Josuee Hernández, a Tualatin native, has been writing most of his life. That work bore fruit when his debut novel, “What We Did To Each Other,” was published on September 30th, 2025, by Flux.
A 2004 graduate of Tualatin High (where he wrestled), Hernández joined the Marines right out of high school. He served for five years before beginning his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon. He later went on to earn both an M.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Education, both from Portland State University. Hernández now teaches Language Arts and Creative Writing to middle schoolers at Faubion PK-8 in Portland. It’s in the hours between lesson planning and grading that he fits in time to write.
“What We Did To Each Other” focuses on the lives of two first-gen Latinos growing up in the Pacific Northwest, who are forced to navigate assimilation, race, and class. Seventeen-year-old Yesenia, wanting to fit in, dyes her hair blond and dons blue contacts to pass as white at her new school. Guillermo, a classmate, is immediately suspicious of “Jessie” Rivera, the new blond girl in class. The story unfolds as he tugs at the threads of her mystery, and as she realizes she’ll do anything to keep it hidden.
It’s been described on Amazon as “a disturbing yet thought-provoking indictment of the effects of colorism in Latinx communities.”
Though fiction, it’s based on Hernández’s experiences growing up in Oregon. “I’m sure folks from the Tualatin/Tigard area will find a lot of the themes—and locations—familiar,” he said. He was influenced by novels such as Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” and telenovelas such as “La Usurpadora,” where flawed characters with deceptive motivations heavily drive the story.
“It’s a non-traditional coming of age,” Hernández said. “But still relatable. Changing yourself to fit in? You can read about it in classics like ‘The Great Gatsby’ or see it in any school hallway—still even with adults. I’m positive readers of any ilk and age will understand these pressures.”
The book is available in hardcover, E-book, and audiobook, and can be ordered on Bookshop and Amazon. It’s also available at Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and the Tualatin and Tigard libraries.
Hernández will read alongside other authors on March 12th, 7-9 p.m., at Bishop and Wilde Books in Portland.
