On this episode of The Brown Book Club Podcast, we had the honor of speaking with acclaimed author Reyna Grande about her powerful historical novel A Ballad of Love and Glory. The novel takes readers into the turbulent years of the Mexican–American War and tells the story of love, loyalty, and resistance during one of the most defining conflicts in North American history.

At the center of the novel is the story of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, also known as the San Patricios, Irish immigrants who defected from the U.S. Army and chose to fight alongside Mexico. Reyna shared the history behind these soldiers, the moral and political struggles they faced, and how their story inspired the novel’s unforgettable characters.

Our conversation explored the overlooked histories of the borderlands, the complexity of identity and allegiance, and how storytelling can bring forgotten chapters of history back into the light. It was a thoughtful and powerful discussion about war, love, and the people whose stories continue to shape our understanding of the past.

We had the absolute honor of sitting down with Erika L. Sánchez, award-winning author, poet, and cultural force.

Best known for her groundbreaking novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Sánchez has become one of the most important contemporary voices writing about identity, grief, mental health, family pressure, and what it means to grow up caught between cultures. Her work refuses stereotypes and speaks directly to the complexity of being Mexican American in the United States.

During our conversation on The Brown Book Club Podcast, Erika was honest, funny, thoughtful, and incredibly down to earth. We talked about writing through pain, navigating expectations, representation in literature, and the power of telling our own stories. She reminded us that vulnerability is not weakness, it’s courage on the page.

We had the absolute honor of welcoming Luis Alberto Urrea to The Brown Book Club Podcast and let me tell you, he is exactly who you hope he’ll be.

Urrea is the Pulitzer Prize finalist behind unforgettable books like The Devil’s Highway, a haunting account of migration and survival in the Arizona desert, and The House of Broken Angels, a tender, hilarious, and deeply human story about family, borders, and belonging. He’s also the author of Into the Beautiful North, a sharp and heartfelt novel about friendship, migration, and courage.

But what stood out most wasn’t just the awards or the résumé.

It was how grounded he was.

He showed up with humility. With humor. With that tío energy that makes you feel like you’ve known him your whole life. He spoke about grief, migration, storytelling, and love without ego — just truth. You could feel how deeply he cares about the people he writes about and the communities he comes from.

Luis Alberto Urrea didn’t just come on the podcast as an acclaimed author.

He came as a storyteller of the people.

And he reminded us why stories matter.