November 1, 2022
The Rio Grande's gifted young poet Guero (They Call Me Guero, rev. 11/18) continues to render the stark beauty of the Southwest border landscapes and the pain experienced by loved ones in this evocative sequel. This time, the narrative centers on the deportation of Guero's middle-school sweetheart Joanna's (a.k.a. Fregona's) father, Don Adan, and la Fregona's impossible courage que no se raja to protect her family. Guero's poetry bears witness to the community's grief, anger, and activism inspired by the determination to reunify Joanna's family. Readers also see the more tender moments, which lend insight into the emotional landscape of Guero's young love for Joanna as it grows in maturity. Throughout, Bowles develops the plot using multiple poetic forms -- sijo, linked sestains, sonnets, sedka, rubaiyat quatrains. He also includes Chicano calo -- a linguistic form and argot of Chicanx and Mexican Southwestern people -- by incorporating Guero's and his friend Bobby Lee's Korean/Spanish slang. Guero embraces this mix of tradition and contemporary youth culture by, for example, dedicating his band's rendition of the classic Norteno corrido "El Palomito" to Don Adan, who like la palomita is apart from those who yearn for his return. A glossary of terms is appended. Lettycia Terrones
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