Born of the People is the seminal autobiography of Luis Taruc, the supreme leader of the Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon). Written largely while Taruc was in hiding during the post-war insurgency, the book documents the evolution of the peasant movement in Central Luzon from a resistance force against Japanese fascism into a revolutionary army fighting for land reform and national liberation against the Philippine government and American neo-colonial influence. The inclusion of a foreword by Paul Robeson, a prominent African-American civil rights activist and socialist, highlights the internationalist links between global anti-colonial movements and the Filipino struggle during the early Cold War era. This item is a critical primary source for understanding the socio-political landscape of 20th-century Philippines, particularly the deep-seated agrarian grievances that fueled decades of conflict.
Born of the people