What we're reading: Woman without shame

Sandra Cisneros has already given so much to the world, dropping literary works that make comprehensive literary exam lists, such as The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek. Her works uplift and bring attention to the many struggles women have, especially Mexican women in the modern Western world. Last year, Cisneros released a new collection poetry about the raw, unfiltered, yet comfortingly mundane life she lives as a Mexican woman in her mid-sixties. It's aptly named Woman Without Shame. 

Woman Without Shame is categorized into five parts: Mujer sin vergüenza, Cielo sin sombrero, Cantos y Llantos, Cisneros sin Censura, and Pilón. Each section gives readers little glimpses into Cisneros' life, her struggles, her dreams, and her unabashed joy to be alive and a woman. Memorable phrases such as "Do not go into that good night / wearing sensible white and beige" and "You better not...put me in a poem" captures mundane life and reminds us that it too is beautiful, ugly, and altogether worth reminiscing. 

This collection of poetry specifically spoke to me, and I found it appropriate to share my thoughts on Valentine's Day, a day typically spent celebrating romantic love for others. Well, Cisneros made me feel loved and cherished. I felt like I was swapping secrets with a long-time friend I rarely get to see. Woman Without Shame reminds me that there is nothing off-limits, and that every moment of life is worth recording. There is no embarrassment in Woman Without Shame, only honesty and laughter.  As a personal goal, I too would like to live not shamelessly, but without shame altogether. Cisneros paints old-womanhood beautifully, and not because it's ideal, but because it's sincere, and loving. It's an ode to living, and what's more worthy of celebration than that? 

If you want to check out Cisneros' latest book too, see this link to get it from one of our favorite queer-lead bookstores, A Seat at the Table!

author

Andrea Wagner