Emilia Altamirano, half Otomí Indian, half pure Spanish, is born in 1814, the year after the Battle of the Medina River, where her father fought as an officer in the Mexican Royalist Army. She grows up in Bexar de San Antonio unacknowledged by her father, raised by her Otomí Indian mother, and “adopted” as an unofficial ward by José Antonio Navarro, hero of the Texas fight for independence from Mexico. She learns to read, write, and acts as a page for the Ayuntamiento (City Council). She learns nursing during a cholera epidemic and later tends the wounded on both sides during and after the Battle of the Alamo. She survives, but as a Tejana, Spanish-speaking, and a loyal citizen of Mexico, she faces an uncertain future.
“She’ll have to develop callouses on her soul, if she’s to get on in this world.”
Before the Alamo by Florence Byham Weinberg is a gritty tale about a woman and her daughter in San Antonio de Béxar before the Alamo became the site of that infamous bloody battle that we are all told to remember. The journey in this story for both Maria and her daughter, Emelia, starts in 1814 and goes to the battle’s aftermath in 1836. This journey includes beauty and affection among an abundance of hardship, prejudice, violence, and death. Emelia carries the shame of her illegitimate birth and the scorn of her natural father, but, with her mother’s tender yet firm love, Emilia thrives by learning to read and write and by surviving so many of life’s cruel blows.
While Before the Alamo includes both fictional and historical figures and does envelop the cultural, political, and military aspects of the time, it is ultimately a love story between a mother and daughter and between that same daughter and her childhood friend, destined to be together come what may. Emilia and Dámaso are called mestizo and considered lower class, with their dark hair and skin, definitely unlike the fairer decedents from Spain. But they work hard and have the talent and determination that just might provide them with a leg up to a better life and maybe even a chance to marry, if only a series of misfortunes and tragedies along the way will let them.
“Life can set traps that can ruin a person forever.”
The author’s writing is both matter of fact and melodic, filling the pages with a story that will touch your heart, elicit ire at the many injustices, and leave you with an interesting fictional view of life before, during, and after the Battle of the Alamo. This perspective of the years leading up to such a turbulent time is a true gift from the author because it opens up the possibilities of events that Texas history books may not offer (my Texas History classes were so many years ago). The typical focus is always on the Alamo, but what was life like in the small mission town before 1836? What were the everyday conflicts, struggles, and joys among the people in San Antonio de Béxar? The author opens up that window, unfolding a story that is both riveting and infuriating as Maria and Emilia navigate the male-dominated landscape, where people, including priests, accuse women of provoking men to abuse them because they are “daughters of Eve.” Any story that invokes strong emotion, such as anger and grief, and subsequent discussion is a valuable one, and all readers can benefit from reading about the severity of the times, even in a work of fiction. Among the thorns in Beyond the Alamo, however, is love, friendship, devotion, and hope, with the author juxtaposing everything in such an extraordinary story with expert equanimity. Well done!
Note: Take the time to read the Author’s Note at the beginning that advises the reader to check out the list of characters (shows which ones are fictional and which ones are historical) at the end of the book as well as the Appendix, which has some important Texas history that will benefit you as you read. You’ll be glad you did.
Enter the giveaway below on or before December 20, 2021, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
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12/13/21 |
Excerpt |
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12/13/21 |
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12/13/21 |
BONUS Promo |
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12/14/21 |
Excerpt |
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12/14/21 |
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12/14/21 |
BONUS Promo |
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12/15/21 |
Author Interview |
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12/15/21 |
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12/16/21 |
Deleted Scene |
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12/17/21 |
Author Interview |
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12/17/21 |
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Thanks for the heads up about the important author notes at the beginning. I really look forward to reading this. SOME DAY I will read books again, right?