Floricanto en Aztlan

A literary treasure that should be in every book lover’s collection.

So happy to have found this classic Chicago poetry book by Alurista for such a great price.

I read this book of poetry decades ago, but it is one I turn to when I want to read poetry again. Many of the poems are bilingual and easily understood in context. The poems are reflective of the turbulent 60's and 70's and offer insight into the history of Mexican Americans, Chicanos, and Mexicans in the inner cities. The themes resonate with many people.

The author writes mainly in poetry, combining English and Spanish, and personally I don't like the combination because I believe doesn't help the Spanish speaking people to keep the two languages separate and then develop the bad habit of speaking spanglish, which I don't agree with.