Born in New York City in 1950, Julia Alvarez’s parents returned to their native country, Dominican Republic, shortly after her birth. Ten years later, the family was forced to flee to the United States because of her father’s involvement in a plot to overthrow the dictator, Trujillo. Alvarez has written novels, collections of poems, nonfiction, and numerous books for young readers.

Alvarez’s awards include the Pura Belpré and Américas Awards for her books for young readers, the Hispanic Heritage Award, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award. In 2013, she received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama.

A new documentary for PBS “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined” will premiere on Tuesday, Sept 17 at 9pm ET on PBS.

We have rounded up a few of her audiobooks to help you decide your next listen!

The Cemetery of Untold Stories

Performed by Alma Cuervo

Named a Most Anticipated Book by the New York Times, Washington Post, Today.com, Goodreads, B&N Reads, Literary Hub, HipLatina, BookPage, BBC.com, Zibby Mag, and more!

The Cemetery of Untold Stories asks: Whose stories get to be told, and who’s buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories. Julia Alvarez reminds us that the narratives of ourlives are never truly finished, even at the end.

Listen to a sample

Watch the official audiobook trailer!

 

 

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Performed by Blanca Camacho, Annie Henk, Annie Kozuch, Noemi De La Puente, and Melanie Martinez

Named A Great American Novel by The Atlantic

Available in Spanish, performed by Adriana Sananes, Rosie Berrido, Silvia Sierra, Rossmery Almonte, and Laura Gomez!

Acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez’s beloved first novel gives voice to four sisters as they grow up in two cultures. The García sisters—Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía—and their family must flee their home in the Dominican Republic after their father’s role in an attempt to overthrow brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo is discovered.

Listen to a sample

 

 

 

Afterlife

Performed by Alma Cuervo

A Time Magazine Must-Read Book of 2020

Available in Spanish, performed by Alma Cuervo!

Afterlife is a compact, nimble, and sharply droll novel. Set in this political moment of tribalism and distrust, it asks: What do we owe those in crisis in our families, including—maybe especially—members of our human family? How do we live in a broken world without losing faith in one another or ourselves? And how do we stay true to those glorious souls we have lost?

Listen to a sample

 

 

 

In the Name of Salome

Performed by Alma Cuervo and Coral Pena

“A delicate writer whose respect for the force of human love gives the novel its exquisite tension.” — The Los Angeles Times

In her most ambitious work since In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez tells the story of a woman whose poetry inspired one Caribbean revolution and of her daughter whose dedication to teaching strengthened another.

Listen to a sample

 

 

 

¡Yo!

Performed by Alma Cuervo, Luis Moreno, and Coral Pena

“Charming and funny . . . Mesmerizing . . . Wonderful.” — USA Today

At once funny and poignant, intellectual and gossipy, lighthearted and layered, ¡Yo! is above all a portrait of the artist. And with its bright colors, passion, and penchant for controversy, it’s a portrait that could come only from the palette of Julia Alvarez.

Listen to a sample

 

 

 

Saving the World

Performed by Blanca Camacho

“Remarkable…Saving the World depicts the need to belong to something deeper and more enduring than ourselves.” —The Washington Post Book World

Mesmerizing and poetic, Saving the World is a visionary tale that raises profound questions about the world we live in-and whether or not it is beyond redemption.

Listen to a sample

 

 

 

 

In the Time of the Butterflies

Performed by Noemi De La Puente, Alma Cuervo, Blanca Camacho, and Melanie Martinez

American Library Association Notable Book

1995 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist

Available in Spanish, performed by Rosie Berrido!

In this brilliantly characterized novel, the voices of all four sisters – Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa, and Dede – speak across the decades, to tell their own stories – from hair ribbons to gunrunning to prison torture – and to describe the everyday horrors of life under Trujillo’s rule.

Listen to a sample