As has happened to me before with more modern poetry in general, portions of this collection may have eluded my grasp. But I gradually realized that, by reading each twice, I ended up enjoying them overall! The book is divided roughly into quarter parts (with overlaps): 1) social commentary from a Chicano perspective; 2) human bonds of family, love and lust; 3) loneliness, longing & disillusionment; 4) identity -- notably Mexican-American.
My favorite among these entries might be "Change" -- a call to resist complacency. Another favorite is "Aztec Love," with romantic desire pictured via images of mythology and even human sacrifice. "South Texas Reservation" is another that I strongly liked! "WMD Brain Freeze" initially seemed political, but jarred a smile out of me with its conclusion drawing my attention to "beautiful skies" above "mushroom cloud trees."
I suppose if I have any gripe with this collection, it would be the choice of words at certain times (breath/breathe), though I wonder if it was intentional on the poet's part. My least favorite of the entries would be "Bush Era Love," partly due to its – um -- harsh language; yet even that one surprised me once I realized that, rather than attacking government leaders, it's actually suggesting how our human bent for war might be placated by lovemaking!
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