A new look at Hispanic characters: A content analysis of Hispanic portrayal in young adult fiction

This paper examines how Hispanic characters are portrayed in young adult realistic fiction books with at least one Hispanic main character. All 15 books were published in the United States between 2000 and 2010 and were subject to latent content analysis. This study concludes that many authors still rely on stereotypes, although some stereotypes are positive and defy traditional role and characteristics. Accurate proportion of Hispanics in fiction compared to reality is close but still lacking, and the diversity of the Hispanic community is seen in few books. Most of the plot lines and themes found in these books were similar to plot lines and themes found in other young adult novels