Synopses & Reviews
"How many bad lovers have gotten poems? How many crushes? No disrespect to romantic love — but what about our friends? Those homies who are there all along — cheering for us and reminding us that love is abundant."
In this groundbreaking collection of poems, José Olivarez explores every kind of love — self, brotherly,
romantic, familial, cultural. Grappling with the contradictions of the American Dream with unflinching
humanity, he lays bare the ways in which "love is complicated by forces larger than our hearts."
Whether readers enter this collection in English or via the Spanish translation by poet David Ruano, these
extraordinary poems are sure to become beloved for their illuminations of life — and love.
"¿Cuántas malas parejas han inspirado poemas? ¿Cuántos crush es? Sin faltarle el respeto al amor romántico — pero ¿qué hay de los amigos? Esos compas que están ahí todo el tiempo — animándonos y recordándonos que elamor es abundante".
En esta innovadora colección de poemas, José Olivarez explora cada tipo de amor — el propio, fraternal, romántico, familiar, cultural. Lidiando con las contradicciones del sueño americano, con una humanidad inquebrantable, deja al descubierto las maneras en que "el amor se va complicando por fuerzas más grandes que nuestros corazones".
Ya sea que los lectores entren a esta colección en inglés o a partir de la traducción al español del poeta David Ruano, estos extraordinarios poemas serán amados seguramente por sus iluminaciones sobre el amor y la vida.
Review
"Details grounded in the everyday world capture great fulfillment….The poet's sensitive and insightful voice allows these stirring poems to successfully explore the forces acting on love in a complex world." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"The truth is: Technically, I don't understand poetry. I never have. I miss everything in it. It's a language I can't process. And, for me anyway, that's what makes José special. Because when he writes poetry, I don't need to understand it — at least, not in the traditional sense — because I FEEL it. I feel his words under my fingertips like velvet. I feel his words in my chest like I'm looking at a painting that moves me in a way I can't fully explain. And, again, for me anyway, that's more important." Shea Serrano, bestselling author of Hip Hop (And Other Things)
Review
"Glistening….Olivarez elevates small but notable moments through a sensitive, introspective speaker who must learn tough lessons on the streets of Calumet City.” Booklist (Starred Review)
About the Author
José Olivarez is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. It was named a top book of 2018 by the Adroit Journal, NPR, and the New York Public Library. Along with Felicia Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he coedited the poetry anthology The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext. He cohosts the poetry podcast The Poetry Gods.