Densely packed ... A textured account that details Cuervo’s relationships with rival tequila producers, and his efforts to survive in a politically unstable era.
A versatile and industrious nonfiction writer whose output includes books on such subjects as Walt Whitman and the American meat industry ... Tequila Warsis thus not, strictly, a biography of Cuervo. It also tells the story of the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910 and raged for a decade between a bewildering cocktail of forces ... Mexico should be grateful to Mr. Genoways for bringing [Cuervo] back from the dead.
Comprehensive ... Though studded with murders and battles, the narrative is somewhat dry—the most lively moments come from the diaries of José’s niece, who kept sensitive and marvelously detailed records. Still, Genoways offers a rigorous and unique lens on Mexico’s revolutionary period.
