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Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar

Libertad

Bessie Flores Zaldívar, Bessie Flores Zaldivar

Penguin Young Readers Group · Paperback · September 2, 2025

Now in paperback, a queer YA coming-of-age set during the rigged Honduran presidential election. * FOUR STARRED REVIEWS* As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster.

Coming of AgeYA LGBTQ+Hispanic & Latino YAaward
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romanceyoung
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Who it’s for
In Tegucigalpa, a teenager’s private hopes meet public unrest and pressure at home.
Genres
YA LGBTQ+, Coming of Age, Hispanic & Latino YA
Published
Penguin Young Readers Group, September 2, 2025

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About this book

Now in paperback, a queer YA coming-of-age set during the rigged Honduran presidential election. * FOUR STARRED REVIEWS* As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (Libi) Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account and a budding romance with someone new.

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But things come to a head when Mami sees texts on her 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, stifling homophobia at home and school, and ramped up threats to her poetry online, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn’t have to hide who she is or 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.

Private Hopes, Public Unrest

In Tegucigalpa, a teenager’s private hopes meet public unrest and pressure at home.

Come here for

  • A queer coming-of-age story amid protests and political upheaval
  • The pull of first love alongside the risks of speaking out

Expect

  • An intimate YA perspective on queer identity and family tension
  • Romance and political turmoil woven into one coming-of-age story

Where it sits

YA LGBTQ+78%
Hispanic & Latino YA36%
Coming of Age34%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Coming of Age
  • YA LGBTQ+
  • Caribbean & Latin America for Teens
Authors
Bessie Flores Zaldívar, Bessie Flores Zaldivar
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
September 2, 2025
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
Coming of Age