Before the Alamo is an apt title as it tells the story of the town of Bexar (San Antonio) from the perspective of a young woman who was born there and came of age against the changing times as governments rose and fell. Emilia Altamirano was born of a Spanish royalist soldier, Juan Andres Altamirano and a Native American woman adopted into a Spanish household and ending up a slave, who had a short illicit relationship during the upheaval when Mexico becomes independent of Spain. The affair ends when Altamirano’s wife returns when a butchering Spanish general and his army are routed by the Mexican independence. He tries to hide his infidelity by denying Maria and his own baby girl and keeping them as servants in his house. Maria is a strong woman and teaches her daughter to be the same. She makes Emilia understand that through her own hard efforts she can rise above her humble circumstances.

And, rise Emilia does. She is intrepid and talks an influential man, Jose’ Antonio Navarro, into teaching her to read and write. He is so impressed that he brings her to town council meetings to observe and learn which she does. She enjoys the friendship of people in all strata of Bexar society and ends up meeting the Anglo leader, Stephen Austin who brings in the first wave of Anglo settlers.

But, all is not sunny. Emilia is a beautiful young woman and a rough squatter sees her as prey, a cholera outbreak rushes through the town, Damaso Jimenez, the young man she loves, must flee to stay at liberty, and the Mexican government goes through another great change so that Mexicans are divided in loyalty and Anglos grow agitated at the latest power grab in Mexico led by Santa Ana. War breaks out and Emilia’s city of Bexar is a pivotal location for both sides.

Before the Alamo is well-researched and the historical backdrop of Bexar de San Antonio comes alive as Emilia’s story unwinds. I was very taken with this girl, and later woman, who had vulnerabilities, but beat her circumstances. I found the social structure within the Spanish-Mexican community and the changing authorities along with the arrival of the Anglos quite fascinating. The author cleverly wove all this in so that it was part of Emilia’s story rather than a big info dump.

I should add here that there were periods in the book when others were narrating like Emilia’s love interest, Damaso, whose story took the view point of a Mexican cowboy and then impressed soldier in the Mexican army. This gave even more perspective to the whole story since Emilia’s viewpoint was limited to the city and to her limited access to out of town information.

Emilia’s life was parts triumphant, but she had some sorrow and dark times, too. Trigger warning about sexual assault and abuse present though not graphic in Emilia’s story. I liked seeing her fictional life woven so well into the story with real life figures who were part of Bexar.

The story read swiftly for me and climaxed with the Battle of the Alamo with an epilogue to see what direction Emilia’s life took. I appreciated this tale told from the perspective of marginalized peoples and how it adds to my own historical view. I can definitely recommend this for Emilia’s story alone, but the historical backdrop is fabulous, too.

Before the Alamo chronicles the events prior to the Battle of the Alamo from a tejana’s perspective, a Texan woman of Spanish descent. Emilia is the daughter of a wealthy Spaniard and a Native American slave. She becomes a ward to Jose Antonio Navarro, a Texas war hero. Jose teaches Emilia to read and write. Under his tutelage, she becomes a page for the City Council. She becomes a nurse during the cholera pandemic and later the Battle of Alamo. After the Battle of the Alamo, Emilia wonders about her future as the fate of Texas hangs in the balance.

Emilia is a likable character. Even though she was born into slavery and is illegitimate, she doesn’t let her circumstances define her. She is very hard-working and persistent. It is through her determination that she is able to win the admiration of those around her. Emilia is also a very intelligent character. She is well educated and puts her education to good use. She is also a strong and tenacious character. She goes through many hardships and is able to overcome them. Therefore, Emilia was a character I rooted for throughout the novel as I wanted her to find her own sense of belonging during tumultuous times.

Overall, this novel is about belonging, injustice, and war. All of the characters are very realistic. I really like Emilia’s mother and Jose Antonio Navarro. The novel does suffer from telling rather than showing. It also suffers from being told in a passive voice. Nevertheless, Before the Alamo is very well-written and meticulously researched. I like how it showed the conflicts and troubles that the inhabitants of Texas faced during that era. Before the Alamo is a moving and emotional novel of one girl’s fight for survival and justice! I recommend this for fans of The River Girl’s Song, News of the World, and True Women!