{"product_id":"the-ballad-of-roy-benavidez-the-life-and-times-of-americas-most-famous-hispanic-war-hero-9781541600263","title":"The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America's Most Famous Hispanic War Hero","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe dramatic life of Vietnam War hero Roy Benavidez, a Mexican American Green Beret from a working-class family with deep roots in Texas, revealing how Hispanic Americans have long shaped US history\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In May 1968, while serving in Vietnam, Master Sergeant Roy Benavidez led the rescue of a reconnaissance team surrounded by hundreds of enemy soldiers. He saved the lives of at least eight of his comrades that day in a remarkable act of valor that left him permanently disabled. Awarded the Medal of Honor after a yearslong campaign, Benavidez became a highly sought-after public speaker, a living symbol of military heroism, and one of the country's most prominent Latinos.   \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Now, historian William Sturkey tells Benavidez's life story in full for the first time. Growing up in Jim Crow-era Texas, Benavidez was scorned as \"Mexican\" despite his family's deep roots in the state. He escaped poverty by enlisting in a desegregating military and was first deployed amid the global upheavals of the 1950s. Even after receiving the Medal of Honor, Benavidez was forced to fight for disability benefits amid Reagan-era cutbacks. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e An unwavering patriot alternately celebrated and snubbed by the country he loved, Benavidez embodied many of the contradictions inherent in twentieth-century Latino life. \u003ci\u003eThe Ballad of Roy Benavidez\u003c\/i\u003e places that experience firmly at the heart of the American story. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Basic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/11\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781541600263\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.50h x 6.25w x 1.49d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2024\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"William Sturkey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43972182900917,"sku":"9781541600263","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_04ab97d8-6202-47b3-93f3-a8dced8236d6.jpg?v=1713282442","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-ballad-of-roy-benavidez-the-life-and-times-of-americas-most-famous-hispanic-war-hero-9781541600263","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}