🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Julia Alvarez
She migrated in the year 1960 to America with her family after her dad’s involvement in a political rebellion forced her whole family to flee the country. Julia developed her talent for telling stories early on and was often called on to entertain guests. At times, though, she would get punished for telling some, too. Lying, it was called during that time. She loved stories since she was a kid. Hearing them, or telling them. She comes from an oral culture where the stories are not written down. Since she was one of the few Latin American students attending her Catholic school, she often faced discrimination because of her heritage and was often called “Spic” by her classmates.
All Book Series by Julia Alvarez
How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2011
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Series opener · book 1 of 11 · published 1991
The Cemetery of Untold Stories
Latest in the series · book 11 of 11 · published 2024
Mondo Elvis
Book 2 of 4 · published 1994 Anthology · Howard Waldrop,Cornelius Eady,Mark Childress,Susie Mee,Nick Cave,Mark Winegardner,Rafael Alvarez,Greil Marcus,Pagan Kennedy,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Lynne McMahon,Cathryn Hankla,Samuel Charters,Rachel Salazar,Eleanor Earle Crockett,Diane Wakoski,Judy Vernon,David Wojahn,William McCranor Henderson,Janice Eidus,Elizabeth Ash Vélez,Laura Kalpakian,Eri Makino,Ai,Michael Wilkerson,Brian Gilmore
Mondo Marilyn
Book 3 of 4 · published 1995 Anthology · J.G. Ballard,Michael Hemmingson,Clive Barker,Doris Grumbach,Beth Meacham,Lynne Tillman,Charles Bukowski,David Trinidad,Tom Whalen,Sharon Olds,Leslie Pietrzyk,Lyn Lifshin,Nanci Griffith,Robert Peters,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Jeanne Beaumont,Gregg Shapiro,Judy Grahn,Sam Toperoff,Julia P. Dubner,Bill Morris,John Rechy,L.A. Lantz,Phyllis Burke,Hillary Johnson,Rita Valencia,Michael Lally,Eleanor E. Crocket,Taylor Mead,Susan Compo,Rosanne Daryl Thomas
Mondo James Dean
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 1996 Anthology · Lewis Shiner,Jack C. Haldeman II,Bentley Little,Michael Hemmingson,Chuck Taylor,Michael Martone,Louisa Ermelino,Terence Winch,Lucinda Ebersole,Richard Peabody,Sparrow .,Janice Eidus,Ai,Tino Villanueva,Edwin Corley,Robert Ready,Reuben Jackson,Stephanie Hart,D.E. Steward,David Plumb,Ed Graczyk,Hilary Howard,James Finney Boylan,Miranda Schwartz
Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 11 · published 1992
Growing Up Female: Stories By Women Writers From the American Mosaic
Book 3 of 11 · published 1993
Women Writing Resistance: Essays on Latin America and the Caribbean
Book 5 of 11 · published 2003
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Julia Alvarez?
She migrated in the year 1960 to America with her family after her dad's involvement in a political rebellion forced her whole family to flee the country. Julia developed her talent for telling stories early on and was often called on to entertain guests. At times, though, she would get punished for telling some, too.
Which Julia Alvarez series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Tia Lola Stories series, the earliest of Julia Alvarez's multi-book series: it opens with How Tia Lola Came to(Visit) Stay (2001) and runs to 4 books across 2001–2011, ending with How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over (2011).
How many books has Julia Alvarez written?
Julia Alvarez has 42 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1984 and 2026. 8 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Tia Lola Stories series with 4 books — and 34 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Julia Alvarez's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Julia Alvarez's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Tia Lola Stories (2001–2011, 4 books).
How are Julia Alvarez's books organised into series?
This guide splits Julia Alvarez's 42 books into 2 named series and 34 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Tia Lola Stories (4 books, 2001–2011); Mondo (4 books, 1993–1996).