Hermosa

by Yesika Salgado

WINNER, THE JUAN FELIPE HERRERA BEST POETRY BOOK AWARD OF THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARDS Hermosa is the path to becoming one’s own home. A thread pulled when Salgado thinks about who she is and who she has been. Beyond the survival, grief, and fight, Hermosa lives in the small moments hidden beneath it all. A journey of firsts, of mistakes, of celebrations, of the love, the crush, the disaster, the rebuilding, and the never-ending cycle of growth.

Genres: Poetry, Feminism, Womens, Romance, Latin American, Nonfiction, Latinx

82 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2019

Reviews

[Meghan Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this beautiful book in a few hours time after I found it on the “recommended poetry” shelf at Powell’s. I read “Corazón” by Yesika last year & absolutely adored it, so I knew I had to read this too! Even if I still have yet to read Tesoro! This book was a masterpiece. I enjoyed every page & really appreciate Yesika’s utter honesty & ability to dive right in to any “taboo” word or topic with ease. She explored death, grief, sex, alcoholism, & much more in this & I loved every bit! I’m also encapsulated in her words & how they paint a story. She brings me back to LA & writes about that town the way a true native does. She speaks on gentrification, being brown & being pushed out of places, remembering spots the way they were, & unleashes the honesty of what they have become. Thank you to Yesika always for her writing! I dream of the day I see her do slam poetry live.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

as its predecessors, this conclusion to salgado's poetry trilogy is a bright, beautiful little jewel of grief.

this one is the saddest of the three. there is the raw, unflinching romantic heartbreak i remember from salgado's other work. but there's also anguish over her father's alcoholism and her loss of him, grief over her infertility, and pain of gentrification and the uncontrollable changes to her familiar stomping grounds. the heart breaks in so many different ways here.

my favorite pieces are "the jacaranda tree" and "memorization." both are drenched in a bittersweet nostalgia, the yearning for a familiar home.

i'm glad i waited a few years to finally finish this trilogy, because i am a different me now, and i read it with different eyes. i really love the intensity of salgado's work, the way she loves hard and grieves hard.

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the trilogy, this book of poems spoke to me most of the city I love and the feelings of heartbreak related to love and family. I also was able to attend a reading by Yesika which made the poems come alive hearing them spoken by her. She is active in the LA poetry community so I highly recommend attending a reading.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25!

some poems didn't leave me with much emotional response but i appreciate how los angeles this collection is, especially as someone who lives abroad now. i definitely plan on revisiting this during a future breakup bc i know it's gonna wreck me. i'm not usually a poetry person but this was a really wonderful collection! will definitely be checking out corazon and tesoro (read this in the wrong order i think but i couldn't resist)

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like her last work, Hermosa offers clear, honest prose. I found Hermosa easy to access with poems on love, heartbreak, and life's expectations. A good read for anybody who is looking for a contemporary writer of poetry.

[Beck Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm feverish this evening so instead of trying to come up with something coherent I'll just share a part of one of my favorite poems, "The Jacaranda Tree"

(this is just a part of the poem to exemplify just how gorgeous and visceral Yesika's writing is.. and because it spoke to me)

"somewhere to burn sage
mangos and avocados on my table
couches soft as a lover's belly
[windows] tear-streaked on rainy afternoons
candles I light when I am joyful or melancholy
most of all I want to find a home that isn't you / isn't us / isn't that quiet room where we died"

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly thought I would fall in love with Salgado’s poetry but I didn’t find that connection. I felt we were similar in certain aspects. There were definitely some poems I did love but only a handful. I rate this book three stars because I love the way she loves her city. How she paints a perfect picture of what it is like to look around and not recognize your home anymore. I’m looking forward to reading Corazón next. Hoping I have a better connection with the next read.

[Julia ☂︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

a fist of a girl with eyes big as a wailing mouth

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enamored with these poems.

[Nelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this! I would say I really liked about 2/3 of the poems in here

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was stunning. I love her use of imagery and felt I was right in the middle of each one of her poems. I’m looking forward to reading her other works.

[Rachel Van Amburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection/love letter to Los Angeles by my favorite poet. So grateful for Yesika.

[Quincy Warkentin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jacob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salgado does not shy away from the painful or uncomfortable, each poem is an emotional look at the wide variety experiences that shape a person. My brain is too foggy lately to give anything more than that

[cassidy h · Rating 4 out of 5]

a love letter to los angeles (a place i've never been, but really hope to within the next year) that's so full of imagery i could picture the jacarandas and hot dog stands and long bus rides in the heat. i definitely don't have poetry brain cells but regardless this was super enjoyable!!

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesika Salgado, you’ve done it again 😔 how do you capture certain moments so beautifully, gaaaah! love!

[Angélica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...I try / not to cry / because / my tears / are like blood / to a shark / and he is a shark / in the deepest / part of night / my name caught in his jaws / there is so much yelling / I wonder why the police / haven't been called / so much anger / I fear / the sun / won't rise / in time / to save us..."

some of my favorite poems were hexed, barren, coven, reservoir, the jacaranda tree, ever after, dark humor, and the trick!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

These poems were just okay; I didn't find anything new, interesting, subversive, playful, or especially beautiful about any of them. None really knocked me out, but "The Almost Death" came close. I do love the sentence, powerful in truncation: "are you/not/alive?" It's a reminder worth repeating. Also the cover art is absolutely stunning!

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't imagine spending my little talent on writing about men. Every poem was some cheesy ass soap opera, girl move on. There are bigger things to write about it.

[Ivania Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hermosa by Yesika Salgado is a book that spoke directly to my heart. Through her powerful words, Salgado explores the complexities of the city, her personal journey, her relationships, and the trauma she has experienced. What struck me the most was Salgado's fearlessness in baring her soul on the pages of this book. It was incredibly liberating to witness her unapologetically express herself and shed light on the significance of this empowering act. Her ability to exist and love without constraints was both inspiring and refreshing.

One aspect that particularly resonated with me was Salgado's exploration of the city through the lens of the metro. It's a perspective rarely discussed, and I felt a strong connection as I, too, have experienced the city in that way. Salgado's vivid descriptions painted a familiar picture, making the reading experience even more personal and relatable.

I highly recommend Hermosa to anyone seeking a book that delves into the depth of human emotions. Salgado's perspectives on her parents were incredibly enlightening, as she navigates the realms of pain, love, and self-discovery while acknowledging their own struggles. The raw honesty and beauty of her words left a lasting impact on me.

Yesika Salgado's Hermosa is a celebration of individuality, resilience, and the power of self-expression. It invites readers to embrace their own stories and find solace in the recognition of shared experiences. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking liberation and a deeper understanding of the human spirit.

[Massiel Bobadilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm moving backward through Yesika Salgado's trilogy, and started with the last book, "Hermosa." I'm interested to see what is waiting for me with the next two! That said, "Hermosa" was a deep, delicious read. Her ability to evoke space with her words is remarkable. I don't know if I'm highly biased as a native daughter of L.A. I don't know if someone who isn't familiar with the landscape would be able to populate their minds as easily with vibrant visions of streets and sounds. If being from L.A. gave me a special edge in reading this, I'm glad to have it. The city itself stands as silent character throughout many of the poems -- sometimes, Yesika is speaking directly to it. "Casamiento," in particular, is a lyrical love note that is one of the beautiful works of poetry I've personally read in a long time. Other times, the city quietly witnesses Yesika weave through past and present, recalling scenes from her childhood alongside rainy nights with an unnamed lover. Yesika's candor in poems like "Papi in Five Parts" and "The Almost Death" is raw and compelling and beckons you forward. Her cadence is both sharp and velvety, and personally, I fully plan to move backward to explore the first two works in her trilogy, "Corazon" and "Tesoro" as soon as I can get my hands on them.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lovely collection from Yesika Salgado. The themes of home were particularly strong here, and I liked how vividly she describes Los Angeles -- her love for the city and understanding of all its facets really jumps off the page. There is a good balance of different poems here, all of which fall in with Salgado's go-to themes: love, loss, acceptance, shame, and family. I did particularly love her speaking to her parents' history and the journey from El Salvador to the United States. I would have loved to see more of those, but knit together, all the pieces here create a beautiful fabric of Salgado's myriad experiences.

I'm definitely interested in whatever she writes next. I'm curious to see how her skill as a poet would translate to prose and/or longer form writing.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

« Ever After »
we did not work out. that’s fine.
the years will take care of the ache.
what we learned of each other is still alive—
go be happy;
come tell me about it someday

« I Think It’s Okay »
if I never forget you. if you’re forever a puncture in my lungs. if I go around wheezing your name. like a dusty accordion. I think it’s okay. I can survive like this. someone will ask about my greatest love. I’ll squeeze out a song. I’ll tell them I don’t know what became of you but I remember your hands on my skin. and that is enough. together we learned that love isn’t peace. I let you go. I can live like this.

[Kaylee Escobar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this a few years ago (during the pandemic?) and I recently picked it up again. The first poem is a banger. When she talks about El Salvador, her family and LA I think she uses her talents so well! Some of the poems about her love are tender and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, some feel like IG captions? I don’t wanna be negative but some felt like racing thoughts that weren’t given much thought (reminded me of filler). I do understand the need for any kind of release during heartache so maybe that’s where my least favorite come from.

[Josie Rushin · Rating 4 out of 5]

short book of poetry from a Latinx female author. the poems mostly explored bilingualism and dual identity, as well as love and breakups. there was diversity within the text, not only in its content, but its form. i would have liked for the poet to go a bit further, be a bit more raw, but nonetheless look forward to reading more by this poet, and will be recommending this to those interested in getting into bilingual or Latinx poetry.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Pretty much the same thoughts I had about her collection Tesoro: a few standout poems, but way too many that veer into bland Insta Poet territory. Feels like a waste of potential that there wasn't much growth between these collections' respective publications.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. Yesika Salgado knows how to write the human condition in pain, in love, in heartache, in grief, everything. I have never read through a book of poetry so fast, I couldn't get enough. She is thoughtful in her use of words, and to the point. This book made me think, made me cry, made me feel. Can't wait to re-read.

[Mary Elizabeth]

Ok, I’ll be honest. I didn’t fall in love with Yesika Salgado’s books the way I thought I would, even though she’s clearly a great writer. Her poetry is very obviously cathartic for the writer, and that doesn’t always create connection in a reader unless the reader has had similar experiences.

Still, I did enjoy this poetry trilogy - and I would probably continue to read her future writings.

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this off a recommendation at a bookstore and I’m so glad. I’ve been wanting to read more poetry and this is exactly what I’ve been missing. I did not know this was the last part of a trilogy, so I will be racing to buy the first two works. I loved it a lot and really was connected to some poems. Outstanding.

[Sofia (Bookish Wanderess) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection. I loved the honest and powerful way Yesika Salgado talked about family, relationships, heartbreak, gentrification, fertility issues, and so much more. One of my favorite things is the way LA comes alive in this collection, this is definitely a love letter to the city.