This was a pretty good overview of Victor Hernandez Cruz's early work. Nothing substitutes reading the original books for context, though, and I wish this volume came with a more rigorous introduction (what you get here are 2 pages of adulation from the publisher). Cruz has an excellent ear for the way language sounds and his wordplay reflects that. I wasn't as taken with a lot of the poems included here as I was with Mainland but that might be an issue of context. ( )

This was a pretty good overview of Victor Hernandez Cruz's early work. Nothing substitutes reading the original books for context, though, and I wish this volume came with a more rigorous introduction (what you get here are 2 pages of adulation from the publisher). Cruz has an excellent ear for the way language sounds and his wordplay reflects that. I wasn't as taken with a lot of the poems included here as I was with Mainland but that might be an issue of context. ( )