“A rare book that shows how pure art is the most political tool imaginable, more effective and beautiful than any weapon or social dogma buried in literary texts. . . . Cruz is an expert at drawing the reader in.”
—Ray Gonzalez, Bloomsbury Review
“In the Shadow of Al-Andalus is a record of hejira, that flight between place, memory, emotion, and history, and Cruz has created a kind of North African/Andalusian ‘jíbarismo,’ pronouncing again the values of the traditional, hard-working Puerto Rican whose currency is common sense.”
—Ammiel Alcalay
“Mr. Cruz’s work has extended the linguistic, historical and geographical horizons within which we think of American poetry, doing so with masterful music, intelligence and humor.”
—Nathaniel Mackey, National Book Award winning author of Splay Anthem
“The poems came out of the author’s personal quest for a written history that reflects his intricate cultural identity and yet, they come to represent the expatriate’s cry, the exile’s song, and the descendant’s lullaby that echo over centuries.”
—Phati’tude Literary Magazine
