We Had Our Reasons: Poems by Ricardo Ruiz and Other Hard-Working Mexicans from Eastern Washington —by Ricardo Ruiz and others

 Publisher: Pulley Press

May 3, 2022

Paperback: 212 pages

ISBN: 979-898526320

English & Spanish

Cost at time of review: $18.00

5 Stars

 

I do not often read a book that in my opinion should be mandatory reading and with discussion prior to receiving a high school diploma. This is one of those books. (The other three are: The Absolutly True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; Caste: The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson; and, Wizard of the Pigeons by Megan Lindholm). Too few of us have any genuine knowledge of people with different backgrounds who live, work, and contribute to our country. It’s time we learned, and not only accept them, but embrace them and the cultures they bring and contribute to our country.

 

The first thing I noticed about this book was the bilingual nature. The even numbered pages are in English, the odd numbered pages are in Spanish. The second thing I noticed is these poems are honest. The tell of pain, of fear, of good times and of bad. The opening poem, “A Sleeping Bag and a Semi” is part of Centavo’s story. “I came from Mexicali across the border. // “I was born in California, / so I could have walked but I didn’t know. / I was bound up in not knowing.”

 

“Lost in the Desert” is the longest poem in the book, with one of the voices of David who is elder brother of Ricardo, and Salvador and Ramiro. It tells the story of crossing the desert, the hardships, the pains, and a friendly Border Patrol Agent. “The way in the desert is long, and lonely.” “My nephew, my sister, and I were left / while we slept.” “We drank water from an animal trough.” “The truth is, you play a lot with your life in the desert…”

 

The biographies of the collaborating poets are fascinating. Can you imagine going to work in the fields when you are five years old? Expected to contribute your earnings to the household? I can’t, either. But I have a much better understanding of that lifestyle now than I did before I read the book. Can you imagine your whole family living in a single room? Parents, younger siblings, possibly aunts and uncles? I can’t. 

 

Did you know if you eat food grown in Eastern Washington, chances are it was harvested by Mexicans, perhaps processed by Mexicans, and there is even a possibility one of those hardworking Mexicans owns the dirt upon which the produce was grown!

 

Buy this book. Read this book. Learn from and enjoy this book. And, just for grins, hire out and spend a month working and living with them in the next harvest season. It will change you in ways you didn’t know possible.