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Summary: Emiliano Zapata and the fight for "LAND AND LIBERTY!"
Review: Emiliano Zapata is a celebrated hero of Mexico who was devoted to the poor farmers of Southern Mexico whom he led during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). "Emiliano Zapata: Revolutionary and Champion of Poor Farmers" by R. Conrad Stein begins by explaining the economic and social troubles that troubled Mexico at the turn of the century as Zapata was growing up. Things came to a head when Porfiro Diaz, an ex-army general, served as president of Mexico and ruled as an iron-fisted dictator, while for Zapata it was the decision to resort to violence when legal means proved futile. Stein devotes chapters in this book to the start of the Revolution and the extent to which the war ravaged the entire country. Along the way Zapata's important role in the revolution is detailed and young readers will get a sense that if there was any one who had the right reasons for fighting in the war it was Zapata. However, the fate of Zapata and his Zapatistas is not what it should have been, and those young readers will be surprised and probably troubled by the bloody history of the Mexican Revolution in contrast to what they know about the American Revolution. One thing I like about Stein's book is that he is works into the text such things as a quotation from a novel written during the revolution that provides an apt metaphor for the national turmoil and ends the book on a poetic note. Stein, a historian, has published more than 150 juvenile books, many of them on history, so I am well familiar with his work and this is one of his best books. He deals with a complicated situation in Mexico during this period, providing informative sidebars on Mexican history, tank tactics, the Mexican National Anthem, the Races of Mexico, and the Modern-day Zapatistas. He also uses sub-titles in chapters to highlight key parts such as the Plan of Ayala. The book is illustrated with historic prints, photographs, and paintings (the cover is a detail from "Emiliano Zapta" by Diego Rivera). The first eight volumes in this series, "A Proud Heritage: The Hispanic Library," were published last year and "Emiliano Zapata: Revolutionary and Champion of Poor Farmers" is one this year's eight new volumes. The others are devoted to "Christopher Columbus: Opening the Americas to European Exploration," "Frida Kahlo: An Artist Celebrates Life," "Hernando Cortés: Conquistador and Empire Builder," "Mario Molina: Chemist and Nobel Prize Winner," and "Pancho Villa: Mexican Revolutionary Hero," as well as volumes on "The Conquistadores: Building a Spanish Empire in the Americas" and "The Changing Face of America: Hispanic Roots, Hispanic Pride" (the first set had a volume on Coronado). Given that Hispanics are now the second largest ethnic group in the country the value of a series like this is better than ev
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