I picked up this book due to the Pop Sugar challenge prompt of reading a book from a genre you don't normally read - and for me, that genre is poetry, specifically modern poetry. This is a collection of poems centered on the people and landscapes that make up California. For the most part, I understood the imagery the author tried to create with her words; at times she got much too flowery for my taste, but overall she kept the wording in check. There was one poem that was written in a weird, unrecognizable way that screamed "trying to hard." My favorite poems were "Chinese Lantern", "Sanchez", the first verse of "Northridge Quake", "Anna Mae", and "Crossing Over". "Sanchez" was heartbreaking, but the story unfolded beautifully. I didn't see as much variety in the different aspects of California life; to me, the author just described Southern California over and over again, especially Los Angeles (the grittier, less Hollywood-ish part of LA). Still, I expanded my reading horizons and gave modern poetry a shot.
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