They Called Me King Tiger: My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights

Reies López Tijerina was one of the four acknowledged major leaders of the 1960s’ Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement: The others were César Chávez, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, and José Ángel Gutiérrez.

Of these four, Chávez and Tijerina were the most connected to, and involved in, grass-roots community organizing, while the latter two were more dedicated to political change. But where Chávez consistently advocated non-violent protest, López Tijerina increasingly turned to militancy. He and...