Infidelis - by Vincent Cooper (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Vincent Cooper's INFIDELIS is a powerful collection of poetry that delves into the life of a Chicano outcast, drawing from the author's personal experiences as a Marine. Through lyric and Blues poetry, Cooper paints a vivid picture of the 9/11 era, capturing the raw and authentic emotions that accompanied his journey. The poems take readers on a transformative exploration, starting with Cooper's decision to enlist and continuing through the intense trials of boot camp, the joys and challenges of fatherhood and marriage, and his subsequent struggles. INFIDELIS is a testament to the power of poetry to convey the complexities of one's lived experiences and to illuminate the shared humanity that lies within us all.

Review Quotes

From military films to punk bands and Shakira lyrics, Cooper paints scenes that "recalibrate" and speak to how not just military but also Chicano culture has moved forward beyond "grandfathers roaming guilty in the ghost world." Through this "reimagining," Cooper adds to the tradition of poets like Alurista and Francisco X. Alarcón, Chicanos whose visions provide lyric cosmologies and philosophies, able to honor and mourn "a whole other life we coulda had" while also giving a glimpse to what remains possible.

José Angel Araguz, author of Rotura

As the false promises of American war movies become horrific realities, Vincent Cooper offers an uncompromising, painful, and ultimately honest poetry accounting of Chicanismo in the military. Raw and authentic, it will make you rethink the international and personal consequences of the military-industrial complex. This is a genuine shot of tequila with no chaser.

Dr. Nolan L. Cabrera, author of White Guys on Campus: Racism, White Immunity, and the Myth of "Post-Racial" Higher Education

In this powerful book of poetry, Vincent Cooper breaks down his life's journey, which is simultaneously personal and political, experiential and objective. Cooper reminds the reader why it is important never to forget who you are and never to lose your heritage.

Camillo Mac Bica, author of There Are No Flowers in a War Zone