Healing Earthquakes

by Jimmy Santiago Baca

Combining a stunning lyrical intensity with a profound exploration of the human soul, Healing Earthquakes uses poetry to conjure a romance, from beginning to end. Jimmy Santiago Baca introduces us to a man and woman before they are acquainted and re-creates their first meeting, falling in love, their decision to make a family, the eventual realization of each other's irreconcilable faults, the resulting conflicts, the breakup and hostility, and, finally, their transcendence of the bitterness and resentment. Throughout the relationship we are privy to the couple's astonishing range of emotions: the anguish of loneliness, the heady rush of new love, the irritations and joys of raising children, the difficulties in truly knowing someone, the doldrums of breakup, and so on. It is impossible not to identify with these characters and to recognize one's own experience in theirs.

As he weaves this story, Baca explores many of his traditional themes: the beauty and cruelty of the desert lands where he has spent much of his life, the grace and wisdom of animals, the quiet dignity of life on small Chicano farms. This is an extraordinary work from one of our finest poets.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Banned Books

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2001

About the author

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

Reviews

[Nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book but not for the reasons why I love almost all other books I love. For this one, it was in the effect. The words are an elixir.

I found myself lost to the plot line most of the time while reading through, but the thing was, I hardly cared. I was so taken by the symphony of the poetry I found myself just dancing along the words, spinning, realizing that what was actually happening didn't even matter. It was a tragic affair those two had and that is sad, but I'm glad he found his peace under the stars and out in the wild desert ranges.

Baca's writing is so ripe with imagery you just follow along in wonder and awe. It's lovely book.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful. At parts, too sexually graphic for me. The first and last movements are by far the most moving and i find myself re-reading to feel understood by a poet i've never met.

[Freddy Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Power work by one of the great masters of metaphor, Jimmy Santiago Baca. This collection is poignant and gritty with a touch of barrio grace and the thread of working class hurt sewn about.

[Brian Wasserman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of his best. The poems are not well thought out, basically confessional style poems with simple prose, lacks the stunning metaphors of black mesa poems. Through out it just sounds like he is talking to us, when in earlier poetry collections he connected to his reader on a deeper spiritual level.

[Alekhya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the writings of a poet who has been through immense pain in his lifetime and what makes his book so special is that you can feel his pain through his writings.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it because I moved out but it was good and made me reflect a lot on faith and community.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passionate and lyric and imaginative- and I love that he spent time in prison and found God there- although his writing never never becomes preachy or even evangelical. In fact, he was raised in the Catholic church and is critical of much that he learned there. Hopeful and intensely painful at the same time- which is perhaps the only honest way to come to hope.

[Alekhyasajja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book so much. It's probably one my favorite poetry books ever! I came across Jimmy when I was searching for poets similar to Sylvia Plath, now Idk how similar they both are but I discovered a great poet for sure. I like that he doesn't over complicate words and just writes the way he feels, it feels like he feels all of it and that's a great indication of good writing.

[Meg Tuite · Rating 5 out of 5]

KILLER! This collection has beer stains on it, coffee stains, bitten by dogs and underlined, highlighted, dog-eared! Get IT! He will run you through the gamut of extreme emotions from tears to WTF! YES, I say, YES!