By Aaron Aceves
Every September 23rd in recent memory, I’ve made the same joke.
“It’s Bi Visibility Day and Latinx Heritage Month. I’ve never been more powerful.”
The coincidental alignment of these two events is an affirming celebration of my intersectional identity and, because I’m an author, an opportunity to shamelessly plug my debut young adult novel This Is Why They Hate Us, which is about a bisexual Chicano teen who, over the course of a summer, tries to get over his crush on his best friend by getting under someone else.
However, I would be lying if I said the novel grapples equally with the complexities of my Mexican heritage and my bisexual identity. It’s impossible to extricate these facets of my identity from each other in my writing (and in my day-to-day life), but This Is Why They Hate Us is primarily an exploration of Enrique “Quique” Luna’s sexuality. His ethnic background is, of course, visible and present, but the plot and his internal struggles are propelled by his queerness.
Focusing on Quique’s feelings about his bisexuality was a choice I had to make. Otherwise, the novel would have ballooned even further than I had anticipated when I first wrote it. (For those curious about numbers, my first draft was 52,000 words and the final was 88,000.) The truth is I could have expanded upon so many other of my identities besides my sexuality, race, and ethnicity. I could have focused the book on the intersection of being bisexual and Christian. I could have written about what it’s like to grow up with parents who never went to college, who worried constantly about their finances. But again, I made my choice. Sure, I could maybe have cut a couple dozen dick jokes to make room, but who would have wanted that?
Luckily, I am not the only writer and my book is not the only book in existence. So here are some novels that expand upon the themes I neglected this time around, but will most likely circle back to in future projects.
By Zack Smedley
Told in a series of depositions, this inventive YA novel features the main character’s humorous and heartbreaking (sometimes violent) reckoning with being bisexual and Christian.
Note: This title is currently out of print, but you get find the eBook through Kobo!
By Alex Sanchez
Like Deposing Nathan, this YA novel similarly grapples with being queer and Christian. This book, however, also features Latino characters. Although I wish I had been able to read it sooner, I have to thank Leah Johnson (author of You Should See Me In a Crown) for writing about the impact of this book on her in an essay and inspiring me to pick it up as an adult.
By Victor Villaseñor
This nonfiction account of the author’s parents’ immigration story is the first book I ever read that made me feel seen as someone of Mexican descent. When I read it junior year of high school for my English class, I was surprised by the fact that I could point to characters in the book and say, “He’s just like my grandpa!” or “She reminds me of my best friend’s mom!”
Note: This title is currently unavailable to purchase, but is available digitally from the library through Libby!
Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
By Benjamin Alire Saenz
Ari & Dante was the first queer YA book I ever read as well as the first book I read that featured a queer Mexican character. While I certainly acknowledge the problematic aspects of the book (namely transphobia), it was a full circle moment when my book was released by the same publisher and imprint that released this one.
Thank you so much to Aaron Aceves for sharing his thoughts and recommendations with us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! What will you be reading this month?
BookPeople 