Aunt Carmen's Book of Practical Saints

by Pat Mora

Uses traditional forms in Spanish and English to give voice to Aunt Carmen's private devotion as she prays to the saints

Genres: Poetry

124 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 1997

About the author

Pat Mora (born 1942) is a female Mexican-American author and poet. Pat Mora was born in El Paso, Texas. She is married and has 3 grown children.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I would take this book seriously after the first poem about a future husband, but all-in-all these poems really spoke to me and reminded me of spiritual lessons that I can so quickly forget. One of my favorite lines was "Madre Mía, teach your cranky Carmen the practicality
of beauty, its joyful mystery necessary as bread."

There are some feminist overtones in the poetry that I did not expect.

Includes historical information in the back.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mora is a brilliant poet, and I love her ability to organize an entire volume around a theme such as the saints we worship.

[Georg1991 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! I'll probably read it again. I'm not to good at reading poetry, but I felt just enough of Carmen's character was presented to make it interesting.