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mxunsmiley's review
5.0
Essential reading. I love Brown's lyricism and tenderness. This book has reignited my passion for poetry honestly. It should be enjoyed purely for its artistry and execution, honestly, but of course, it is also a great wake up call for nationalists of all stripes. Brown had already made me question a lot of what I've learned in many of my Mexican-American Studies classes and I really wish they'd include literature like this instead of that of Anzaldua and co. Think about race, its intersection with culture, and how that tricks you into a twisted sense of nationalism. Think about pan-Latinidad and how perhaps it would be better to examine colonization and the notions of empire and empire-building instead of performatively identifying under that label. The very first line of the first poem, "At the End of the Borderlands," should compel you to do that immediately: "we need new origins / countries are killing everyone I love."
cindyisreading's review
4.0
Very deep and emotional 4.5. The way it is written it is beautiful and it communicates the message of each poem beautifully.
hecman111's review
5.0
It wasn’t until recently that I found myself interested in poetry and Brown’s compilation keeps that interest kindled. A challenge to traditional understandings of both Chicanismo and Blackness, each conversation pushed me to rethink what I knew (or arrogantly thought I knew) about both identity and intersectionality. People can be cold, but sometimes family can cut deeper than we thought possible. And home … well, maybe what we think is a welcoming homeland can be the most brutal of all.
cstefko's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Unflinching and thought-provoking. This San Antonian poet examines the legacy of colonialism and migration from the perspective of her own lived experience, wherein her Blackness often put her at odds with her mostly Latinx community. Brown's poems challenge our concepts of borders, belonging, and even family. There's some interesting history in here as well, like the story of Gaspar Yanga.
samanthamurk's review
emotional
informative
reflective
4.75
definitely one i should reread a few times
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Slavery
mossy_bookworm's review
3.0
*3.5
This was another required text for intro to poetry but I enjoyed this a tad more than [b:Citizen: An American Lyric|20613761|Citizen An American Lyric|Claudia Rankine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420944502l/20613761._SX50_.jpg|39895091]. This was shorter in general and the poems mixed history: from documentaries, books, and personal experiences into her poems. She was fairly forward so I understood most of the book, and it was interesting reading about history I was completely unaware of (which is no surprise unfortunately). It was enjoyable, I just don't think it was enough for me to decide to keep it in my personal library. Overall, I'm glad I got to experience it and hear a new point of view.
This was another required text for intro to poetry but I enjoyed this a tad more than [b:Citizen: An American Lyric|20613761|Citizen An American Lyric|Claudia Rankine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1420944502l/20613761._SX50_.jpg|39895091]. This was shorter in general and the poems mixed history: from documentaries, books, and personal experiences into her poems. She was fairly forward so I understood most of the book, and it was interesting reading about history I was completely unaware of (which is no surprise unfortunately). It was enjoyable, I just don't think it was enough for me to decide to keep it in my personal library. Overall, I'm glad I got to experience it and hear a new point of view.
elldell64's review
fast-paced
5.0
Stunning. “Would you fight for those you don’t love to whom you are indebted”