Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents | 1991 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 2 | In the Time of the Butterflies | 1994 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 3 | Yo! | 1997 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 4 | In the Name of Salome | 2000 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 5 | The Secret Footprints | 2000 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 6 | Before We Were Free | 2002 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 7 | Finding Miracles | 2004 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 8 | Saving the World | 2006 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 9 | Return to Sender | 2009 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 10 | Afterlife | 2020 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
| 11 | The Cemetery of Untold Stories | 2024 | Julia Alvarez | Buy |
Julia Alvarez’s standalone novels form the backbone of her literary career. Her debut, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), established her voice with its portrait of Dominican sisters adjusting to American life. In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) brought international attention with its novelization of the Mirabal sisters’ resistance to Trujillo.
Later novels like Saving the World (2006), Return to Sender (2009), Afterlife (2020), and The Cemetery of Untold Stories (2024) continue to explore questions of identity, language, and the immigrant experience. Her books for younger readers, including The Secret Footprints and Before We Were Free, bring these themes to a new generation.