Shake Loose My Skin covers over thirty years of work and is a testament to her literary, sensual, and political powers. Sanchez combines an ear for the rhythms of street speech with a sophisticated formal repertoire. She shifts with ease from a blues-inspired love poem to a political call to arms. She is a master of haiku, tanka, and even villanelle, but constantly reconstructs these and other forms with her unique poetic vision. Her world is one of hardship, violence, and oppression, but it is also one of passion, fortitude, and tenderness.