LibGuides: Hispanic Heritage: Biographies, Memoirs, & Personal Accounts

Books in the Library Catalog

My Invented Country by Isabel Allende
Call Number: PQ8098.1.L54 Z46713 2004

ISBN: 0060545674

Publication Date: 2004-04-27

A highly personal memoir of exile and homeland by bestselling author Isabel Allende. In My Invented Country Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country, a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and indomitable spirit, and the politics, religion, myth and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today. The book circles around two life-changing moments. The assassination of her uncle, Salvador Allende Gossens, on September 11, 1973, sent her into exile and transformed her into a literary writer. And the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on her adopted homeland, the United States, brought forth from Allende an overdue acknowledgment that she had indeed left home. My Invented Country, whose structure mimics the workings of memory itself, ranges back and forth across that distance accrued between the author's past and present lives. It speaks compellingly to immigrants, and to all of us, who try to retain a coherent inner life in a world full of contradictions.
Las Mujeres by Nan Elsasser; Klyle Mackenzie; Yvonne Tixier y Vigil
Call Number: F805.S75 E45

ISBN: 0912670843

Publication Date: 1981-03-01

Diverse and often divergent, the voices in this oral history of four generations of New Mexican-Hispanic women challenge myths and stereotypes. Twenty-one women recall life experiences spanning a period from the time New Mexico was a Spanish-speaking territory to the present. Central to the women's lives are the shift from a rural to an urban environment; the struggle to preserve culture and traditions; changes in family relations; efforts to cope with discrimination; the striving for education, jobs, and careers; service to family and community; and dedication to social change.
The Memoirs of Fray Servando Teresa de Mier by Fray Servando Teresa de Mier; Helen Lane (Translator); Susana Rotker (Editor)
Call Number: F1232.M67783 A3 1998

ISBN: 0195106733

Publication Date: 1998-10-29

On December 12, 1794, Fray Servando preached a sermon in Mexico City claiming that the Indies had been converted by St. Thomas long before the Spaniards arrived. Because the Spanish cited the "conversion of the heathen" as the justification of their conquest of the New World, Servandos words were deemed subversive. As a result, he was arrested by the Inquisition and exiled to Spain only to escape and spend 10 years traveling throughout Europe, as none other than a French priest. So began the grand adventure of Fray Servandos life, and of this gripping memoir. Fray Servandos' account of Europe is clear-sighted, hilarious--and certainly not included in the travel literature of that era. In this memoir, one sees a portrait of manners and morals that is a far cry from the "civilized" spirit that the Empire wanted to impose on its Colonies. This book takes a look at history from an upside-down perspective, asking this question: who were the real savages, the colonizers themselves, or the supposed "savages" they were struggling to convert? This memoir truly captures the passionate spirit of a fantastic man.

Searching Tips

The following are several Library of Congress subject headings that can be used to search for Hispanic biographies, memoirs, and similar resources. Within the library's catalog you can search by subject and use these terms to help locate resources.

South America -- Biography
Latin America -- Biography
Hispanic American women -- Biography
Latin American women - Biography

Library of Congress Call Numbers

The following are library of congress call numbers relating to Hispanic biographies and personal accounts that can be used to locate resources:

F1201-3799: Latin America, Spanish America history
F1421-1440: Central America History
F1601-1629: West Indies History
F2201-3799: South America History

Databases

The following are databases that contain primary sources and historical articles/resources that are relevant to Hispanic biographies, memoirs, or personal accounts.

Primary Source Sets: Digital Public Library of America: This database contains primary sources and other historical resources relating to U.S. History and covering a range of topics. Several sources relating to Hispanic American immigrants can be found here.
Ethnic Diversity Source: This full-text database provides peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies, primary source documents, and more. This database is dedicated to covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America.
Ancestry Library Edition: This resource contains more than 10 billion records in more than 8,000 databases. This data base includes resources such as: birth, marriage and death records; census records; immigration and travel; military; schools, directories and church histories; tax, criminal, land and wills; references, dictionaries and almanacs; stories and publications; and photos and maps.

E-books

Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa by Rigoberto González
ISBN: 1282270257

Publication Date: 2006-01-01

Butterfly Boy is a unique memoir of a young Chicano boy's maturing into a self-accepting gay adult is a beautifully executed portrait of the experience of being gay, Chicano and poor in the United States. This memoir is a coming out and coming-of-age story of a first-generation Chicano who trades one life for another, only to discover that history and memory are not exchangeable or forgettable.
The Cruel Country by Judith Ortiz Cofer
ISBN: 0820347647

Publication Date: 2015-03-01

A lyrical memoir centered around the author's journey to Puerto Rico after her mother had been diagnosed with late stage lung cancer. The story takes us through Cofer's journey as she sits by the her mother's hospital bed during the last moments of her life, through the grieving process and Catholic funereal rites that follow her mother's death and her return to her life in the U.S. The book is also a study of cultural differences and the balance that the author must find as a Puerto-Rican American, not wholly part of her mother's culture.
Biography of Casimiro Barela by José E. Fernádez
ISBN: 0826328822

Publication Date: 2003-01-01

First published in Spanish in 1911, this little-known biography of Casimiro Barela (1847-1920) is a rare account of an accomplished politician's career whose life was shaped by issues of race and class. Barela was a member of Colorado's Constitutional Convention in 1875 and represented Las Animas County in the state senate for forty years. He was instrumental in ensuring Colorado legislation was printed in both English and Spanish, to help his large Spanish-speaking constituency better understand the state's laws. Barela fought for better relations between the United States-his homeland, and Mexico-the land of his heritage. He was a supporter of the women's suffrage movement in Colorado and helped pass legislation to use Colorado's state prisoners in the building of state roads.
Sonia Sotomayor: The Supreme Court's First Hispanic Justice by Richard Barrington; Shalini Saxena (Editor)
ISBN: 1622754360

Publication Date: 2014-07-30

Rising out of poverty to become the third female and first Hispanic associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor truly embodies the American dream. Her journey from a housing project to the Ivy League and then through all three levels of the federal court system has inspired countless individuals across the country. Even in the midst of her successes, Sotomayor has made time to reach out to various communities to help ensure that all have equal opportunities for success. Readers will learn about her incredible life story and her contributions to both the legal system and the world outside of the courts.

Hispanic Heritage: Biographies, Memoirs, & Personal Accounts

Overview

Books in the Library Catalog

Searching Tips

Library of Congress Call Numbers

Databases

E-books