Hernández, the recipient of a 2019 MacArthur “genius” grant and a professor at UCLA, has been called a “rebel historian.” That’s not a judgment but a badge of honor, and it resonates throughout her work. This book, her most recent, published in 2022, represents a case in point: a multidimensional history of the Mexican Revolution through the lens of the magonistas, a resistance movement with U.S. roots that President Porfirio Díaz condemned as “malos Mexicanos.” The idea, Hernández insists, is that the revolution was not only a Mexican phenomenon; it “also remade the United States.” Hernández is a vivid writer, and her scholarship is impeccable. But it is her conclusion that is most essential: that the revolution changed not only Mexico but the entire border region, with effects that continue to resonate.•
AUTHOR KELLY LYTLE HERNÁNDEZ IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN FREEMAN
When: Thursday, September 21, 2023, 5 p.m. Pacific time.
Format: Freeman will lead a free hour-long conversation with Hernández, which will include a reading by her and questions from the audience. Produced by Alta Journal for streaming on Zoom.
