Why I Stopped Buying Books from Target

And What Curating Latinx Books Taught Me About Representation

For a long time, Target was one of my favorite places to grab a new read. I'd stroll through the book aisle while running errands, maybe toss a title or two into my cart along with detergent and almond milk. It was convenient. It was routine. It was easy.

But it wasn’t intentional.

The shift came when I started curating books written by Latinx authors for Raíces Books. I wanted to amplify stories by and for our comunidad—stories that reflected our complexity, our joy, our pain, our brilliance. As I started intentionally seeking out these books, I realized how rarely I saw them on the shelves at major retailers like Target.

The books that were being promoted and put front and center rarely reflected the voices of people who looked like me, who spoke like my family, who lived in the spaces between languages, cultures, and identities. When I did see Latinx stories, they were often limited to a narrow set of themes—immigration, trauma, or cultural struggle. All valid and important—but we are so much more than our pain.

So, I stopped buying books from Target. Not because I hate the store, but because I wanted my dollars to align with my values.

Instead, I started sourcing my books from local libraries, indie publishers, small presses, and direct from the authors when possible. I built Raíces Books as a space to center Latinx voices and celebrate the full spectrum of our stories—romance, horror, sci-fi, children’s books, memoirs, poetry, and beyond.

This journey taught me that curation is activism. Every time I choose to stock a book written by a Latinx author, I’m investing in our stories. Every time someone shops with us, they’re doing the same.

So if you’ve ever felt unseen in those mainstream book aisles, I see you. And I invite you to explore stories that feel like home—whether that home is Spanglish-filled, ancestral, or still in the making.

Because we deserve more than a corner on a shelf.
We deserve the whole damn bookstore.