Cardenas will hold book signing in Duval County on July 16

 

Alfredo Cárdenas, the author of Balo's War, visits with descendants of Basilio Ramos at the book's debut in 2015 at the Duval County Courthouse. Cárdenas will do a book signing on Sunday, July 16 at El Encuentro in Rios.


Eight years since Alfredo Cárdenas debuted Balo's War in 2015, the author has been invited to make a presentation and do another book signing in Duval County. The author will be at La Brasadas El Encuentro in Rios, located at the old Catholic Church (click the link to get directions on Google Maps.)  

Balo's War is a historical novel based on the Plan of San Diego which was given light in Duval County's capitol in 1915. The Duval County Historical Commission dedicated a Texas Historical marker for the Plan of San Diego at Padre Bard Park in San Diego earlier this year. Cárdenas, who was unable to attend because he took ill at the time, prepared the historical marker application, including writing its history.

"I first ran across the term 'Plan of San Diego' some 40 years ago while doing some research on the history of Duval County," Cárdenas said. "Then, I was not a trained historian and would go to libraries and head for the history shelves and start thumbing through book indexes for 'Duval County' and 'San Diego'. It was using this unconventional method that I first heard of the Plan of San Diego." 

The author explained that growing up in Duval County he had never heard of the Plan, certainly not in the school's history classes. It was also not a topic of conversation in the town. "It was as if it had never happened," Cárdenas said, "but it had a dramatic impact in South Texas, indeed on Texas, history."

After accumulating volumes of information from the state and national archives, local and university libraries, newspapers from across the country, and online sources, Cárdenas decided to write the history in the form of a novel. A handful of historic books had been written, and Cárdenas had read them all.

"These books were well-written and provide much information, but for me, they lacked a personal element," Cárdenas said. "I wanted to relay more about how people were affected, how they felt, the impact it had on their daily lives."

Noted historian Dr. Arnoldo de Leon, who has family roots in Duval County, observed in his review of Balo's War:

"As do the short stories and novels identified with (among others) Rolando Hinojosa-Smith and Américo Paredes, Cárdenas’s tome succeeds in faithfully rendering aspects of Tejano living at the turn of the 20th century—after all, that milieu has shaped him. He portrays characters as strong and self-assured figures who maintain composure and confidence while wrestling against life’s vicissitudes…Cárdenas emerges as a master storyteller gifted with a writer’s touch and a vivid imagination."

Texas A&M-Kingsville professor Dr. Manuel Flores, Chicanadas: The Adventures of Growing Up Mexican in South Texas, observed:

"…the story of that ill-fated plan and turbulent times is told in an exciting manner by Cárdenas. This is a fascinating book about a plan of revolution by Tejanos in the early 20th century. Cárdenas has taken this controversial event and brought life to it as few have in the past. Historically this book is important, especially to those interested in Texas history and the Tejanos quest for civil rights. As a work of fiction, the book is compelling. Cárdenas is a great storyteller..."

You can read readers' reviews here.

To read a sample chapter of Balo's War click here.

The book signing will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 16.  A limited number of books will be available and only checks and cash will be accepted. If books run out, the author will gladly take your order and mail it to you. You can also order Balos' War from Amazon.

"I am very much looking forward to seeing many old friends, and making some new acquaintances," Cárdenas said. "There is nothing like coming home."