The Revolt of the Cockroach People

Blurb

The Revolt of the Cockroach People is a novel by Oscar Zeta Acosta. The novel is a semi-autobiographical fictionalized account of the August 29, 1970 Chicano Moratorium, a mass protest of the Vietnam War. In addition to political protest, the characters engage in insurrection against religious, educational, and legal systems. During the Moratorium, demonstrations are held while buildings are bombed and people die. The protagonist, Buffalo Zeta Brown, represents the rioters who were indicted unjustly but attracted media to make Latinos aware of their social condition. Eventually, the pressures from the court, the community, and his life become too overwhelming, and Buffalo Zeta Brown decides to leave town to start afresh in San Francisco. The title of this novel and its references to "cockroaches" is often thought of as a metaphor for society's undesirables, particularly minorities, and their constant presence.