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balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Contemporary poetry is always a hard read for me - I'm one of those weirdos who actually likes rhyme schemes, poetic forms, etc - but this collection from Urrea is wonderful. Bleak, hopeful, brutal, sarcastic, truthful, and one 22page poem about a bowling alley (or his dad?). Several poems are entirely in Spanish, I was able to pick through them but I definitely missed things in those poems.
I heard echoes of things I've heard him say during interviews. Beautiful
I heard echoes of things I've heard him say during interviews. Beautiful
dcmr's review
4.0
Great range of style and a fresh voice.
Favorite poems:
- Listen
- Typewriter
- 48 Roadsongs (flash poems while driving 1-70, etc)
- Definition
Favorite poems:
- Listen
- Typewriter
- 48 Roadsongs (flash poems while driving 1-70, etc)
- Definition
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
5.0
An exquisite collection by Luis Alberto Urrea.
There was some very heavy and disturbing material in the first couple of poems (human trafficking, abuse), and l proceeded cautiously - but many other poems are lighter in nature: landscapes, travel, and observations. The sprawling "16Lanes" details growing up, bowling alleys, and his father.
Majority of the poems are in English, a few in Spanish. Urrea is a superb writer and I'm looking forward to reading his novels and literary nonfiction.
There was some very heavy and disturbing material in the first couple of poems (human trafficking, abuse), and l proceeded cautiously - but many other poems are lighter in nature: landscapes, travel, and observations. The sprawling "16Lanes" details growing up, bowling alleys, and his father.
Definition
Illegal alien, adj./n.
A term by which
An invading colonial force
Vilifies
Indigenous cultures
By identifying them as
An invading colonial force
Majority of the poems are in English, a few in Spanish. Urrea is a superb writer and I'm looking forward to reading his novels and literary nonfiction.
sarahbowman101's review against another edition
4.0
I love Urrea’s fiction and nonfiction so thought I’d give his poetry a try for National Poetry Month. This collection was a little difficult As it is diverse in terms of subject and even narrator. He also pushes more on language and format. And while there were many poems that I didn’t feel like I really understood, a few were really memorable too.
I really enjoyed ‘Typewriter’, which was about dreams of becoming a writer and who is allowed to have that dream. In the same vein, I really liked ‘Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never be in a Poem’ as an argument about who poetry is for and what it can be about. The themes of power, class, race, language and identity in these two poems felt empowering and a bit sad too.
‘Skunks’ was about heartbreak – it was poignant and irreverent and totally sounded like Urrea at his best. ‘Song of Praise’ is a gorgeous ode to nature that was surprisingly sweet and evocative.
I really enjoyed ‘Typewriter’, which was about dreams of becoming a writer and who is allowed to have that dream. In the same vein, I really liked ‘Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never be in a Poem’ as an argument about who poetry is for and what it can be about. The themes of power, class, race, language and identity in these two poems felt empowering and a bit sad too.
‘Skunks’ was about heartbreak – it was poignant and irreverent and totally sounded like Urrea at his best. ‘Song of Praise’ is a gorgeous ode to nature that was surprisingly sweet and evocative.
gitli57's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
3.5
Like many writers who are labeled "LatinX", Luis Urrea is fully aware of his Indios heritage. He has a solid Indigenous sensibility and world view, so I really tend to identify with a lot of what he has to say. The Hummingbird's Daughter and Queen of the North are way up my list of favorite novels ever.
But I have mixed feelings about Tijuana Book of the Dead. Since I share his world view, I totally get Urrea's sense of hurt and outrage. And this is certainly filled with honest emotion. But it often seems self-conscious in a way his novels never do. There are several litany poems, for example, that fall flat for me. Overall, I connect with the emotion more than the poetry itself. But that is just me the first time through. Since it is Urrea, I'm sure I will go around again at some point.
If you enjoy the work of Juan Felipe Herrera, you might like this as well. I suspect that Herrera is an important poet for Urrea.
But I have mixed feelings about Tijuana Book of the Dead. Since I share his world view, I totally get Urrea's sense of hurt and outrage. And this is certainly filled with honest emotion. But it often seems self-conscious in a way his novels never do. There are several litany poems, for example, that fall flat for me. Overall, I connect with the emotion more than the poetry itself. But that is just me the first time through. Since it is Urrea, I'm sure I will go around again at some point.
If you enjoy the work of Juan Felipe Herrera, you might like this as well. I suspect that Herrera is an important poet for Urrea.
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