[Last week commenced National Hispanic Heritage Month, which like all of our commemorations during this craptastic year is particularly fraught. But they’re also occasions to better remember inspiring American histories and communities, so this week I’ll highlight a handful of Hispanic women’s stories that can help us do just that. Leading up to a weekend tribute to scholars we should all read!]
I couldn’t dedicate a weeklong series to Hispanic women without featuring the first Hispanic author to publish fiction in English, and one of my favorite American voices. Check out this post for links to the many pieces in which I’ve written about Ruiz de Burton’s masterpiece, her second novel The Squatter and the Don (1885); this post for reflections on my first experience teaching her fascinating debut novel, Who Would Have Thought It? (1872); and this post for connections of Ruiz de Burton’s writings to the overarching topic of multilingual American literature and culture. Every time I teach and read Ruiz de Burton (as I am again this Fall, with an excerpt from Squatter in my Honors Lit Seminar), I find more meaning and contemporary relevance in both her writing and her life. I’m not sure there’s any author more deserving of a wider readership in 2026 America, and certainly none more worth celebrating in Hispanic Heritage Month.
Next story tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you think? Hispanic histories you’d highlight?
Leave a Reply