Book excerpt: A unique compilation of diverse sources, many in English translation for the first time, this book documents the Mexican Revolution, explains its popular and agrarian nature, and helps to clarify its often perplexing conflicts, alliances, and issues. Competing Voices from the Mexican Revolution: Fighting Words lets readers see this watershed moment in Mexican history in a new light, through the eyes of people who actually experienced it. This annotated collection of brief primary sources—from Mexican and U.S. government documents, novels, news articles, ballads, travel accounts and memoirs, manifestos, correspondence, and graphic arts—brings together a wide range of contrasting opinions on the revolution's pivotal moments and controversies. From the beginnings of social unrest in the 1890s to the war's conclusion in 1923, readers can assess debates between factions, follow key individuals and military/political movements, evaluate the motives of participants, explore U.S.-Mexican relations, and gauge the war's impact across the full spectrum of Mexican society, including women and the peasant and working classes.