed. History buffs will enjoy this recounting of the settlement and evolution of America told from a Latino perspective. This history audiobook will keep listeners' ears perked as tidbits of Latino history and heritage are revealed.

The Latino population has often been underrepresented across the board, but as the largest minority in the United States, the tide is starting to shift. The biggest misconception about Latinos that veteran reporter Ray Suarez hopes to set straight is that they're all immigrants who arrived in the country looking for a handout. Latinos have not only worked hard in America for many decades—they helped build it from the start. When first released in print, Latino Americans accompanied an ambitious PBS documentary series of the same name. Narrated by the author, the audiobook version seems like a fitting and natural evolution of this important contribution to understanding the 500-year history of Latinos in the United States.

The role of Spanish pioneers in the settling of the United States has been woefully neglected. Instead, history has long favored telling the stories of British settlers, even though they arrived about a century later. El Norte does a deep dive into the history of Hispanic North America. Carrie Gibson, former journalist at The Guardian and esteemed historian, retells the story of the United States straying far away from the convention of whitewashing that pervades many history books. While the forgotten stories featured in El Norte will ring new in your ears, they're a part of our Latino history and heritage.

Latinos are often lumped together as a single culture, ethnicity, and background. And while there certainly are common roots and a sense of solidarity among Hispanics, Latinos in the United States come from diverse countries and arrived for very different reasons. Juan Gonzalez, radio host and former columnist for the New York Daily News, believes that the Latino presence in America links directly to how the US has acted in the region: it's the harvest of more than a century of domination. Gonzalez paints a picture of how and why the different Latino groups arrived in America. Listening to the individual stories of migrants will make you learn more about the contributions of Latinos in the country and help bring to light the millions of very human faces within a complex population routinely referred to as a sole unit.

Take notice—award-winning poet José Olivarez's debut audiobook is one to remember. Named a Best Book of the Year by both Newsweek and NPR, Citizen Illegal is a compilation of heartfelt, raw, and sincere poems about the intersection of life between Mexico and America. Like many of the authors on this list, Olivarez's life embodies the Latino experience—joy, sorrow, heartbreak, but most of all, faith. Drawing inspiration from other noted Chicano writers, such as Sandra Cisneros, the poems in Citizen Illegal touch on race, class, gender, and other contemporary topics. Narrated by Olivarez himself, Citizen Illegal is an intimate peek into the life and many dualities of one of the most promising authors and poets today.

In many ways, the histories of the United States and Mexico are closely linked. And it isn't farfetched to say that the America we exist in today would be radically different had it not been for the influence of people of mixed white and Indigenous ancestry throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In Mestizos Come Home, author Robert Con Davis-Undiano explores the complicated history of Mexican Americans and their unquestionable influence on American culture. Like many other titles on this list, this listen calls on us to reimagine the overwhelmingly Euro-centric representation of American history and acknowledge the pivotal role other communities have played in shaping this country.

From the American Revolution to the Vietnam War, stories of heroism and sacrifice on the battlefield are rarely inclusive. Simply put, they're often overwhelmingly white, so much so that it's easy to forget that many Black and Brown folks played pivotal roles during wartime. This is because soldiers and sailors of color largely served in eras where they had little to no rights or autonomy. Patriots from the Barrio is as much of an examination of family history as it is a glimpse into some of the most overlooked and instrumental military units during World War II—with a focus on the 36th "Texas" Division, whose members were all Mexican Americans. This is a must-listen audiobook for war history buffs as well as listeners eager to learn more about a widely overlooked aspect of American military history.

Many people come to the United States in search of the much-heralded American Dream. Hoping to make a new life full of opportunities that they may not have had otherwise, they migrate to the US and hope fate has its way. But sometimes, one opportunity strikes them when they least expect it: the opportunity for love. At its core, The Book of Unknown Americans is a story about love, triumph, resilience and, above all, inspiration. This audiobook is about humanizing and putting a face to the often invisible Latino immigrant experience. Featuring real stories of men and women who have come to the US in search of a dream, author Cristina Henríquez's standout novel is heart-wrenching, powerful and unforgettable.

Latinos are far too familiar with the concept of assimilation. It's the idea that the more you align yourself with American traditions and ideals, the more quickly you can be seen as "one of us." Unfortunately, assimilation often comes with erasing your history, tradition, and identity—a life-changing tradeoff rooted in racism. In You Sound Like a White Girl, Latina author Julissa Arce explores and tears into the idea that assimilation is another than an attempt to exert whiteness over communities of color. She poetically argues that the only way that America can truly live up to its ideals is by letting folks be true to themselves.

The Mexican-American War was one of the most consequential conflicts in American history. Unfortunately, history books don't allocate nearly enough time to exploring the intricacies of this conflict and its wide-ranging effects throughout history. In Hispanic America, Texas, and the Mexican War: 1835 - 1850, American history scholar Christopher Collier gives a detailed look at this crucial war and the folks who played pivotal roles in it. From the early history of the southwestern region of the US, to the evolution of that land and, eventual conflict over it, this is a must-listen for war history buffs. In this audiobook, Collier studies the Mexican-American War and its complexities with the nuance it deserves.