They Called Me King Tiger: My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights

Regardless of your views, whether you call this man a crackpot or a hero, there is no question that Reies Lopez Tijerina is a passionate advocate of his cause. He believes firmly in the land grant issue that affecting those people living in northern New Mexico that descended from the original recipients of the land grants in the 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. There are times when Tijerina is accusatory towards the anglos and the people that he sees as thieves - those that he believes stole the land from the Hispanices. There are other times when Tijerina's statements are perfectly logical, and make a good argument for why the land should be held by the descendants of the original grantees. This book is a truncation of Tijerina's full autobiography, which was written in Spanish; this translation was completed by Jose Gutierrez, who is another leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, but was selective about what was included in this work. There is no question that this is an important work - it gives the reader tremendous insight into the mind of Tijerina and his cause. It also allows the reader to see why Tijerina is so passionate about the movement and his efforts to ensure that heirs of the original grantees become the rightful owners of the land.