David Romo, the son of Mexican immigrants, is an essayist, historian, musician and cultural activist. The Mayor's Silk Underwear is the result of his three-year exploration of archives detailing the cultural and political roots of the Mexican revolution along la Frontera. Romo received a degree in Judaic Studies at Stanford University, and he has studied in Israel and Italy.
"David Romo’s Ringside Seat to a Revolution is a fascinating
glimpse into unknown scenes of the Mexican Revolution of 1911. He
takes us into El Paso and Juárezfacing one another across the Rio
Grandein the years just before and just after the exciting events
of the revolution itself. It is close up and personal
history-through the eyes of an extraordinary cast of characters. It
is 'people’s history' at its best." Howard Zinn, author of A
People's History of the United States
"David Romo’s micro-history is brilliant. Here you’ll find what
official history seems to ignore: the salt of the earth, the
surprising anecdote, rumors, the absurd. The odd relationship
between El Paso and Mexico makes this book all the more
fascinating." Paco Ignacio Taibo II, author of Guevara Also Known
As Che and The Uncomfortable Dead
"More than 200 archival black-and-white photographs enhance Romo's
lively text. They show spectators watching the Battle of Juarez
from trains, women drinking from huge glasses at a Juarez bar, a
bull killing a matador, a jazz band at an El Paso cafe, and
executions. The book sheds new light on a fascinating era."
Booklist
"In a city whose popular history has been portrayed
as one
inhabited only by gunfighters and conquistadores, it is a breath of
fresh air to read about the profound cultural and social influence
of the Mexican Revolution and Mexican-origin people." El Paso
Times quote from Yolanda Leyva, a University of Texas at El Paso
history professor
"David Dorado Romo’s Ringside Seat to a Revolution isn’t really
about Villa. It’s a different kind of book, perhaps unique
This is
an extraordinary book. For those who love the tangled history of
Texas and Mexico and their tragic border, it’s a treasure." Dallas
Morning News
"Romo could not get away from his hometown, and we should be
grateful. He has collected a fine, fat book with more than 200
photographs and dozens of tidbits from El Paso-Juárez history."
RALPH: The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the
Humanities
"A project inspired by the anarchic avant-garde 'mappings' of the
Situationist International, Ringside Seat to a Revolution is a
cultural and historical exploration of two geographical sites:
cities on either side of the Rio Grande and either side of the
Mexico-U.S. border. Beautifully written and illustrated, this
alternative history is a treat for readers." Southern California
Quarterly
"Most people know that to really uncover a city, one must find the
places where the locals hang out and dig up the legends and tales
that make each city what it is. David Dorado Romo has done just
that with the West Texas city of El Paso.
Romo’s book reads like
its own shooting star for all those interested in this fascinating
time period." The Monitor
"Ringside Seat to a Revolution is a must-read not just for those
interested in the history of a war, but for those interested in the
history of two nations and the Mexican American culture." San
Antonio Express-News
"Every chapter is illustrated with wonderful photographs and is
permeated with Romo’s finely-honed sense of the absurd.
He is
research fanatic, and he spent five years plowing through archives
scattered from the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles to the
Smithsonian in Washington to write Ringside Seat to a Revolution."
Big Bend Sentinel
"Overall, Romo seems to have touched the revolution locally in all
its various and relevant aspects
This is as fine a local primer on
the early Mexican Revolution as we will likely ever read." El Paso
Times, Leon Metz
"Ringside Seat to a Revolution is a treat, a history book that is
funny, beautifully illustrated, well-written and deadly serious.
It's a highly dangerous book--the kind you might read and actually
learn something from." Tucson Weekly
"Romo’s book is fascinating reading for any denizen of the El
Paso/Juarez region. His riveting narrative will keep you glued to
your seats." El Paso Inside & Out Magazine
"Drawing on contemporary eye witness accounts and archival records,
David Dorado Romo, the son of Mexican immigrants, documents this
pivotal period of Mexican-American history with a fresh
prospective.
Romo, who is both an essayist and historian, is to be
commended for this excellent work. It is highly recommended."
Tucson Citizen
"Romo weaves together biographical, historical, and at-first-glance
inconsequential facts, from the comical to the tragic, to convey a
heady cultural and political intensity among the Mexican population
along the border at the time
and shatters stereotypes along the
way. The big, soft-cover book also has a jazzy graphic design and
brims with compelling photographs." Taos Daily Horse Fly
"Books, articles and columns about the Mexican Revolution have
floated around for decades. But this is one is different from
anything we’ve ever read!" El Paso Inc.
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