Shadows of Tender Fury: The Letters and Communiques of Subcomandante Marcos and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Rating:
Summary: An important and informing book about the Zapatista uprising
Review: Reading the letters and communiques of Marcos contained in Shadows of Tender Fury made me feel incredibly sympathetic for the indigenous people of Chiapas. I felt outraged at the injustice done to them by the Mexican government and the rich ranchers in the area. I found Marcos' tone to be comical despite the dreadful situations he was writing about. For instance, he writes the elaborate PS's and rambles about things with little relevance and tells stories about animals, etc. This gives some lightness to the very heavy subject matter addressed in the book and adds some comic relief. I also thought it was kind of him to respond to everyone who wrote to him, even if they were small children. By the end of the book I liked Marcos' personality from what I glimpsed of it in his tone, and I was impressed at the noble cause he had taken on.

The one problem I had with this book is not a fault of the writer's but of the editor's. Marcos' letters are repetitive and long, and I feel that much could have been cut out and Shadows of Tender Fury would still be a good book that encompassed most of Marcos' letters and ideas. However, with so much repetition the book starts to get tedious. Some heavy editing would have made a big difference.

In general I think that Shadows of Tender Fury is an important contribution to Latin American literature because it details the fight of the Zapatistas and chronicles their events. It also draws support from a much larger community, for I read it in the northeastern US although it is occurring in southeastern Mexico. I did not know very much about the indigenous fight before reading this book so I am glad I did and recommend it to others.

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Rating:
Summary: Subcomandante Marcos Speaks Out:
Review: Shadows of Tender Fury is one of the best compilations of Zapatista philosophy I have ever read. Subcomandante Marcos writes in a wonderfully satirical tone which reveals the problems suffered by the people of Chiapas and around the world. Reading the inspirational and optimistic words of Marcos gives one a better understanding of the struggles of the Zapatistas. This is excellent reading for the student who seeks truth.