Mexicans on the Moon by Pedro Iniguez – reviewed by Lindsey Goddard

Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future is a collection of 50 poems, released last September through Space Cowboy Books and written by Pedro Iniguez. I had already planned on reading it, but when I read a sample posted by the author himself on his social media, I was sold. I expedited this title to the top of my TBR and dug in.

Sitting down and reading Mexicans on the Moon is like boarding a space craft and taking a galactic journey to a different world, beyond the stars, but there’s one catch. This is no vacation! It seems no matter what world we humans inhabit, we bring our problems with us! Habitat destruction, hierarchy, and discrimination still plague the characters in this speculative poetry collection that repeatedly asks: “What if?”

That’s not to say there is no hope to be found here. Poems such as Two Quarters for a Rocket Ride give a feeling of hope. And there was also some clever use of comedy in poems like Resting Glitch Face and The First Jokes as Told by Budding Martian Lifeforms which help lighten the collection as a whole and lend it balance.

Strap in for some heavy subject matter, though! Iniguez took full advantage of the speculative writing practice of asking “what if?” and used that freedom to think outside the box on topics that are hard to process, such as school shootings (The Epidemic of Shrink-Ray-Gun Violence Plaguing Our Schools Must End) and suicide (From Your Tears, Life). Some of these poems play familiar heart strings (The Payphone), so I recommend that if you read it in public, just tell people there’s something in your eye and find a tissue ASAP. The author even managed to include bits of folklore from his Mexican heritage. For instance, La Llorona makes an appearance and explores the sci-fi universe created in these pages.

There is a terrific story arc to be found in this book. And let me tell you a funny story about my personal experience reading Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future… I had read and digested the introduction by Gabino Iglesias and the introduction by the Pedro Iniguez. (In other words, I was through the front matter and ready to dig into the actual poetry itself.) But I needed a cup of coffee first. So, I carried my phone (on which I was reading) to the kitchen to make some coffee, and I guess my finger tapped the screen and caused me to jump further ahead. I ended up accidentally starting the book well over halfway through! Took me a while to realize. Haha. But you know what? This made me fully appreciate the profound story arc in this collection, once I got started in the right spot. There is a beginning, middle, and end to the story being told by these poems, almost like you’re getting a little novel in poetic form.

Some of the poems in Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future speak on the struggles of marginalized people. Transhumanist Classroom and Scabs: A Capitalist Love Story did a lovely job of packing a massive point into a super short word count. But I want to make it clear that despite all the societal commentary, this book is a lot of fun! Honestly, somehow Pedro managed to make daunting topics digestible. Pretty impressive. And speaking of digestible… I’ll be damned if I don’t want a terrestrial taco now!

5/5 stars