Hailed as the greatest novel of the Mexican Revolution, The Underdogs recounts the story of an illiterate but charismatic Indian peasant farmer's part in the rebellion against Porfirio Díaz, and his subsequent loss of belief in the cause when the revolutionary alliance becomes factionalized. Azuela's masterpiece is a timeless, authentic portrayal of peasant life, revolutionary zeal, and political disillusionment.

Beth E. Jörgensen is an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Rochester. She is the author of The Writings of Elena Poniatowska: Engaging Dialogues, and articles on Poniatowska, Margo Glantz, and Benita Galeana.

Ilán Stavans is a professor of Spanish at Amherst College and the author of On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language and The Hispanic Condition, as well as the editor of The Oxford Book of Jewish Stories. He has been a National Book Critics Circle Award nominee and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.