My Own True Name by Pat Mora

Mora, Pat, and Anthony Accardo. My Own True Name. Houston: Pinata Books, 2000. Print. ISBN: 9780329276362.

Brief plot summary:

This book is a collection of poems for young adults by Pat Mora. There are a total of 62 poems, some of which were taken from her previous works and some were written solely for this compilation. The book is divided into three parts: blooms, thorns, and roots. Mora’s poems cover a wide range of topics from “Mango Juice” to “Pushing 100.”

Critical analyses:

Overall impression: Good range of topics, most of which directly incorporate Latino culture and experiences.

My Own True Name will satisfy young adults’ and adults’ craving for Latino-centered poetry. Most of the poems include some Spanish words and, for a few of the poems, she even included both English and Spanish versions. The poems are organized into three parts: blooms, thorns, and roots. According to the back cover, she is “using the cactus plant as her guiding metaphor for our existence.” Also, “[e]ach section opens with a line drawing” of blooms, thorns, and roots respectively “by artist Anthony Accardo.” She covers a variety of topics, so anyone can relate. In the “blooms” section, she shares with readers her fun experiences from growing up in a home full of Latino culture and traditions. She presents poems such as “First Love,” “Ode to Pizza,” and “Graduation Morning.” Using humor and occasional Spanish vocabulary, Mora brings Latino culture to life. For the “thorns” section, she includes poems such as “Fences,” “Two Worlds,” and “Abuelita’s Ache” all of which are connotatively sad. Latinos have faced many issues as a people and Mora uses this section to spotlight these issues. She brings up segregation, racism, bilingualism, immigration, to name a few. In her poem “Two Worlds” she does an especially great job at addressing tough issues. “Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural/American but hyphenated,/ viewed by anglos as perhaps exotic,/ perhaps inferior, definitely different” (39). Lastly, for the “roots” section, she includes poems such as “Tomas Rivera,” Pushing 100,” and “Senior Citizen Trio” all of which emphasize the importance of elders and heritage. Family (despite age gaps) is valued highly in Latino culture and Mora makes this very clear through her poetry. Her poem “A Voice” has a couple of lines that emphasize this: “The family story says your voice is the voice/of an aunt in Mexico, spunky as a peacock./ Family stories sing of what lives in the blood” (75).

 

Review excerpts:

“The rich, symbolic imagery, raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens, and young writers will find inspiration…”

--Booklist, 2000

“The greatest value is the exposure to the Mexican-American culture and traditions.”

--Children’s Literature, 2000

Connections (related books, activities, children’s responses, etc.):

Related readings: Pat Mora’s other teen poetry anthology Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love, other young adult Latino literature (Bless Me, Ultima or The House on Mango Street)

Activities: At the beginning of this book, Mora includes a beautiful letter to her young readers all about writing. This creates the perfect opportunity for librarians/educators to get kids writing for enjoyment. I urge you to read the entire letter, but here are two of my favorite parts:

“...I wish I could talk to you individually. I’d say: Listen to your inside self, your private voice. Respect your thoughts and feelings and ideas.  You--yes, you-- play with sounds. With language(s), explore the wonder of being alive.”

“Writing is my way of knowing myself better, of hearing myself, of discovering what is important to me and what makes me sad, what makes me different, what makes me me-- of discovering my own true name.”