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About Roxana Preciado
Roxana Preciado is an indie author and artist recognized for her work as a poet and activist. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, she migrated to the US at 4-years-old and has been writing poetry since the age of twelve. She is the author of four poetry collections, having just released Trauma for Sale, a compilation of Preciado's experiences as a person of color managing migration, social class, higher education, and mental health issues. Her third book, Hood Educated is an exploration of Preciado's evolution and healing, as she connects the disparate parts of her past self into a unified whole.
Not a Writer, Preciado's second book, explores topics such as depression, suicide, sexuality, and immigration. In her first book, Not a Fairytale, Preciado recounts her life through poetry. Taken from childhood journals, Not a Fairytale recounts the harsh realities of overcoming family tragedy, homelessness, her undocumented status, and learning what life is like without an anchor to parent or country.
Preciado uses poetry and her story to support community engagement and activism around DACA and, as a survivor, to raise awareness about violence against women. She often speaks to Latinx and LGBTQ+ youth to help them find their voice and tell their stories. Preciado has completed her MS degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and continues her advocacy work for her various communities. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her wife and son.
Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
Trauma For Sale by Roxana Preciado is a very intimate collection of poetry that comes with full-color artworks and personal photographs of the author. Having gone through numerous traumatic experiences in her life, she has finally conquered her demons and is making a beautiful life for herself and her life partner, and her healing continues. Sold, the first poem in this collection sets the tone of the book. Deal of the day/The special/Not special in any way/Self-destructive in every way/So anxious and afraid, it goes. The last poem, on the other hand speaks of hope, growing up through pain and suffering and thriving, ending the book on a painful but positive note.
Roxana Preciado's Trauma For Sale, a collection of beautiful poetry written from 1998 to 2020, is both compelling and sincere and was inspired by the author's painful life journey. The honesty in this collection of poetry is the one thing that really strikes me and it is perhaps what makes it original. The eye-catching artworks and personal photographs complement and enhance the poems, and the result is a story that unravels in similes and metaphors. Celebrating her roots in I Love Brown Babies, Preciado writes: I love their soulful brown eyes/They wear their various shades of brown, like armor/Their powerful cries fill me with pride. Trauma For Sale is actually a narration of various phases of the author's life that she fears the most and writing them makes her a whole person, warts and all. It is highly inspiring.
