A Spirit of Revolt: Conrado Alvillar and the Rank-and-File Wobblies of the 1927–1928 Colorado Coal Strike

“A deeply researched, innovative, and passionate history of the rank-and-file activists behind one of the most important labor strikes of America’s ‘roaring twenties.’ Gonzales unearths the lives and struggles of a generation of long-forgotten men and women in Colorado’s coal fields who revolted against intolerable conditions to demand a better world.” —Kenyon Zimmer

"'Big' Bill Haywood, Ben Fletcher, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Carlo Tresca, Joe Hill ... in the pantheon of Wobbly heroes, we might also remember Conrado Alvillar. A Spirit of Revolt recovers the life and work of this organic intellectual as well as the many Spanish-speaking and Italian-speaking Wobblies surrounding him. Michael Robert Gonzales deftly traces the ways that immigration, colonization, racism, patriarchy, and exploitation can shape rebel consciousness. This richly researched and passionately argued book teaches us how much we stand to learn from rank-and-file organizers who came before us. By recounting their courage, strategy, and intellectual contributions, Gonzales reminds us that there is still a world still to win." —@christinaheatherton