Powerful and enlightening read that will make you want to do research while you're reading and long after.

In this history of the Mexican Revolution, the author takes us through the 19th century to see the growth of injustices and the birth of insurgents that led to 1910. It's an international story, particularly involving Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in a time when borders weren't so heavily policed and migration was rarely criminalized. This shifted with the Chinese Exclusion Act, although immigrants and migrant workers from Mexico weren't initially the intended targets of deportation measures and extradition proceedings. The book covers how the vagaries of immigration law and the formation of the FBI were weaponized against Mexican political dissidents in the US to protect American economic interests. For this is also the story of Anglo-Americans who invested in and industrialized Mexico for their own gains. President Díaz, a dictator in all but name, encouraged relationships with US robber barons over his decades-long rule, offering them lucrative tracts of land and monopolies in key industries. These actions resulted in an export (to the US) economy rather than one based on subsistence with a poor, brutalized labor class as its backbone. Indigenous people lost lands and rights, Díaz's supporters were rewarded with wealth and carte blanche power, and a racial caste system prevailed.

The book particularly follows the PLM, a group that started socialist and leaned increasingly anarchist in its aim to overthrow Díaz's government (and later, all government). The heartbeat of the organization was Ricardo Flores Magón, who used newspapers and letter-writing campaigns to bring corruption to light and argue for rights. He wrote manifestos and demanded change, exposed labor inequities and fomented armed rebellion. The book covers his life on the run, in and out of prisons, gaining and losing allies as the revolution took shape. The book doesn't put Magón on a pedestal, but it does credit his conviction. His writings were passed around and read aloud on both sides of the border to spread his ideas. Magón allied with Indigenous groups, laborers, and those whose land was legally stolen by US magnates. There were also important feminist icons in the movement, but they were still treated as a support class when convenient. It seems queer people were not so welcomed, or at least their identities were weaponized against them when they fell from Magón's favor. Juana Belén Gutiérrez de Mendoza was outed as a lesbian by Magón to sideline her divergent views on how to proceed with the group-- namely, she didn't support seeking personal power to achieve PLM ideals and did not wish for Magón to run for office. He would use this tactic again to silence a comrade with socialist views when Magón went full anarchist, publicly bringing an alleged gay relationship to light. I do wish this intersection with queerness had been addressed a bit more, especially since I had to read the harmful tirades quoted in full.

This is a detail-driven history that illuminates and respects the memories of many agitators leading up to the Mexican Revolution. However, it at times felt like a laundry list of dates, names, numbers, and locations rather than a dynamic exploration of a pivotal period in history. I think this comes down to writing style and intent. Where I prefer a more narrative, argumentative, or big picture approach, this was more a deep dive into specifics. The book meets the author's stated goal to shed light on historical facts overlooked in Mexican-American history, willingly erased from public perception. However, it does not raise particular theoretical, or social arguments or untangle intersectionality in the movement to the degree I would have hoped. This is an informative read, and everyone could afford to know more about this oft-ignored but vital piece of history. Thanks to W.W. Norton for my copy to read and review!

This is a wonderful work of history that beautifully illustrates how Mexican history and American history are intertwined. The use of sources is masterful and the storytelling is great not just for historians and other academics but is accessible to the general public. I hope people get their hands on this wonderful book.

This was a fascinating historical book that still impacts politics today. It was so SO good. Cannot wait to incorporate it somehow in my classroom.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

An excellent work of history. Well written, well researched, and an informative pleasure to read. The writing is academic but not out of reach from the casual history buff. A great read for anyone interested in Latin American history, American foreign policy of the 20th century, and the blending of race and politics.