American History Press

David Fagen Turncoat Hero

$21.95

DAVID FAGEN TURNCOAT HERO

Phillip W. Hoffman

 

This book recounts the remarkable story of David Fagen, an African-American “Buffalo Soldier” from Tampa, Florida, who is first sent to fight in the Spanish-American War in Cuba, and later shipped off to combat in the Philippine-American War. In the Philippines, instead of bringing the long-suffering Filipino people true freedom and independence, Fagen and his comrades are ordered to help win America’s shameful objective of conquering and ruling the island country by brute force. Six months later, Fagen has had enough of torturing and slaughtering Filipinos. Defecting and joining the Philippine Revolutionary Army, he is assigned to train and then lead Filipino guerrillas in raids against American forces. His successes earn him the notoriety of becoming America’s most hated traitor of the war, while simultaneously emerging as a much-loved and respected Filipino hero.

Endorsements

“If you have never heard of David Fagen as American “turncoat hero,” grab this fabulous account of his exploits as a “Buffalo Soldier” who joined the Filipino guerrillas resisting U.S. bloody pacification of the Philippines in the beginning of the twentieth century. It is filled with new discoveries nuanced by the multiple perspectives of diverse observers, witnesses, and survivors. But this is not just one man’s story. Hoffman uses a versatile protagonist as vantage point to sketch the panorama of the ceaseless struggle of Filipinos, African-Americans, and ordinary citizens against racial, class, and colonial bondage. Hoffman frames Fagen’s exemplary life in the contemporary context of the global war against religious extremism and the terrorizing drug wars worldwide. He thus reminds us of the lessons of the Philippine-American War (1899-1903), about the value of cross-cultural solidarity, secular-democratic humanism, and the critical questioning of official versions of history. A timely, brave achievement, and a necessary guidebook in understanding the fraught U.S.-Philippine relations today!”
-Dr. E. San Juan, Jr., professorial lecturer, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila; author, U.S.Imperialism and Revolution in the Philippines; Beyond Postcolonial Theory, and other works.

David Fagen Turncoat Hero is a book that transcends the life of its main character.  It is a story of imperialism, racism, and resistance.  But it is equally a compelling story of the conflict within Black America as to our relationship to the very system itself.  Despite knowing how the story would conclude, I kept hoping for a different ending, a sure sign that this book captured my imagination.”
-Bill Fletcher, Jr., Author, labor union activist, former senior staff person of the AFL-CIO, former president of Trans-Africa Forum, a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, and editorial board member of BlackCommentator.com

Specifications

Format: 6" x 9" paperback on permanent paper, printed in the United States
Pages: 262
ISBN 10: 1-939995-25-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-939995-25-4
LCCN: 2017033019
Price: $21.95 (Bulk order rates are available upon request)

About the Author

Phillip W. Hoffman

PHILLIP W. HOFFMAN wrote TV shows for Combat! and other dramatic TV series during the 1960s. He also spent nine years teaching a writing class at the late Jay Silverheels' Indian Actor's Workshop in Los Angeles. His first non-fiction book, Simon Girty Turncoat Hero, required eighteen years of research and changed both Canadian and American perspectives on early America's most vilified and notorious frontier character of the Revolutionary War period. In addition of his writing merits, Hoffman is an award winning, world renowned cutlery designer whose original Lakota knives were accepted into the Permanent Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He lives with his RN wife Mary Ann, and three dogs in Pace, Flordia.



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This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 19 October, 2017.

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