Book Review for MY OWN TRUE NAME: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS FOR YOUNG ADULTS by Pat Mora

Book Review by Allie Davis

MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 2000. My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults. Houston: Pinata Books. ISBN 9781558852921

Connect with the Author 
http://www.patmora.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Pat Mora's poems and prose have long been read and loved, and in this poetical anthology, she has gathered poems that she especially feels will be meaningful to young adult readers. She has an extraordinary gift with words, and many of her poems have received acclaim and awards throughout her writing career.  She has gathered many of these poems together again from other works and included several new poems, as well, in My Own True Name, an anthology of identity. The poetry novel is broken into three separate sections with each section taking on aspects of a cactus, the image on the front cover.  Section One, "Blooms," contains poetry that is inspirational and fun.  The themes in these poems are related to growing and maturing, becoming a better person.  The poems in Section Two, "Thorns," contain topics that are more heartbreaking such as poverty, ostracization, and immigration.  Finally, Section Three, "Roots" envelop the theme of history and heritage of people of the southwest, Indians, Hispanics, etc. The three sections open with a simple painting done in black and white lines by Anthony Accardo. These three art pieces are self-explanatory to the titles.  One is a desert cactus bloom, another is mesquite thorns, and the last one is a mass of tangled roots, woven together, which in my opinion, symbolize the many mixed and entwined bloodlines of the people of the southwest.  
     Mora's poems lack an identified narrator, containing a speaker who touches on many aspects of life.  Since we teach our students in literature classes that the speaker cannot necessarily be identified as the author of the poem, we cannot say that Mora is the specific speaker in these poems, but it is safe to say that she has probably experienced many, if not all, of what she is writing about.  We see authentic poems from a bicultural perspective on topics such as parties, a first love, the beach, and the desert.  All of these poems contain elements of both the Hispanic culture and the American culture.  Some poems contain Spanish words, phrases, and historical elements that are explained in footnotes.  Other poems are told in both English and Spanish versions.  And since they are written by a Latina writer, the poetry itself contains no references to stereo-typical ideals which might be present if told by a writer from outside the Hispanic culture.  The experiences are personal, identifiable and experience-able by a wide array of people, not just ones who share the speaker's voice.  Even though some contain sad topics, the book itself is upbeat and inspirational without bias or prejudice.  It is meant to be pleasurable , historical, and savored by all readers, regardless of their cultural background. 
     The setting of most of these poems can be identified as the American southwest or Mexico.  Most poems allude to some aspect of the southwest such as the desert, cactus plants, red peppers, or other hints of this geography. A few even mention specific places such as "For Georgia O'Keeffe which mentions Texas or "1910" which mentions Juarez and the Rio Grande.  Overall, the extended metaphor of the cactus plant as our existence is easily identifiable throughout the entire work.
       As mentioned previously, many Hispanic cultural values exist within the 62 poems comprised in My Own True Name.  It is rich in both traditional and modern features of the Hispanic culture.  We see traditional folklore such as the legend of the poinsettia, traditional dress such as the black veils and dresses worn by rich women of the west, but we also see elements of modern times such as the pizza poem, "Ode to Pizza," or "Teenagers." There is literally something that everyone of every age can identify with.  The depictions painted in the text of these poems will leave the reader with a deep sense of what it is like to be in the southwest portion of the Americas, whether it is North America or South America.  
     Informal and conversational in structure, even readers who don't really care for the genre of poetry will find these poems easy to understand and interpret.  Because of this reason, I firmly feel like this is an anthology that should be in every school library, if not every high school literature classroom.  

EXCERPT from "The Desert Is My Mother" by Pat Mora in My Own True Name
...
I say heal me.
She gives me chamomile, oregano, peppermint.

I say caress me.
She strokes my skin with her warm breath.

I say make me beautiful.
She offers turquoise for my fingers,
   a pink blossom for my hair.
...

AWARDS  

• The New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age List, 2001
• Tayshas High School Reading List, Texas Library Association, 2001 
• Finalist, Writers’ League of Texas, 2001
• "Teenagers" from My Own True Name was featured on The Writer's Almanac; November 29, 2012. 

• Booklist, "Interlaced with Mexican phrases and cultural symbols, these powerful selections, representing more than 15 tears of work, address bicultural life and the meaning of family.  Mora speaks very much from an adult perspective, but her poems are about universal experiences--the pleasures of eating pizza and mago, and the cultural significance of both; the wrenching experience of witnessing poverty. Mixed in are personal poems that ask the vital question, "Where am I from?" more directly.  Mora answers in poems that reach back through her own experiences with motherhood (specifically mothering teenagers) and across generations to the landscape of her ancestors. The rich, symbolic imagery, raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens, and young writers will find inspiration..." (C) March 15, 2000.
• Voice of Youth Advocates, "A symbol of survival and a metaphor for life itself, the hardy cactus plant serves as the inspirational touchstone in this acclaimed Mexican American writer's latest anthology of poems.  In three sections, "Blooms," "Thorns," and "Roots," Mora celebrates her rich bilingual heritage, deep love for her desert environment, and passion for language, both English and Spanish..." (C) December 1, 2000.
• School Library Journal, "...She has chosen poems with themes that are accessible to, yet challenging for teens, a few of which appear in both English and Spanish.  Occasional footnotes explain historical references or Spanish phrases. The introduction encourages young writers, as do the poems themselves.  This anthology speaks to a young adult audience, and it should find many readers." (C) July 1, 2000.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to poetry, teenagers, motherhood, the Southwest, Mexican Culture/heritage, and the desert.

http://www.patmora.com/books/my-own-true-name/
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=13459
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/my-own-true-name-by-pat-mora/
https://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session1/lessonplan1.html

• Divide class into 3 groups and have groups analyze poems in each of the 3 sections to find its "theme."
• Have each student identify with a specific poem and then write their own poem using the same topic as their chosen poem. (The poems in this anthology are all identity poems.) 
• Write a letter to someone in which they write about an emotional event that has happened to them.

Other Pat Mora titles to read:

• Confeti; ISBN  1584302704
• Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!; ISBN 1600602673
• Book Fiesta; ISBN 0061288780

Gather more Latino poetry titles:

·       Carlson, Lori Marie and Oscar Hijuelos. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States.  ISBN 1250016789

·       Engle, Margarita and Rafael Lopez. Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics .  ISBN: 080598763
·       Ada, Alma Flor and F. Isabel Campoy.  Yes! We Are Latinas: Poems and Prose About the Latino Experience.  ASIN: 001CBLR15M