Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut had me hooked from the first page. I couldn’t escape this book on Instagram, and all the buzz and hype were accurate. Aside from waiting to see what the author does next I’m most excited to see what happens when Olga’s story hits the screen as an upcoming Hulu series.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK · WINNER OF THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY PRIZE • INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARD FINALIST
A blazing talent debuts with the tale of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her social ambitions, absent mother, and Puerto Rican roots—allin the wake of Hurricane Maria
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kirkus, Washington Post, TIME, NPR, Vogue, Esquire, Book Riot, Goodreads, EW, Reader's Digest, and more!
"Don’t underestimate this new novelist. She’s jump-starting the year with a smart romantic comedy that lures us in with laughter and keeps us hooked with a fantastically engaging story." —The Washington Post
It's 2017, and Olga and her brother, Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo, are boldfaced names in their hometown of New York. Prieto is a popular congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn, while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s power brokers.
Despite their alluring public lives, behind closed doors things are far less rosy. Sure, Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1 percent but she can’t seem to find her own. . . until she meets Matteo, who forces her to confront the effects of long-held family secrets.
Olga and Prieto’s mother, Blanca, a Young Lord turned radical, abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause, leaving them to be raised by their grandmother. Now, with the winds of hurricane season, Blanca has come barreling back into their lives.
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife, and the very notion of the American dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.
Xochitl Gonzalez received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship for Fiction. Prior to writing, Xochitl wore many hats, including entrepreneur, wedding planner, fundraiser and tarot card reader. She is a proud alumna of the New York City public school system and holds a BA in art history and visual art from Brown University. She lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe. Olga Dies Dreaming is her debut. Xochitl Gonzalez is the New York Times bestsellingauthor of Olga Dies Dreaming. Named a Best Book of 2022 by The New York Times, TIME, Kirkus, Washington Post, and NPR, Olga Dies Dreaming was the winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction and the New York City Book Award. Gonzalez is a 2021 MFA graduate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her nonfiction work has been published in Elle Decor, Allure, Vogue, Real Simple, and The Cut. Her commentary writing for The Atlantic was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A native Brooklynite and proud public school graduate, Gonzalez holds a BA from Brown University and lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe.
Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez is a sharp and rollicking read about the power of art and the lasting legacy of those who make it. Gonzalez joined us live at Barnes & Noble UWS to talk about studying art history, culture shock in higher education, creative freedom and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured […]
If you’re looking for poets on Poured Over, check out this post. April showers bring May flowers — along with more time for reading (and listening). We have a terrific lineup of writers riffing on their new books, what drives their work, and more on the show this month. Leif Enger (Peace Like a River, […]
Las Madres follows a group of mothers and daughters between Puerto Rico and the U.S. as they face challenges of health, natural disaster and family secrets with rich, warm prose and characters. Santiago joins us to talk about her personal connection to her characters, the challenge of writing real events, representing Puerto Rican history and culture […]
Memoirs whose author-narrators will make you laugh, cry, and marvel at the power of hard-fought resilience. Music that will encourage you to reminisce and sing along. History that gives voice to a newly revealed chapter of a story of historic proportions that must not be forgotten. And fiction with audio performances that will immerse you […]
We love to welcome fresh new voices to the literary landscape and 2022 is already off to a stellar start. Familial dramas, modern retellings, cheeky mysteries, character-driven thrillers — the gang’s all here!
