A murder investigation. A teenager discovering her sexuality in a tight-knit community. A multigenerational family mystery epic. Salsa music.
So sets the stage of This Is the Only Kingdom, author Jaquira Díaz’s debut novel. The book, which is set in el Caserío, Puerto Rico, follows the story of the teenager Nena and her mother Maricarmen, in the aftermath of a murder. It’s a fictionalized version of a story Díaz’s father passed down to her as a child, about someone he knew who was a salsa singer. It’s set in the town Díaz is from.
“There are no heroes or villains in this book. Everyone is flawed and complicated,” Díaz says. “The salsa that inspired a lot of this book was salsa that was focused on storytelling, and that was anti-colonial and anti-oppression and often dealt with issues like systemic poverty. I hope that readers who are familiar with salsa will see echoes of the music in the story.”
Díaz will read from her novel, followed by a conversation with former Philadelphia Poet Laureate Airea D. Matthews, at the Parkway Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia on October 30 at 7pm, as part of its Author Event Series, for which The Citizen is a partner. The arts nonprofit Taller Puertorriqueño, a community spotlight partner for next week’s event, will also host a community-based discussion of the book in January, where Díaz will be in conversation with Erica Bernal of LITina Book Club.
“My primary audience is composed of Puerto Ricans — Puerto Ricans in the diaspora, Black Puerto Ricans, queer Puerto Ricans, Latinas and Black readers,” Díaz says. “I think both of these programs are doing the work of reaching those readers so that we can actually have the conversations about books that are written for us, not just about us.”
Reading and discussing books
The two events are like a full circle moment for Taller. Bernal launched the LITina Book Club, which Taller has partnered with in the past, in 2019 because of Ordinary Girls, Díaz’s memoir about growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach. She wrote about everything from her friendships as a girl and grappling with depression to her mother’s experiences with schizophrenia and Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism.
Díaz met Lisa Moser, bookstore manager for Taller, at an event in June in New York City at which Moser was promoting her book, alongside authors Cleyvis Natera, whom Taller Puertorriqueño hosted in August, and Quiara Alegría Hudes, whom they’ll host in November. Moser approached the Free Library Foundation about partnering with Taller about the October event, as well.
“The themes that this book raises are so important for the Philadelphia community. It has to do with identity, culture, struggle, family, community.” — Daniel Blank, Free Library Foundation
Readings at the Free Library often serve as great teasers, motivating people to buy books, but there often isn’t a lot of time for audience discussion about the book itself. The events are often held close to a book’s publication (Díaz’s book came out on October 21), so attendees often haven’t had a chance to read it. Moser hopes the partnership with the library will help Taller reach a new audience who will buy the book and then come to their discussion in January. The book touches on a number of themes — police brutality, racism, homophobia — that Moser and Daniel Blank, managing director for public programs at the Free Library Foundation, think will feel relevant to Philadelphians.
“The themes that this book raises are so important for the Philadelphia community,” Blank says. “It has to do with identity, culture, struggle, family, community.”
Building community partnerships
Taller Puertorriqueño has hosted a number of literary events over the years. The organization, which was founded in 1974, aims to promote and develop Puerto Rican culture, by showcasing the work of writers and artists, but also through offering summer camps and youth artists programs. Their author events are intimate, often drawing around 20 people to each event, which fosters great discussions.
This summer, they hosted a book club for a Puerto Rican history group. Attendees met regularly and chatted with one another in a Whatsapp group. After the last session people remained for more than an hour chatting about the book and their family’s history with Puerto Rico.
Moser is excited that there are more books coming out by Puerto Rican authors this year. Publishing has long been predominantly White. White people authored 75 percent of books published in 2023. Women author slightly more than 50 percent of books. Moser has seen the impact representation has on the Puerto Rican community. When adults come into Taller Puertorriqueño’s bookstore with their children, they’re often moved by the number of books they have for children featuring Puerto Rican characters.
“They’re brought to tears,” Moser says. “When they were a kid, they didn’t have any books like this where they saw themselves, their family, their culture represented on the pages.”
Blank says partnerships like this are part of the Free Library Foundation’s mission. So far this year, they’ve partnered with the Urban League and the National Association of Black Journalists, and are planning to work with the Philadelphia Chapter of the ACLU for a future event. In September, The Citizen partnered with the library to present MSNBC contributor Trymaine Lee’s A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America, alongside several local gun violence prevention organizations.
“It allows us to expand our reach and to increase our impact,” Blank says. “The core purpose of the series is to reach as many members of the Philadelphia community as possible.”
Jaquira Diaz | This Is the Only Kingdom is Thursday, October 30, 2025, 7pm – 8:30pm, Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street. Register here for $5.
MORE CITIZEN RECOMMENDS
