I just started reading this book, and this short review only
covers the foreword and introduction. I
usually don’t enjoy reading the foreword and introduction because it
gives/guides too much of the reading process. This happens in poetry books which
I prefer reading in sporadic order.
But in this case I read both and continue thinking much on ideas
which are similar to the concept of the Nuev@ Chican@ Poetics group I participate
in. William Luis, when talking about the ethnically diverse community he was
raised in, says “When I look back, I did not feel comfortable accepting one
identity over another but felt the need to embrace all of my multiple identities”
(ix). Although I didn’t grow up in an
ethnically diverse area (the Rio Grande Valley is comprised of approximately
90% Mexican Americans), I do think of identities as the different types of
Mexican Americans/Mexicans which exist, in particular because of social or
economic status.
In the introduction, the concept is talked about a bit more
by Blas Falconer and Lorraine M. Lopez who wrote “the former [Lorraine M. Lopez]
probes the prejudice emanating from native Chicanos toward those who have
emigrated recently from Mexico, suggesting that there are at least as many ways
to be Chicano as there are to be Latino” (3). If this can be agreed upon then
my questions are “what are these forms of Chicano?” and “What creates these
differences?” Some of the answers may appear obvious, like the nature of a person’s
upbringing. But there’s probably more,
and I’m interested in seeing the influences on identity.
Just some thoughts and as I continue reading I will post
more.
-ic
