Second Generation Blues: A Graphic Novel

Almost American Girl meets Brownstone in Second Generation Blues, a poignant coming-of-age young adult graphic novel about a Cuban American teen as he struggles to choose between being the son his parents need him to be and living the life he wants.

Luis Menendez wants to be free from his immigrant Cuban-American parents' expectations. Instead, he's spending the summer delivering food for his family's faltering restaurant, sweating under the hot sun and the crushing weight of a future he didn't choose.

At least there's Yara. Confident, assertive, and basically Luis's dream girl, she might be the only person who understands him. If only he had any free time to spend with her.

Amid the chaos, Luis starts carving out his own path. But when trying to be the son his parents need clashes with the life he wants, he's forced to face the question he's most afraid of answering: Is family loyalty worth sacrificing his own happiness?

Julio Anta is the author of many graphic novels, including the Eisner Award-nominated Frontera; Sí, Se Puede: The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States; Speak Up, Santiago!; and This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story. Julio was born and raised in Miami, Florida, and currently resides in New York City, where he works to tell narratively rich stories about a diverse range of Latinx characters for readers of all ages.

Red Dryer is a Mexican comic artist working on a solo debut graphic novel, along with a second untitled book, with HarperCollins Publishers. Dryer was born in White Plains, New York, is currently based out of California, and now pursues storytelling with heavy topics in a digestible manner.