Rodriguez is an exciting young Chicano poet who promises to be a major voice in the landscapre of American poetry.

The poetic power of "The Concrete River" casts the reader soul-first into the poignant presence of father and children, into the furious heat of steel factory work, and finally into the eyes of the poet which are necessary in order to see 'the first light coming into view.'

Through her poetry nine-year-old America reveals her loneliness and most private fears as she dreams of a bright future in her new country.