HE WHO RIDES TEE TIGER: The Story of an Asian Guerrilla Leader

by Luis Taruc ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1967

He who rides the tiger,"" as the old saying goes, ""cannot dismount."" It is an appropriate metaphor for the life of Luis Taruc, former commander-in-chief of the ""Huks""--the Communist guerrilla army in the Philippines. Taruc was never a thorough-going Communist; and he never quite renounced his Catholic upbringing. He still holds firmly today to the cause of the Filipino peasantry, on whose behalf he fought first against the Japanese, then the Americans, and finally the government of President Magsaysay. In 1954, Taruc surrendered--according to his account, on a promise of amnesty. He received four life terms, which he is still serving in a military prison. This is his second attempt at autobiography; the first, Born of the People, was written while he was a guerrilla and was, he says, altered substantially by his more orthodox Marxist comrades. Guidance and influence here come from Douglas Hyde, who disclaims undue editorial influence but confesses the steadfast intention of winning Taruc over to the Church and antiCommunism. It is interesting to speculate on what sort of book Taruc might have written without such ""assistance."" In any case, this is a thought-provoking story with striking similarities to other guerrilla wars. Americans know little of their former colony's recent history, even less of the internal story of the Huks. Any account, however censored or objective, is therefore of value.

Pub Date: May 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Praeger

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION