Emiliano Zapata!

Revolution and Betrayal in Mexico

By: Samuel Brunk

Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

The life of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata was the stuff that legends are made of. Born and raised in a tiny village in the small south-central state of Morelos, he led an uprising in 1911 - one strand of the larger Mexican Revolution - against the regime of longtime president Porfirio Diaz. He fought not to fulfill personal ambitions but for the campesinos of Morelos, whose rights were being systematically ignored in Don Porfirio's courts.

Expanding haciendas had been appropriating land and water for centuries in the state, but as the 20th century began things were becoming desperate. It was not long before Diaz fell. But Zapata then discovered that other national leaders - Francisco Madero, Victoriano Huerta, and Venustiano Carranza - would not put things right, and so he fought them, too. He fought for nearly a decade until, in 1919, he was gunned down in an ambush at the hacienda Chinameca.

In this new political biography of Zapata, Brunk, a noted journalist and scholar, shows us Zapata the leader as opposed to Zapata the archetypal peasant revolutionary. In previous writings on Zapata, the movement was covered, and Zapata the man got lost in the shuffle. Brunk clearly demonstrates that Zapata's choices and actions did indeed have a historical impact.

©1995 University of New Mexico Press (P)2015 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"An excellent book.... Brunk has produced an essential work on Emiliano Zapata." ( The Americas )

"Samuel Brunk is to be applauded.... [His] style and scholarship are unimpeachable, confirming.... [A] solid, well-researched, narrative history.... " ( Latin American Studies)

"Perfect for the history buff or someone simply interested in learning more about Zapata." ( Hispanic Link Weekly Report)

Great history of Zapata

Great, indispensible book, though it meanders into speculation sometimes. Narrator has trouble with Spanish pronunciations.

Emiliano Zapata Feedback

The storyline of this book provided a good historical perspective on the life and actions of the infamous Emiliano Zapata. The narrator's pronunciation of most of the names and places in Mexico were horribly done, to the point that I was left trying to figure out who or what the author was writing about. This mental catch up took away from me enjoying the book as much I expected or wanted.

The Man Who Inspired a Revolution.

Would you consider the audio edition of Emiliano Zapata! to be better than the print version?

I have not read the book, so I can't make that comparison. However, I really enjoyed Charles Norman's narration. He has a Tex/Mex delivery of a classic story teller.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Emiliano Zapata was my favorite character, not only because he was the focus of the story, but for the complexity of his character and the times he lived. My wife grew up in a town named "Emiliano Zapata", so naturally, when I came across this book, I had to see who Emiliano Zapata was, and why there are so many towns named after him in Mexico. Having lived in Mexico and reading this book, I now have a better understanding of why owning land is so important to rural Mexicans. Land ownership for campesinos was the main reason for the Zapata revolution. Many of the land reforms that have taken place in Mexico have been because of Zapata and his revolution. Mexico is also a country mired in class warfare. The haves, and have nots. Zapata was from the uneducated have nots, that the educated class looked down upon. To his followers he was a revolutionary leader. To the moneyed class he was a bandit.

Which character – as performed by Charles Henderson Norman – was your favorite?

As mentioned above, Emiliano Zapata was my favorite character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Are today's conflicts any different that those of 100 years ago?

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer. I was offered this book in exchange of a fair unbiased review. For folks looking for a good historical novel, related to turbulent times during the Mexican revolution, this is a great read. This book gets into great detail on the progression of the Zapata revolution. Mexico is a very complicated country with a rich history of varied influences. On a base level, the conflicts in Mexico reflect other conflicts worldwide. I could not help but compare the Mexican revolution with current world developments. Can you compare the evolution of a revolution between Zapata's time and modern upheavels in the Middle East? How do these revolutions get subverted and hijacked by other parties? Only by looking at history can you get a better perspective on the present. I loved the narration. Charles Norman has a nice Tex/Mex story telling delivery. A lot of names and words in Mexico are from Spanish and indigenous indian orign,so pronunciation is a challenge. Charles gave it the right level of Mexican pronouniciation without losing an English listening audience. The big surprise for me was the fact that the U.S. sent troops to Veracruz, Mexico in 1914. Interesting times. For me, esta novela es muy bueno!

written from a Marxist point of view

Written from a Marxist point of view, but still contains lots of historical information. This work does a great job of highlighting Mexican history.

Very personal account of Emiliano Zapata.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would certaintly recommend it to a friend who has any interest in learning a little more about the Mexican revolution and the wider political state of affairs in Mexico from the turn of the 20th century. Very well written yet not too heavy with statistics/dates as to bog the casual historian down.

Would you recommend Emiliano Zapata! to your friends? Why or why not?

I would only recommend it to them if they have a more than passing interest in the Mexican revolution or in Zapata himself.

What about Charles Henderson Norman’s performance did you like?

Charles Henderson was a good choice for this audio book. He ready excently and was perfectly suited to the book and the subject matter of the book. He has a calm reading style and helps get the narrative across with his style.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Emiliano Zapata: A REAL revolutionist!

Any additional comments?

Overall I quite enjoyed the book. I wasn't widely exposed to the Mexican revolution and it's players and this book was a good insight into one of it's major players. I recommend it. This review is from my review copy of the audiobook, and is unbiased.

"History of a Revolutionary Hero"

This was a very interesting and technical listen. I enjoyed it greatly as I'm a native Texan yet never thought too much about (and don't recall learning much about Zapata in school). This audiobook especially paints the larger picture of Mexican history. There's so much to absorb in this book but it really gives a great deal of detail as to put the listener within the historical setting.

I was impressed with this book enough to look up more photos of Zapata and he is a very recognizable figure with his large sombrero and mustache. Whenever he talked the people into growing sugarcane, that made me remember someone in my family giving us kids stalks of sugarcane from Mexico.

All in all, my opinion of listening to this audiobook is that Emiliano Zapata was and is an important figure in Mexico's history even to this day. There are a lot of minute details that are definitely worth the listen including his relationship with Pancho Villa and others. Totally fascinating.

Charles Henderson Norman did a nice job narrating this audiobook. He had a reporting style which was informative. He spoke clearly and his Spanish pronunciation was impeccable. Really great work.

Audiobook received in exchange for an honest review.

Could Not Get Past First 20 minutes

I am going to chalk this up to my mistake and not the authors or narrators. I was obviously looking for something different than what I got