Classical 91.7-Arte Público Author of the Month: Manuel Ramos

You Don’t Have a Clue: Latino Mystery Stories for Teens, featuring works by our featured author Manuel Ramos, is a first-of-its-kind collection for mystery aficionados, teenagers and fans of contemporary Latino literature.

Set in schools and communities from New York City to Venice Beach, California, the protagonists reflect the breadth and diversity of the book’s contributors. Then there are the aliens, twentieth century Mexican assassins and a body part shoved into a school locker that pop up in stories with titles like “No Soy Loco,” “For You, Mother” and “Hating Holly Hernandez.”

Typical young adult situations—first sexual encounters, problems with family and friends and academic and personal aspirations—figure prominently into stories that Booklist noted, “range from noirish to whimsical [and] have in common teenage protagonists who find themselves in danger and often desperate trouble.”

Arte Público Press is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by U.S. Hispanic authors.  Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the realistic and authentic portrayal of the themes, languages, characters, and customs of Hispanic culture in the United States. Based at the University of Houston, Arte Público Press, Piñata Books, the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project, and ¡Salud, familia! provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Hispanic literary arts and creativity.  For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.