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haydendeboer's review against another edition
4.0
A quick read about the horrors of disorder during a revolution.
Makes you think about the essence of liberty and why people fight for it.
Order has value and once it is broken it is hard to put back together.
Reading this on vacation in Mexico makes me think if there is a good solution to the violence facing the country today.
Makes you think about the essence of liberty and why people fight for it.
Order has value and once it is broken it is hard to put back together.
Reading this on vacation in Mexico makes me think if there is a good solution to the violence facing the country today.
ckenney's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
emdollar's review against another edition
3.0
writing was only alright, also female characters basically nonexistent/treated like trash, but the content of the book was interesting insight into time period
bwood95's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andrewacashner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
faintgirl's review against another edition
2.0
A very short and rather peculiar book set during the Mexican Revolution, The Underdogs tells of a farm boy who ends up being a legendary foot soldier. Above this, it really tells us that men at war are a very similar breed, regardless of nationality. It was brief, but not uninteresting.
mjbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
aeoliandeductress's review against another edition
3.0
I should note- I read this as a requirement for a graduate class I'm in, which may color my perception of the book as a whole.
The story was interesting and I feel a more accurate depiction than many non-fiction accounts in many ways. Generally we read (and write) tales of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata as these Robin Hood characters taking on the establishment in defense of their poor and abused countrymen. Which to some degree is true, but what is often left out is the corruption that sadly inevitably followed of even the pure-hearted. Many of the defenders later became oppressors and this is what Los de abajo tackles with Demetrio and his compatriots. The tale is entertaining, complete with historical ties, relatively readable even for a non-native speaker (although there is some dialectical writing of dialogue that takes some getting used to) and so on. But the ending, while appropriate, bugged the hell out of me. I hate "ambiguous" endings- it's a personal preference that things be clear cut in the end. I understand life isn't like this but I read partially for the reason that stories have endings in books while they have fade outs at best in real life.
The story was interesting and I feel a more accurate depiction than many non-fiction accounts in many ways. Generally we read (and write) tales of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata as these Robin Hood characters taking on the establishment in defense of their poor and abused countrymen. Which to some degree is true, but what is often left out is the corruption that sadly inevitably followed of even the pure-hearted. Many of the defenders later became oppressors and this is what Los de abajo tackles with Demetrio and his compatriots. The tale is entertaining, complete with historical ties, relatively readable even for a non-native speaker (although there is some dialectical writing of dialogue that takes some getting used to) and so on. But the ending, while appropriate, bugged the hell out of me. I hate "ambiguous" endings- it's a personal preference that things be clear cut in the end. I understand life isn't like this but I read partially for the reason that stories have endings in books while they have fade outs at best in real life.
elysehdez19's review against another edition
4.0
Es el primer libro que leo que relata a la revolución mexicana, la verdad es que no logré entender el titulo del libro hasta casi el final de la obra... Realmente muy recomendado!
diany's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0