Immigrants in Our Own Land & Selected Early Poems

by Jimmy Santiago Baca

Immigrants in Our Own Land & Selected Early Poems  is a new, expanded edition of Jimmy Santiago Baca's best-selling first book of poetry (originally published by Louisiana State University Press in 1979). A number of poems from early, now unavailable chapbooks have also been included so that the reader can at last have an overview of Baca's remarkable literary development. Immigrants in Our Own Land & Selected Early Poems  is a new, expanded edition of Jimmy Santiago Baca's best-selling first book of poetry (originally published by Louisiana State University Press in 1979). A number of poems from early, now unavailable chapbooks have also been included so that the reader can at last have an overview of Baca's remarkable literary development. The voice of Immigrants  will be familiar to readers of the widely praised  Martín & Meditations on the South Valley  and  Black Mesa Poems  (New Directions, 1987 and 1989), but the territory may not be. Most of the poems in this collection were written while the author was in prison, where he taught himself to read and write. All the poems are concerned with the incarcerated or the disenfranchised; they all communicate the sting from the backhand of the American promise. As Denise Levertov has noted, Baca "is far from being a naive realist," but of poverty and prejudice, of material that is truly raw, he "writes in unconcealed passion."

Genres: Poetry, The United States Of America, Banned Books, Social Justice

86 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Jimmy Santiago Baca of Apache and Chicano descent is an American poet and writer.

Reviews

[Miguel Vega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jimmy Santiago Baca is absolutely one of my new favorite poets and writers. Having learned to read and write while in prison, Baca's collection centers around the lived experienced of the incarcerated and the disenfranchised.

"they give me no shower, so I live with my smell,
they separate me from my brothers, so I live without brothers,
who understands me when I say this is beautiful?
who understands me when I say I have found other freedoms?" (84).

Cannot wait to continue reading his work this year.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume was so intense that it took me a long time to read it. I mean that in a good way, as there was only so much one could absorb at one time. I have used some of the poems in a prison writing group and they resonate in that environment so strongly. Jimmy has the voice of people the wider culture tend to purposefully overlook and I am so grateful I found this little book.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baca writes with the power of knowing something important that not many people know, and they can't talk about it. Count-time is when the prisoners are counted, and this poem is about the lights-out count-time. I hope you will never know.

[Nikki Coffelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

would actually give this collection 3.5 stars. a bit gutwrenching to read, this book is important-- an essential reminder to the amnesiac in each of us who would rather forget the atrocities inflicted upon and by our ancestors and the restless and displaced spirits who have and continue to walk the ground beneath our feet. being reminded of the immortality and spaciousness of the human soul, even under the most enslaved and atrocious conditions, was much appreciated.

[Mori Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a beautiful and impactful read— it sucks you right into thought and metaphor and clear cold facts, there’s no bullshit besides what was given and in a world where bs is shoved in people’s faces all day everyday, it’s truly extraordinary to really feel the way Baca twists it into something heartfelt and beautiful

I feel strung like a puppet, all the little red strings of this collection tucked and added onto all the other strings of what i’ve consumed, but these brimming red ones will stick out when i need to give them a pull

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful and heartbreaking poetry volume. The author wrote many of these poems while incarcerated, and the stories and themes woven throughout are indicative of that. I did find myself wanting more, but that’s not such a bad place to be.

I’d recommend this to fans of contemporary poetry and those that seek out unique perspectives. TW for incarceration.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really moved by what he had to say about grief, about society and imprisonment and the way things could be. These poems are full of gorgeous, evocative imagery and fantasizes about the way things could be instead. His stories of survival and self-knowledge are important for any lover of poetry to read.

[JTGlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

He tells his and other stories through poems...

My favorites and for future teaching reference:
So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs From Americans
The New Warden
I Am With Those
I Am Offering This Poem

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ability to use words in what is a beautiful way to describe his experiences in prison yet express his hope.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for If Lady LIberty Could See Us Now
By Emma Lazarus, Karen Finneyfrock and
Jimmy Santiago Baca

[Bingustini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the setting of many of the poems in this collection is dark, the book is filled with a very authentic optimism and appreciation. I wouldn't describe the writing as ornate or flowery, but it is certainly beautiful. Even in describing loss and yearning, Baca evokes a sense of the grandness of the world, that such pain is possible because there are things worth mourning and worth persevering for.

This book was my introduction to Baca's poetry, so I can't provide any comparison to his other collections. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who has connected with poems in the past but finds that many poetry books you crack open feel tedious to find meaning in. Baca demonstrates a great ability to evoke the senses. It is amazing that many of these were written in prison given that reading them so often gave me the sense of breathing the cool air of a vast and open world.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"love me in a way that is suited to you. if you must build walls, then build them. you are free to do as you wish.
all people in life are. i will not supplicate others not to do what they are doing. each wall is different
and each person is different, but they are never so high that the sunshine will not enter inside. try like hell,
and still the sunshine will enter them."
—i am who i am

my friend tuck gave me this book as a gift, a signed copy he found at a used bookstore, after i defended my master's thesis which involves a lot of baca. jimmy's warmth & hope brings me to tears.

[eleanor]

Read for school.

Poetry isn't my forte but wow wow wow did Baca really force you to think about incarceration, loneliness, ecology, and self in such a beautiful way. He really uses these words (the book) as his form of protest and there is so much to unpack here. His use of metaphor was phenomenal. I could go on and on but truly as someone who really struggles with poetry, I loved this collection.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal, raw, scathing, beautiful. I stumbled upon Santiago Baca at the library and am instantly in love with his work. The majority of these poems were written during his time in prison, and all the pain and hope of that time burns through Jimmy's words. I highly recommend it to any fan of poetry, and I look forward to exploring Santiago Baca's work further.

[Malcolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutality of prison life, but the beauty of the human soul on pulp.