Rating: 
Summary: Excellent war fiction.
Review: Azuela's THE UNDERDOGS follows the spiraling descent of the Mexican peasant rebel Demetrio Macias from warfare with purpose to violence for the sake of violence, effectively capturing both the strange excitement and deep cruelty of guerilla warfare. In contrast with many reviewers, I found the prose in this translation elegant in its very austerity, the flow of the tale effortless, and the characters brilliant. In my opinion, this is war fiction at its best.
Rating: 
Summary: Important for what it is
Review: I read this book while in Mexico (which I find fun to do when I'm out of the country). What I liked was the historical perspective of the Revolution, which I did not know much about, and also the appreciation of the time in which it was written. What I did not like was the style. I found it very much to be a Don Quiote type story which I do not enjoy. I also found myself skimming pages to get to the end and ultimately skipped to the end to finish. This does not diminish the fact that it was a prolific novel of it's time and the appreciation for the message. Things that are good for you don't always have to taste good.
Rating:
Summary: Important for what it is
Review: I read this book while in Mexico (which I find fun to do when I'm out of the country). What I liked was the historical perspective of the Revolution, which I did not know much about, and also the appreciation of the time in which it was written. What I did not like was the style. I found it very much to be a Don Quiote type story which I do not enjoy. I also found myself skimming pages to get to the end and ultimately skipped to the end to finish. This does not diminish the fact that it was a prolific novel of it's time and the appreciation for the message. Things that are good for you don't always have to taste good.
Rating:
Summary: REVOLUTION FOR THE FUN OF IT!
Review: I teach sophomore and junior English at a public high school in California. During the first fifteen minutes of each class, my students engage in SSR (silent sustained reading), and I model reading for them by not grading papers during this time, but by reading a book of my own choice. Every day in every class I looked forward to reading The Underdogs during SSR. It's a fast read and provides a spring board into the historical context of which it speaks. This book has made me a student of the Mexican Revolution.The main character, Demetrio Macias, and his band of revolutionaries at once attract and repulse you until, at the novel's end, the reader understands how bitterly disillusioned Azuela had become with the likes of the generals and foot soldiers who turned their noble cause into a pretext for their own personal gain. Thus, the revolution implodes upon the idealists who gave her birth and, in the end, the generals and foot soldiers of the revolution become comsumed by the same base impulses that once fueled their enemies. The dialogue, of which there is plenty, burns through the storyline like a prairie fire, so real, so vibrant, and so poetic is it. The narrative draws the reader along seamlessly, and the numerous descriptions of nature dazzle his mind's eye like an apocalyptic vision. In my opinion, a good novel engages me in the lives of its characters. Demetrio, Manteca, Luis Cervantes, Camilla, War Paint, et al. remain vivdly in my mind as victims of injustice, heroes of liberty, and perpetrators of pointless mayhem. I fell so much in love with Azuela's style and his masterful use of imagery that I ordered the Spanish language version Los de Abajo! I can't wait to read this novel in the original Spanish. I can't wait to unleash its volcanic energy upon my students. My favorite line? That of the mad poet Valderrama, who proclaims after the defeat of General Villa at Celaya, "Villa? Obregon? Carranza? What's the difference? I love the revolution like a volcano in eruption; I love the volcano because it's a volcano, the revolution because it's the revolution! What do I care about the stones left above or below after the cataclysm? What are they to me?" Every gabacho should read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: GOD ALMIGHTY - the leader of the many Mexican revolutions
Review: In my review, I will mainly be focusing on the writer's style. Personally, I did not like the book that much and the author's style of writing did not help me to enjoy it. Mariano Azuela had a very unique writing style. Sometimes it became confusing because he would change verb tense for a few pages. He never seems to stay in one place for that long of a time and that also makes the book very confusing. In some places in the book, he has too many details and it makes it hard to see the big picture. But, in other places, he has too few details and it makes the big picture too confusing and hard to understand. But, in many places, he just tries to use verbiage I think in order to make the book longer, which I would certainly not do. Other than that, I think that this book lacks almost everything: plot (good plot), good characters, detailed setting, and much more.
Rating:
Summary: Los de Abajo.
Review: This book is best read in its native language: Spanish. I had read this book while living in Mexico, and since then I've read it many times again. This book will engulf you! Follow the intent of the revolutionaries, and you will follow the book well.
Rating:
Summary: A guide to the spirit of Mexico
Review: This is a marvelous book, especially for Gringos who want to understand a major element of the psyche of Mexico. But first, some background. In 1810, when Fr. Hidalgo issued his immortal `Grito del Dolores' that launched Mexico's War of Independence from Spain, the average Mexican was better off than most Americans. The American Revolution, then the French Revolution, ignited the fires of freedom throughout the Americas. Mexico was one of the first to raise the proud banner of freedom. Conservatives fought back, as they did in the 13 Colonies, and turned Mexico into a savage battleground. In the United States, successful Revolutionaries exiled defeated "United Empire Loyalists" to Canada, the Caribbean and England; in Mexico, in one form or another, both factions fought for a century. More than half of Mexico, what is now the US Southwest and California, was lost. The continuous war, plus an invasion by France, plundered Mexico of its wealth. In 1876, Porfirio Diaz imposed order; by 1910, after 34 years of the increasingly brutal Porfiriato despotism, the "underdogs" were ready to explode. In one form or another, Revolution lasted until 1929. Peace finally came to Mexico when the Party of the Institutionalized Revolution (PRI) organized a national government and held power until the year 2000, when the presidency was won by Vincente Fox Queseda of the National Action Party (PAN). Los de Abajo, printed in 1915 as a serial in an El Paso newspaper, was the first novel of the Revolution of 1910. It is still the finest description of the mood of people who made the revolution; a blunt description of the sheer joy of total destruction by people who had been crushed until all hope was lost. "Peace is respect for the rights of others," President Benito Juarez had said in the 1860's. The lack of respect for the Underdogs produced the Revolution; no respect, no peace. The central character, Demetrio Macias, when asked by his wife why he fights, tossed a pebble into a ravine and watched it roll to the bottom. Alberto Solis, often regarded as Azuela's spokesman in the book, compared the revolution to a hurricane, "The man who surrenders to it is no longer a man but a miserable dry leaf tossed about by the storm." Azuela writes about the futility of the conflict. A doctor, he served with Francisco Villa's famed Division of the North, "Los Dorados," but he criticizes the folly and brutality of the Underdogs as well as the cynicism and venality of Los Ricos. Once you understand this nihilism, it becomes clear why Mexicans accepted one-party rule and corruption from 1929 until 2000. It also explains why so much hope is now placed on the PAN presidency. Prosperity is a product of freedom; but, there is no freedom without law. Before 1910, the Diaz tyranny was the law; the Revolution forever smashed the laws of tyranny. It takes time to build a new society -- too long and too self-serving for the PRI, say the critics. But, when you understand the Underdogs, you wonder if it could be any other way. Democracy in Mexico? Azuela writes of wiping the slate clean, to give democracy a fresh start. The PRI restored order and allowed a peaceful transition of power. If it fails, as some say it has in Chiapas, this book explains the spirit of Mexico that will fight again until freedom is assured. It's not just a novel of the past, it's a warning to the future of what happens to anyone who betrays Mexico. It's the best book ever written about the continuing Revolution that, slowly and irresistibly, is producing a modern free Mexico.
Rating:
Summary: A world classic? hmm....
Review: This novel's style is very minimalist; it is often critisized as having no plot and flat characters. After reading it and thoroughly analyzing it however (this book is one that takes effort; it doesn't "jump" at you) one can see that the Revolution is the plot, and that the characters are only relevant in how they are affected by, or how they reflect upon, the Revolution. Some say that true literature isn't great unless it's political. Maybe so, but a really good novel makes you care about the characters and the reader not want the story to end, and with The Underdogs it just isn't so. Not bad, but not THAT great either. Should definately be read by anyone interested in Mexican history.
Rating:
Summary: Not Lost In Translation
Review: Underdogs is a story about a farmer named Demetrio Macias in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The story follows Macias from the beginning of his involvement in the revolution until a very confusing end in which Macias is still fighting. This is not a book to read if you don't know much about the Mexican Revolution. Dialogue between the characters sort of gives you what is going on in the revolution but not enough to understand. What you really get is the manner of life Macias and his men live while fighting in the revolution. Early on, Macias and his men set off to fight against the government (who are the Spaniards) that are destroying their villages and towns. Eventually Macias and his men lose vision of who exactly they are fighting and they become the men who are destroying the villages and towns. The book ends with Macias still fighting for an unknown cause.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding Underdogs
Review: Underdogs is a story about a farmer named Demetrio Macias in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. The story follows Macias from the beginning of his involvement in the revolution until a very confusing end in which Macias is still fighting. This is not a book to read if you don't know much about the Mexican Revolution. Dialogue between the characters sort of gives you what is going on in the revolution but not enough to understand. What you really get is the manner of life Macias and his men live while fighting in the revolution. Early on, Macias and his men set off to fight against the government (who are the Spaniards) that are destroying their villages and towns. Eventually Macias and his men lose vision of who exactly they are fighting and they become the men who are destroying the villages and towns. The book ends with Macias still fighting for an unknown cause.
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