Cuadros' first published book-length work of fiction, City of God, and other of his works are considered the first of their kind to serve as testimonials for Chicanos with AIDS.[3][5] Throughout his works and especially in City of God (1994), Cuadros gives visibility to two identities that are often denied within the Chicano community: homosexuality and having AIDS.[7][8] Cuadros plays on the themes of sex, death, and home.[6]
Commentaries
José Monteagudo, Rafael Ocasio, Raúl Homero Villa, and Rafael Pérez-Torres have expressed that Gil Cuadros' work has yet to be fully recognized and valued.[3] Raúl Homero Villa has expressed that Cuadros literary output has given readers queer insights into the changing space of East Los Angeles as well as its "fractured Chicano geography."[3][9] José Monteagudo has dedicated his time in producing a review of City of God (1994).[3][10] Rafael Ocasio argued that the AIDS testimonial of Cuadros' and Cuban exile writer, Reinaldo Arenas, have both provided their respective communities narratives a "foundation" served to empower.[3][11] Rafael Pérez-Torres has asserted that Cuadros' work "is illustrative of the vexed intersection of race and queer sexuality."[3][8]
