whispering to god and the city by jesus cortez

These are the rhymes of the “Other Anaheim” where an immigrant youth sought meaning on streets stained crimson with blood before going on to become a laureate of the unheard. With unflinching verses, Cortez breathes life into a city ill defined by illusions of innocence. Above all, his poetry serves as touching tribute to a motherly muse who raised a son in the midst of the madness before retiring from this sufferable world.
— Gabriel San Román OC Weekly Staff Writer & author of Venceremos

Jesus Cortez’s work is real and raw. It spares no one from the harsh realities of its protagonists’ as urban dwellers who must face the City head on as they traverse its streets to get to the business of their day to day lives and struggles. The poems and stories take us directly to the reality of hard-knocks living. There are no flowery words here. Everything about this book is heartbreaking, heart wrenching, and so heartfelt that you cannot put it down. You find yourself searching for hope and beauty in each piece and you find it, because despite everything, people survive and find ways to still whisper to God...and to the City. — Odilia Galván Rodríguez co-editor of the award-winning anthology Poetry of Resistance Voices for Social Justice