The Friends of Pancho Villa

 

The Friends of Pancho Villa – by James Carlos Blake

A historical novel. How much of this is actually true, I have no idea.  This book is written as if it were a live account by one of Pancho Villa’s “insiders” on his revolutionary team, his aide General Rodolfo Fierro. Definitely not the kind of story I read every day. Regardless, this was a very enjoyable book. For a history buff such as myself, I always enjoy learning new things, and learning about new historical events.  It’s also good to get a bit of perspective.

True story: My wife has a friend who is a native of Mexico.  Imagine the feeling of incredulity when her friend learned that Francisco “Pancho” Villa is regarded as a hero in her native country, yet north of the Rio Grande, the rascal was considered somewhat of a villain.  Reading this book is easy to see why opinions differ.

The Mexican revolution, which took place more or less during the first twenty years of the twentieth century, was awfully messy, yet when one looks at the environment, it’s easy to be forgiving of the rebellious inhabitants.  Sadly, when revolutions happen, it’s rare to see everyone suddenly unite behind one leader.  We see factions, traitorous fighters, bent loyalties, and a lot of greed.  Since this is an account of Pancho Villa, it’s somewhat obvious to go along with his emotions and opinions and see the messy world through his eyes.

I hesitate to say this, but this book was also somewhat humorous. I often found myself laughing out loud.  My guess is that this was the intention of the author.  Yes, there is a lot of fighting and there are senseless killings on just about every page, but when one is immersed in these rebellious Mexican lives that seem to consist of mainly beans, whores, and hangovers, you can’t help but chuckle.

One example: Early in the story, Pancho and his men have a chance to view the new technology of something called a “motion picture” - what we today call a “movie”.  When the smelly band of rebels is paying admission to the prefabricated viewing area, one of Pancho Villa’s men insists that he should only have to pay half-price. The reason?  He has only one eye, so therefore can only “watch” half as much.  Then, once the movie starts, the “action” is a train robbery. So when the bandits on screen pull out their guns and start shooting, the inebriated rebels viewing the picture can’t exactly discern truth from fiction, so they all pull out THEIR guns and start shooting at the screen.   Yet one more example of dead and wounded scattered throughout, yet I couldn’t resist howling with laughter.

So a lot of fighting, a lot of women, a lot of soldiers, a lot of attempted intervention from the U.S., and a lot of hot dusty Mexican landscapes.  A hard life for sure, yet the author manages to paint his picture with a light brush. I wanted to learn more about Pancho Villa after I finished this novel, which is probably one of the aims of the author, and also a sign of a good book.

I’m sure there are historians that will quickly point out the errors of the narrative; especially since it’s told fictitiously through the eyes of a real person, but I found the whole excursion quite rewarding, and was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. And I’m certainly glad I didn’t live during that time; especially in the country of Mexico.