A review by jayisreading
How to Pull Apart the Earth by Karla Cordero

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

There are poignant themes in Karla Cordero’s poetry, especially with how they all tie to a deep reflection on her Chicana identity and culture. I admit that the form and stylistic choices of Cordero’s poems didn’t entirely work for me, but I was still able to appreciate the emotion carefully poured into each poem. What I found particularly successful in this collection was her attention to language, particularly her exploration of what it means to lose and inherit language as a part of the Mexican diaspora. I also liked seeing how she explored what it means to be on the border, whether that be in relation to geopolitics or one’s identity. The poem she dedicates to her hometown, “Calexico,” is one that’s worth reading. 
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