The Rebellion of the Hanged [Hardcover]

B Traven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1972

In the mahogany lumber camps of southern Mexico, circa 1912, Indians are enslaved and treated cruelly by the owners and madmen overseers - camps where torture is the regular mode of discipline. The great Mexican Revolution led by Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa is breaking out all over the country and finally with great courage the 500 camp workers rebel and form their own army, an Indian army which marches out of the jungle to fight the rural police and federal army. This political fiction story is real as it slams you into the lives of these humble Indians. Three mysterious men who work in these camps become the leaders and give one basic reason for the armed struggle - Land and Liberty! The Indians, in their hearts understand this call for rebellion and give everything to this armed struggle for freedom and justice! A Collector's Edition.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish, German (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang (1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080908046X
• ISBN-13: 978-0809080465
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,960,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, Brutal, Readable, June 27, 2007

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rebellion Of The Hanged (Hardcover)

This is a gripping story of mistreatment of Indians in Mexico just prior to the Revolution of 1910. The principal character is Candido, a poor Indian whose debts lead him to become a contact laborer cutting wood in the jungles of Southern Mexico. Life in these labor camps is cruel and oppressive, and one has little chance of escaping. The Anglo-Mexicans that run the plantation (Don Felix, Don Severo, Don Acacio) demand an impossible level of work from their Indian laborers; those that fail are beaten or hanged by their wrists as punishment. Having endured their employers' unfathomable cruelty, an unintended rebellion springs up when the opportunity arises. The workers realize that in the corrupt Mexican society such a rebellion is unlikely to succeed, but they feel a level of freedom just in trying.

This is the fifth and perhaps best of the jungle books by Chicago-born author B. Traven (1890-1969). Traven had great sympathy for the oppressed Indians, leftist views, and a very engaging style. Readers should also see Traven's other novels about Mexico and oppression, the most famous of which is TRESURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this edition, June 7, 2009

By 

LasVegasReader (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rebellion of The Hanged (Hardcover)

I bought this publisher's edition of "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre" and was sorely disappointed. The glossy texbook-like binding is strong enough, but the text is set badly and on inferior pulp paper. I would not be surprised to learn that this is a rebound trade paperback- although it does not seem to be of high enough quality for even that. The price tag on these editions is completely unjustified. Buy the trade paperback.

The book: excellent. This edition: bad.