Libertad

By: Bessie Flores Zaldívar

Narrated by: Spring Inés Peña

A queer YA coming-of-age set during the rigged Honduran presidential election

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. 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.

Critic reviews

★4 STARRED REVIEWS ★
Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
Kirkus Best Books of the Year
Booklist Editor’s Choice
PW Best Books of 2024
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
2025 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick
ALAN 2025 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Finalist
ILA 2025 Young Adult Book Award Winner

★ “An emotionally charged must-read.” –Kirkus, starred review

★ “Through the eyes of a strong, sympathetic protagonist, Zaldívar crafts a hefty novel.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Flores Zaldívar’s deeply personal storytelling centers Libertad’s humanity, as well as that of her family members. Readers experience Libertad’s own journey through her first-person narration and creative expression, and in her relationships with her blood relatives and chosen family.” –The Horn Book, starred review

★ “Zaldívar effortlessly combines the tiny details of daily life with the grand-scale realities of Honduran history and politics, giving a frame of reference and resonance to both… In a fraught U.S. election year, this queer, coming-of-age story should be required reading for all.” –Booklist Online, starred review



“An evocative, nuanced, and powerful coming-of-age story that skillfully explores the many ways in which the personal is political.”—Randy Ribay, author of National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing

“From page one to the very end, I never stopped clutching my chest. Libertad will knock you off your feet.”—Olivia A. Cole, acclaimed author of Dear Medusa

absolutely loved it

I fell in love with Libertad. this is an amazing story with an great narrator!

Beautifully written

Such an amazing story. Sad, inspiring, politically relevant, innocent, sweet, empowering - it has it all.