Rudy Ruiz has authored numerous books, short stories, columns, and research studies.

Past Books

7 for the Revolution

Seven characters. Seven stories that capture uniquely American slices of the Latino immigrant experience. Seven explorations of humanity, longing, suffering and hope that beckon for America to reconsider and revolutionize its views of immigrants and immigration. Rudy Ruiz’s fiction debut garnered four International Latino Book Awards, including Best Popular Fiction Book and The Mariposa Prize for Best First Book – Fiction.

Dillydoun Prize Anthology

The Dillydoun Prize Anthology is a collection of outstanding short stories from the winners and honorable mentions of the 2021 Dillydoun Review International Fiction Prize. Rudy Ruiz is one of 13 authors included in this thought-provoking book.

Going Hungry

Here, collected for the first time, 19 writers describe their eating disorders from the distance of recovery, exposing as never before the anorexic’s self-enclosed world. Taking up issues including depression, genetics, sexuality, sports, religion, fashion and family, these essays examine the role anorexia plays in a young person’s search for direction. Powerful and immensely informative, this collection makes accessible the mindset of a disease that has long been misunderstood.

¡Adelante!

In this book Rudy Ruiz lays out his recommended path to success in America for Latino immigrants. Focusing on the importance of education, the concept of professional development, and financial literacy, Ruiz draws from his own experiences growing up along the US-Mexico border, earning his degrees at Harvard, and succeeding as a social entrepreneur to lay out actionable paths towards the American Dream for immigrants in search of a better life.

Short Stories

OBLIVIOUS

“This COVID-era story was selected as a Finalist for the 2020 Texas Observer Short Story Award.”

COFFEE PORT ROAD

“This is one of the best stories I have ever read. It stayed with me psychologically, and I am therefore transformed as a reader. This is the gift all readers desire and look for in literature.” -Dr. Francine Richter, Editor, New Texas

THE LIMES

Another installment from Rudy Ruiz’s border bildungsroman, published in New Texas, “The Limes” was selected as a Finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters 2020 Best Short Story Award.

PORTS OF ENTRY

Read the opening chapter from Rudy Ruiz’s border bildungsroman. Published in the literary journal, New Texas, “Ports of Entry” follows a father and son as they help a mother and daughter cross the border in search of medical care.

VEXING GIFTS

Imagine a world where Trump’s border wall is built and xenophobia spirals out of control. This is the foreboding vision border native Rudy Ruiz explores in “Vexing Gifts,” published in the Summer/Fall 2018 issue of the Notre Dame Review.

THAT BOY COULD RUN

Check out the winner of the 2017 Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction. This coming-of-age story is one in a series about a boy growing up on the border. Eventually, the stories will come together as a novel, a border bildungsroman.

No Splash

Read Rudy Ruiz’s short story, an excerpt from his upcoming novel inspired by the work of Latino artist Ramiro Gomez. “No Splash” was published in the University of Illinois’ Pushcart Prize-winning literary journal, The Ninth Letter.

A LONE-STARRED STATE

Rudy Ruiz explores the complexity of a border family’s relationships when one sibling outshines the other in “A Lone-Starred State,” published by BorderSenses.

Columns

This is the worst election, ever

Donald Trump, not Jorge Ramos, should be ejected

Shift U.S. priorities closer to home

Frum offensive on Mexican immigrants

Undocumented immigrants offer U.S. a shot of optimism

Peace in fashion, but only as a hip symbol

The day my name got changed

Get a conscience, not a costume

Keep America’s ‘store’ open to immigrants

A fat tax is a healthy idea

Obama as teacher-in-chief

Open your minds, America

Tragic neglect of immigration

War on drugs is over. What’s next?

Studies

Raise the Torch

From 2008 to 2012, Ruiz served as Founder & Editor-in-Chief of RedBrownandBlue.com, a website featuring multicultural commentary on social and political issues. Via Red, Brown & Blue, Ruiz spearheaded the development and implementation of an unprecedented survey of undocumented Latino immigrants, capturing their mindset, aspirations and commitment to partaking in the American Dream.

DON’T BE FOOLED: THE TRUTH ABOUT SUGARY DRINKS

Via Interlex, in partnership with the University of Washington and University of Pennsylvania, Rudy Ruiz contributed as a co-author of this research study regarding the impact of countermarketing on the consumption of sugary fruit drinks. The study was published in November 2021 by the American Journal of Public Health.

How Sweet It Is

Via Interlex, in partnership with Yale University, Ruiz co-authored a study on perceptions and attitudes surrounding sugary drinks and their impact on obesity. The study helped establish “sugary drinks” as a common term among nutrition advocates nationwide.