When Living Was a Labor Camp

by Diana García

"I write what I eat and smell," says Diana García, and her words are a bountiful harvest. Her poems color the page with the vibrancy and sweetness of figs, the freshness of tortillas, and the sensuality of language.

In this, García's first collection of poems, she takes a bittersweet look back at the migrant labor camps of California and offers a tribute to the people who toiled there. Writing from the heart of California's San Joaquin Valley, she catapults the reader into the lives of the campesinos with their daily joys and sorrows.

Bold, political, and familial, García's poems gift the reader with a sense of earth, struggle, and pride—each line filled with the sounds of agrarian music, from mariachi melodies to repatriation revolts. Embodied with such spirit, her poems rise with the convictions of power and equality

Genres: Poetry, Banned Books

105 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

About the author

Diana Garcia (b. San Joaquin Valley, 1950) is a Latina poet. She was raised in Merced, California. She graduated from San Diego State University with an MFA. She teaches at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Reviews

[Donna Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, powerful glimpse into the life of migrant workers. As a descendent of a former migrant workers, I loved the personal journey I felt. Diana Garcia's words are sharp, captivating, and visual.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book combines bold political poetry with smart pacing and sharp code switching to produce a volume that tracks the speaker's experience over the course of many lifetimes and different viewpoints. More than anything I really appreciate that the stories unfold in their own time and place with sharp images and clear tones that nail down the point without having to hammer you in the head.

[Endira77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing how much of the cultural and emotional life you can capture in a collection of poetry!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb work in this volume opening poetic windows in the lives of migrant laborers and poor Latinos, dealing with love and grief, awe and gratitude, of course, and with racism and exploitation.

[Karen]

This writing was banned by Arizona schools.

[Dan Natulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's amazing story..