"Someday, our island's future
will be as powerful
as an elephant,
because souls, the poet
assures us, have no color,
and our shared hopes can rise up
to soar across any ocean
or border.". page 60

I loved the concept, and the writing was good, but almost every poem was by a different character. It was very confusing keeping up with who was whole when some of them were mentioned again in later poems. I didn't feel anything for most of the characters somce they only had one poem each. I think this book would've been more impactful if the author had chosen a few characters (and historical figures) to write poems about instead of introducing a new character in nearly every poem.

Also, I'm not sure what I was expecting (or if I mixed this book up with another one) but I was under the impression that the poems would actually be written by diferent Latino authors. ( )

A very interesting compilation of Hispanic history from the 1400s to modern day America. Insight into the life of the conqueror and the conquered. The reminder that these Latin American countries hated their neighbors. That there are other peoples (besides African Americans) who suffered abuses of power and segregation.

I feel I want to discover more! For readers who need a nonfiction text, this is an excellent choice! Fantastic author behind this work. All of the different points of view worked. And really are necessary for an accurate tale to be told. ( )

I gained understanding - both knowledge and perspective- of the history and people of hispanic cultures in the area currently the United States. The perspectives include people from indigenous cultures, mexican, puerto-rican, and people with varied backgrounds. However, as poetry, I didn't particularly like the writing. ( )

The author uses poetry to provide a glimpse of Latino history in the U.S., through the voices of fictional characters and real historical figures. It begins with the voices of Taino Indians in th 15th century and progresses through the centuries to current day. Revolutions, refugees, wars, enslavement, colonization, and higher aspirations all get treatment here. Readers see U.S. history through an uncommon lens, including smaller moments that may have turned out to be significant. I did find the poems about real people more compelling than the fictional ones. ( )