Synopses & Reviews
Review
andquot;The two decades that Jerry Thompson devoted to studying Juan Cortina's life have produced a significant contribution to historical literature. Thompson reveals Cortina to be not only a man who was shaped by history but also one who helped shape the history of two nations.andquot;--Military History of the West
Review
andquot;Cortina's life was much more complex than commonly understood, and a major and exciting contribution of this book is its account of the role that Cortina played in the Mexican War against the French Intervention as well as the American Civil War.andquot;--Hispanic Outlook
Review
andldquo;This book is meticulously researched by a master historian who has a deep, profound understanding of 19th-century history along the Texas-Mexico border. It therefore provides a historically sound biographical portrait permitting readers to understand the complexity of both Juan N. Cortina and the border country that produced him.andrdquo;--Choice
Review
andldquo;Thompsonandrsquo;s book provides not only a powerfully written history of a Mexican American who symbolizes andlsquo;resistance to oppression and intolerance,andrsquo; but also a clear, cogent explanation of the relationship between the United States and Mexico as they face each other across the Texas border.andquot;--Journal of American History
Review
“Jerry Thompson’s sympathetic but balanced biography is a ‘must read’ for all students of Texas history and Anglo-Hispanic relations.” --East Texas Historical Journal John D. Huddleston
Review
andldquo;This is the most well-researched and thorough account of Juan Nepomuceno Cortinaandrsquo;s life that we have . . . . This book certainly shows that Cortina andlsquo;established his niche in the grand sweep of time,andrsquo; but it will be left to other scholars to follow the many trails hinted at by Thompson.andrdquo;--Western Historical Quarterly
Review
andldquo;Jerry Thompson has performed a difficult feat: comprehensively examining a life that had almost as many turns as a circle.andrdquo;--Journal of Southern History
Review
and#8220;[Thompson] readily underscores the racial prejudice within Anglo leadersand#8230; This biographyand#8230; is proof that a century and more after the events, the historian who is willing to devote years of research on both sides of the border into documents as el as state and national archives, can produce and outstanding biography. Lovers of the history of the Wild West as well as Mexican and Civil War buffs will find this work a treasure.and#8221; and#8211;Chuck Parsons
Review
andldquo;Jerry Thompsonandrsquo;s sympathetic but balanced biography is a andlsquo;must readandrsquo; for all students of Texas history and Anglo-Hispanic relations.andrdquo; --East Texas Historical Journal
Synopsis
Winner, Clotilde P. Garcia Tejano Book Prize and Texas Institute of Letters Most Significant Scholarly Book Award "Thompson's book provides not only a powerfully written history of a Mexican American who symbolizes 'resistance to oppression and intolerance, ' but also a clear, cogent explanation of the relationship between the United States and Mexico as they face each other across the Texas border." -Journal of American History "With stunning research and a crisp narrative, Jerry Thompson takes us beyond Juan Cortina's famous 'war' against Anglo-controlled Brownsville and into Cortina's tumultuous life as a war lord on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. At last we have a full-scale biography of this fascinating figure, whose strong sense of justice for his people was matched only by his opportunism and ambition." - David J. Weber "Cortina is meticulously researched, masterfully balanced, and lucidly written. In contrast to previous monographs on Cortina, Cortina relies heavily on primary sources housed in many depositories in Mexico and it offers as much treatment to Cortina's involvement in Texas history as it does to his participation in events in Mexico." - Arnoldo De Leon Jerry Thompson, a Regent's Professor of history at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, holds a doctorate from Carnegie-Mellon University.
About the Author
JERRY THOMPSON is a Regents Professor of History at Texas AandM International University in Laredo and a past president of the Texas State Historical Association. He is also the author of Tejanos in Gray: Civil War Letters of Captains Joseph Rafael de la Garza and Manuel Yturri, winner of the 2011 Tejano Book Award.