El Coyote, the Rebel (Pioneer

by Luis Perez, Lauro Flores (Introduction)

A soldier at the age of eleven. An honorably discharged veteran at the age of thirteen. A miner, a cotton-picker, a shepherd, and a graduate of Hollywood High. Luis Perez lived an incredible life and then shaped his story into a vividly realized autobiographical novel. El Coyote, the Rebel, originally published in 1947, tells how the toddler Luis, son of an Aztec mother and a French diplomat father, ended up in the care of an uncle who soon drank away most of the boy's inheritance. Having run away from cruel treatment, Luis by chance came to fight with the rebel armies in the 1910 Mexican Revolution, received the nickname of El Coyote for his cunning, and was wounded in combat. Upon being given a discharge and a twenty-dollar bill, he walked across the border to become an American and the beginning of a new tomorrow.

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most "polished" specimen of Mexican-American literature, but an enjoyable one nonetheless, El Coyote: The Rebel tells the story of an orphaned Mexican boy who runs away from his abusive aunt, joins and deserts (and joins and deserts again) the revolutionary army, works a number of odd jobs, then finally sneaks into the United States. In picaresque fashion, the book offers humor in place of dramatic heft -- which may explain why the Coyote's antics are described in full but the mass shooting he witnesses, executed by Pancho Villa's henchmen, is merely a blurb between paragraphs.

The book is social commentary, clearly, but what its statement is, is not easily deciphered. Is it a critique of the Mexican Revolution as a childish tantrum that even an eleven-year-old boys sees through? Is it a critique of American involvement in the world war that was raging at the same time Pérez set his pen to paper? Is it simply a novel of Mexican immigration to the United States? If so, does it depict immigration as healthy or desirable?

I appreciate the ambiguity. And I think many people would appreciate this book -- in particular adolescent (male) students. Recommended.

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was wary about reading this book at first having been told that it was funny . . . by a professor. I finally got around to reading it and was surprised by the humor. It's an early Chicano/a literature publication, and it was great. From my understanding the text was published as it was originally released, therefore there's some typos and what not, but it does not take away from the story. A young boy goes back and forth between being a soldier, a laborer, and being a student. The narrative has a sardonic tone throughout, and just has to be read.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mexican-American / Chicano autobiography