LIBERTAD

A queer coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the 2017 Honduran presidential election.

Named Libertad because she was born on September 15, Honduran Independence Day, high school senior Libi Morazán loves her country. But the right-wing party has ruled since the 2009 U.S.-backed coup, and as a girl who likes girls, she knows she can never fully be herself here. Now, Juan Orlando Hernández is standing for reelection despite the constitutional law prohibiting it, causing protests to erupt in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where Libi and her family live. When the military police shoot and kill students on her brother Maynor’s university campus, everything changes for both siblings. Libi creates a secret Instagram account, @InsurreccionPoeticaHN, to share her political poems, and Maynor joins the student front. Tensions are running high as election day draws closer, and Libi juggles her excitement over a new romance and finding her voice through poetry with her fears about an unfair election and her brother’s safety. Zaldívar seamlessly weaves Honduran history and politics into the narrative. The characters are beautifully complex, and the multiple perspectives provide key moments of reflection and deep insight. Spanish appears throughout the text, but even those who don’t know the language will easily understand the story, and Libi’s poems are translated into English. The existential question of whether to stay or leave will resonate with readers from all backgrounds.

An emotionally charged must-read.