A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: Jimmy Santiago Baca has written a brilliant, honest, and extremely sad autobiography. Eventhough his life story is well detailed in this book-- I believe he revealed too much of his prison life. Yes, he was jailed for a considerable amount of time of any person's life, but he could have written more about his mother's life. She abandons her children and husband to live a life as an Anglo woman at a time in New Mexico, where Mexicans are perceived to be servants to the Anglo people. She marries an Anglo man and builds a new family and forever denies the existence of her Mexican children. As a consequence she pays dearly for her betrayal and greed. His father, brother, and himself for a brief period of his life, succum to a self-destruction runaway trip that kills many Mexicans even to this day. After reading this book, I was left with a desire to wish that Jimmy S. Baca write a second part to his autobiography.

Rating:
Summary: I will read this book again; it sears into you
Review: Jimmy Santiago Baca is the recipient of major awards for his raw and emotional poetry. In my opinion, these awards are more special than the average literary awards: They've been earned by a man whose literacy was truly hard won.

A PLACE TO STAND is a memoir of Jimmy's childhood of abandonment, his career selling drugs, and his time in prison. This is also an account of how an illiterate prisoner fought for the privilege to teach himself how to read--and then to write, by corresponding with Harry, a Christian man on the outside, and by writing poems for other cons in exchange for books.

This is not a pretty history. The epilogue tells the shocking tale of his mother's fate. Racism plays its usual dirty role through much of the book. And JSB's account of prison life makes most prison movies look almost civilized. (In an interview with Jimmy in a Santa Fe arts newspaper, he said that he even toned it down for this book because many people cannot accept the harsh truth of prison culture.)

This book is an inspiration to all writers and a testimony to the human spirit. Visit Jimmy's Website to read about his work with at-risk teenagers as founder of Black Mesa Enterprises. And if you haven't yet experienced his poetry, try it first on CD. His readings will blow you away.


Rating:
Summary: Baca can stand very tall
Review: This book, for one is finally a book I literally could not put down. If there is a life ever on the verge of utter despair and grief, where the question of "what the hell..." comes up, this book proves that redemption still exists, and lives on all levels are worth not only second chances--but more. Also, being of a different race it was extremely strange to hear this voice--his voice--just read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Tough & Eloquent
Review: This is a tough story of a tough guy who really did overcome all the odds to create a new life for himself. This was accomplished despite extreme disadvantages. A self-taught reader, an almost Haiku-like poet with great humor and a strong writer - this man is to be commended and noticed as a fine addition to what is quickly becoming known as the Albuquerque School of Writing.
No Jimmy, I don't think you will always be a con but I do think you will always be a superb humanist. Keep writing, your audience appreciates your work.

Rating:
Summary: a EXCELLENT book
Review: This is an excellent book. I dont read much but this book caught my attention fast. I can relate to this book alot because I grew up in some of the same sercomstances and had similar problems in life like Jimmy Santiago Baca did. And its good to know that no matter where u came from, what color or what youve been through u can pull out of the gutters and change your life like Jimmy did. It makes me proud to be Latino. I give this book 10 stars out of 5!

Rating:
Summary: Baca's masterpiece
Review: You must read this book. I don't care who you are, it will absolutely blow you away. I don't want to ruin it by telling you any of the story. Just start it and you won't be able to put it down. If you liked the movie Shawshank Redemption, you will love this book. Your heart will pound and you will read faster than you've ever read before just to see what happens next. The most incredible part is that it is the true story of the author's life. The tragedy he suffers through will make you appreciate your own life. READ THIS BOOK!!!