¡Ay Tú!

This week’s review centers on the work of Chicana feminist writer Sandra Cisneros, delving into themes of decolonialism and “erotic frankness.”

Posted on March 10, 2025 in Reviews of the Month

¡Ay Tú!: Critical Essays on the Life and Work of Sandra Cisneros

ed. by Sonia Saldívar-Hull and Geneva M. Gano Texas, 2024
240p bibl index, 9781477329900 $34.95, 9781477329924

This important collection examines the life, work, and cultural influence of a major American author, the feminist Chicana poet, fiction writer, and memoirist Sandra Cisneros. Her papers are now available for scholarship at Texas State University, and in this work they provide rich sources for context and criticism. Cisneros has challenged many assumptions about sexuality, race, and shame in the patriarchal Latinx culture. Along with explorations of her work, the contributors consider her collaborations and literary friendships with writers like Joy Harjo, Norma Alarcón, and Helena María Viromontes. There is a major contribution to Chicanx aesthetics in Georgina Guzmán’s discussion of rasquachismo (maximalism) in art from the barrio. Other critical topics include transgressive aesthetics and decolonialism. The chief transgressive practice is erotic frankness: sin vergüenza (shamelessness) is a major concept for Cisneros and her feminist peers. Close readings of the major works are included, along with the theoretical and cultural discussions. The book ends with an excellent interview with its subject. The index is detailed, and there are copious illustrations. This volume is important for literary, Chicanx, American, and gender studies, as well as decolonial research.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.
Reviewer: B. Almon, emeritus, University of Alberta
Interdisciplinary Subjects: Latin American & Latina/o Studies, Women’s & Gender Studies
Subject: Humanities – Language & Literature – English & American
Choice Issue: Mar 2025

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