List Price: $16.00 Details

Save: $6.01 (38%)

$3.99 delivery April 10 - 11. Details

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

El Kay

Ships from

El Kay

Sold by

El Kay

Sold by

El Kay

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Monday, April 8 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by -OnTimeBooks-

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Héctor Tobar

Follow

The Tattooed Soldier Paperback – July 1, 2000

by Hector Tobar (Author)

414

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"00SuCBgsZVElZakjIgU2NOgDFOSZE9fr6a9uABvP7Dd1xq97Tm%2Fy4%2FtfR797QBfQgkzy195U9QNXoVGDgvWLmy%2BBS2Sp4zrZeTLbikeU64%2BT6J5ssk0%2FdhW%2BaqZK9ITwcKw0s3KdV0stmirKUgYRrLxsia4oYqJiQ77IKwjNmin%2B1iwf0oLRD2qRUpkqz%2BoB","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.56","priceAmount":8.56,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"56","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"00SuCBgsZVElZakjIgU2NOgDFOSZE9frT%2BvjHsBISg3NPr0Zl7tk3TG1MHkIRk9n5ODcOGInlLhUPWW1FwfyJBKNVij0ETSJVVFMq3fZyWP1P0NnKonEBHNCT8tTvHjsdkbs4VYOm9%2BbqdjUEVm%2B40toLVSR2spHuspWQEtDhkGn0Nz7BEU3MtjJgZDX5x%2Br","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Héctor Tobar's debut novel is a tragic tale of destiny and consequence set in downtown Los Angeles on the eve of the 1992 riots. Antonio Bernal is a Guatemalan refugee haunted by memories of his wife and child murdered at the hands of a man marked with a yellow tattoo. Not far from Antonio's apartment, Guillermo Longoria extends his arm and reveals a tattoo--yellow pelt, black spots, red mouth. It is the mark of the death squad, the Jaguar Battalion of the Guatemalan army. A chance encounter ignites a psychological showdown between these two men who discover that the war in Central America has followed them to the quemazones, the "great burning" of the Los Angeles riots.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

July 1, 2000
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

5.08 x 0.54 x 7.75 inches
ISBN-10

0140288619
ISBN-13

978-0140288612
See all details

Frequently bought together

$9.99

Get it Apr 10 - 11

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by El Kay.

+

$7.61

Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$12.89

Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The son of Guatemalan immigrants, Héctor Tobar is a National Correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and was part of the writing team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 riots. He holds an MFA from the University of California at Irvine and lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reissue edition (July 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140288619
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140288612
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.54 x 7.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,879,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #20,587 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #65,590 in Suspense Thrillers
- #76,202 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
414

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Héctor Tobar

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

414 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Grace

Great Book for those who can handle heavy historical fiction.

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book is incredibly emotional and has you hanging onto the edge of your seat. The story focuses on the Guatemalan Civil war that transpired from the 1960s-1990s and the effects and perspectives of those most affected. There is a special attention to Guatemalan slang, gender roles, culture, and the life of an immigrant living in Los Angeles during the LA riots. My only critic is the way the female characters are written, they seem to just be used a points to keep the main characters plot moving forward and it's clear these female characters were written by a man with the male fantasy at mind. Other than that I found this book to be very educational and it handled the content greatly.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Wilma C.

The words flowed like a strong, subtle river.

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book was astonishing in the handling of a gruesome and horrible time of abuse in Guatemala. I suppose this work of fiction was based on actual incidents from the civil war there. It flowed like music or poetry while describing horrid events during the time of the war, and the insanity it bread in the protagonist, living the traumatic life there, and then in the US, where he "providentially:" met the tattooed soldier that had killed his wife and child while the protagonist and his wife were college students separated from school due to having their tiny son. . The story was mesmerizing. The author had me at every turn, and I grieved with this young man--and even with the soldier who had known no other life after being conscripted(kidnapped) into the army not even being allowed to go home to tell his family he had to leave He was in his mid teens, not yet formed as a man.
.age, . The soldier learned to survive by identifying with and striving to impress his abductors. And these two powerful forces played out a tragedy you couldn't take your eyes away from. Astounding story, masterfully told.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Heaven Wolf

4 Stars for Tattooed Soldier

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

Tattooed Solider is one of the first novels I’ve read that talks about what was happening in Guatemala in the 80s. It was interesting to read about the different perspectives and the parallels we see throughout the book. I also found it interesting the way Tobar’s writing style jumps between the three main characters in the book, sometimes in the middle of chapters. As gruesome as some parts are (being that families with children are being murdered) it isn’t the main focus of the story, but Tobar does a good job of telling real life stories and of things that did actually happened in Guatemala. We also get to see different perspectives of refugees and some of the homeless population. For the most part the book is well-written and suspenseful, with lots of thought-provoking, underlying themes. The only criticism is the way the women were portrayed. The women in the book, Elena and Longoria, seemed to be written in the “male gaze,” with most of their actions being overly dramatic and unrealistic. That’s the only reason I give the book 4 stars.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

CRuiz87

Tattooed Soldier- a great read!

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2010

Verified Purchase

I was assigned to read this for my class, Latinas and Revolutions. This book was chosen to cover the region of Guatemala. It follows the lives of Antonio Bernal and Guillermo Longoria. Lorgoria was a violent soldier in his country who kills the wife and son of Antonio. Years later Antonio finds Longoria in a park in Los Angeles and his goal is to seek revenge. The ending is shocking! But my favorite park was reading about the struggle in Guatemala. I learned so much by reading articles that explain the situation of the country in that time and it is just a shock to see the kinds of things that were allowed in many Central American countries in the 1970s-1980s, and even much before that time. It's disappointing to also see USA's involvement in all of this, yet not so surprising once you read a lot of the histories in those countries. I'd recommend this book!

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bea Nevins

Revenge and Peace

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016

Verified Purchase

The author described the span of time in which the emotions and feelings of the main characters took shape. The background for the story was researched and substantial to the plot. The way Tobar writes, I can see and hear everything he describes as if watching a film. My familiarity with both Guatemala and Los Angles is minimal. Tobar definitely knew both. It would have been easy to just sit and read the book all the way through. Compelling enough for a re-read. The evil portrayed was balanced out by the positive traits of the main and supporting characters.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

James Kark

Guatemalan civil war and 1992 L.A. riots.

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

I liked the story. Loved it. It built up to a crescendo. It was excellent. It is a human story, and specifically with a Guatemalan and Los Angeles vibe. A Wonderful book by Hector Tobar, a real gem.

Helpful

S. Salyer

book for college class

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2011

Verified Purchase

This novel was required for one of my collage classes but it was a pretty good read. The plot moves along quickly. There are many characters but you find yourself liking at least one of them. There are lots of literary devices used to create symbolism and parallels between the settings and the people. The novel does bounce between two locations Guatemala and Los Angeles, CA but its an effective way to bridge and parallel those two places that the characters think of most of often. This is an adult book as the tattooed solider is required to kill people, and the way touches upon the fragility of humanity. Some parts are gruesome as they go into detail during the killings,those are only a small part and is not the main focus of the book, but overall gives the reader a new perceptive of refugees and immigrants in downtown Los Angeles.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Portland Artist

Beautifully written.

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

This beautifully written story leaves the reader sadder and wiser about conditions in Central America and the U. S., and with greater understanding of parents who are sending their children on the dangerous trip north. It left me with questions about solutions to political and social problems, and vengeance.

I followed "The Tattooed Soldier" with "Into the Beautiful North." Both books are required reading for a Latino/Chicano Literature class I am auditing at PSU. "Beautiful North", kind of a Don Quixote story, eases the sorrowful mood of "Soldier." I highly recommend both.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

dita 59100

belle découverte

Reviewed in France on August 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Un très grand auteur, j'ai adoré "The Barbarian Nurseries", un très beau livre qui réussit à éviter bien des clichés et un regard intéressant sur les relations entre Américains et immigrés d'origine mexicaine. Un grand plaisir à lire!

Translate review to English

See more reviews

Buy new: $9.99$9.99 $3.99 delivery: April 10 - 11 Ships from: El Kay Sold by: El Kay

Buy used: $8.56

Follow the author

The Tattooed Soldier Paperback – July 1, 2000

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Héctor Tobar

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$9.99

$3.99 delivery: April 10 - 11

Ships from: El Kay

Sold by: El Kay

Buy used:

$8.56