LatinoLand

"Arana has achieved the impossible... LatinoLand is indispensable, unforgettable. A work of prophecy, sympathy and courage.”
–Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize winner

“A significant, engaging read… Arana has a fascinating, complex, and deeply personal story to tell, and she narrates it with abundant verve and intelligence.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Silver, Sword & Stone

“Meticulously researched, the book’s greatest strengths are the power of its epic narrative, the beauty of its prose and its rich portrayals of character. . . . a marvelous book.”
–The Washington Post

Best Nonfiction Book of 2019 (“Top of the List”) by Booklist, the American Library Association

Bolívar

Bolívar’s life is one of history’s most dramatic canvases, a colossal narrative replete with adventure and disaster, victory and defeat.

“The revolutionary wars unfolded as an often dizzying litany of shifting alliances and bloody battles, but Arana describes them all with an eye to the cinematic, her scenes filled with one well-crafted character study after another.”
–The Los Angeles Times

American Chica

“Part history, part family memoir … American Chica reads like a collaboration between John Cheever and Isabel Allende…. One of the many reasons the reader can’t put this memoir down is the author’s impressive command of her craft…. Arana has left her own imprint on her material, while at the same time displaying virtuosity in the storyteller’s traditional gifts: spareness, clarity, and a passion for allegory.”
—The New York Times Book Review

Lima Nights

“Spare, unsentimental…. [A] finely tuned human drama.” —Publishers Weekly

"An erotic, catastrophic love story that grows more mysterious by the page, Arana's novel of taboo passion, tragic misperception, and life's hidden dimensions is as shattering as it is seductive." —Booklist, starred review

Cellophane

In her stunning fiction debut, Marie Arana has created a rich, boisterous saga about a remarkable family, a wondrous invention, and a powerful collision between science, magic, and faith.

“Inventive. . . . Arana unleashes a destructive magic . . . with deadpan comic timing.”
–New Yorker

LatinoLand

A new sweeping yet personal overview of the Latino population of America, drawn from hundreds of interviews and prodigious research that emphasizes the diversity and little-known history of our largest and fastest-growing minority.

Una panorámica amplia y a la vez personal de los latinos en Estados Unidos, elaborada a partir de cientos de entrevistas y una prodigiosa investigación, que explora la diversidad de nuestra minoría más numerosa y de más rápido crecimiento.

Awards & Recognitions

The New Yorker -- One of the 12 Must-Read Books of the Year

The Washington Post -- One of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2024

Foreign Affairs -- The Best of Books, 2024

"One of the broadest portrayals available of this vastly diverse population." –The New Yorker

“Eye-opening. . . . Arana covers serious ground here in brisk, accessible prose. What brings her book to life is the richness of voices and perspectives.”
–The New York Times

“Arana has accomplished the herculean task of defining us as a community, meticulously separating the threads that unite as well as divide us.”
–Sandra Cisneros

ALL BOOKS
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Marie Arana

Marie's Story

Marie is a Peruvian-American author of nonfiction and fiction as well as the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress. She is the recipient of a 2020 literary award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. In 2024, she received the Leadership for the Americas Award from the Inter-American Dialogue at the Organization of American States (OAS).

LatinoLand: Un retrato de la mayor minoría en Estados Unidos

Diálogo Interamericano premia en la OEA a Marie Arana

LatinoLand: Media & Appearances

Marie Arana to receive prestigious Inter-American Dialogue Leadership Award

LatinoLand: Press Release

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