The Revolt of the Cockroach People (Paperback)

by Oscar Zeta Acosta (Author), Hunter S. Thompson (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Acosta has entered counterculture folklore:"

-- Saturday Review of Literature -- Review

Review
"Acosta has entered counterculture folklore:"

-- Saturday Review of Literature

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Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (August 28, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679722122
• ISBN-13: 978-0679722120
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,123 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #15 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Hispanic & Latino
  #18 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Lawyers & Judges
  #20 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Pacific Northwest

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An awareness that should be taught to todays young Chicanos, April 12, 1999

By	[e-mail] (United States) - See all my reviews

After reading this book, and actually living through those turbulent times of the 60's and 70' s , it was refreshing to read and feel the burning frustration and love that this man was experiencing and the way he expressed his anger against the machine. This type of awareness has been lost , due to us the forefathers of the Chicano Movement, to teach our own and other's children of how important those actions were, so that we may emphasize education, political power and family values. We have implemented a course in Chicano Studies in schools, we now have political representation in our governments, and many more success stories that are due to the work of such people as Cesar Chavez, Ruben Salazar and Corky Gonzales. Oscar Zeta was a man amongst his own that was afraid of nothing and no one.My thanks to him for fighting the powers that be and for creating an example for all of us, regardless of race. You have to stand up for what you believe and Acosta is atrue testament to that.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sex, Drugs, and Politics, June 16, 1999

By	Lukas Jackson (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book after finding out that Oscar Zeta Acosta was the fat Samoan lawyer from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Acosta's style is similar, with a lot of drugs and sex with minors. The differences are that Acosta isn't tripping the whole time and he has time to incite political rallies. I love when they protest the Catholic church, or when he pleasures himself with some nubile young high schoolers under a blanket during a sit-in.... For those interested in the turbulent times that was the 60s, this is a must-read.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Impressions, December 4, 2001

By	Samuel Cortez (Texas) - See all my reviews

This is the most realistic book I have ever seen about Mexican American hippies in Aztlan, the Chicanos of the 1960's neo-freedom movements. It will surely become a collector's item worth saving in this era of gung-ho Americanism which does not know the kind of objectivity Acosta displays with regard to how we think and why we believe as we do. Hunter S. Thompson described the author better than I can in his introduction to the book, highlighting his uniqueness while lamenting his untimely passing. I will write more after I give the book a more thorough second reading.