Libertad

PURA BELPRÉ AUTHOR HONOR BOOK • In this breathtakingly written queer novel, a young poet discovering the courage to speak her truth about the people and country she loves during the rigged Honduran presidential election.

“An evocative, nuanced, and powerful coming-of-age story that skillfully explores the many ways in which the personal is political.”—Randy Ribay, author of National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing

Life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster as what’s sure to be an explosive presidential election looms large, and protests rage across every corner of the city. For her part, high school senior Libertad Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account, and in a budding romance with someone new. But things come to a head when Mami sees texts on Libertad’s phone mentioning a kiss with a girl, and Libi discovers her beloved older brother, Maynor, playing a major role in the protests.

As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her, unbearable homophobia at home and at school, and online threats in response to her poems, she begins dreaming of a future where she doesn’t have to hide who she is. Where she doesn’t have to worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up. Then the ultimate tragedy strikes, and leaving her family and friends—plus the only home she’s ever known—might be her only option.