Zorro by Isabel Allende

This is an origin story of the masked sword-fighting hero, Zorro. As far as I know, Zorro never really had much of an origin story, and the author took some liberty in recreating the legend of Diego de la Vega. This is an excellent book because it looks at the cultures of both California and Spain, and how prejudice affected everyone’s life. Diego is presented as a young man with personal issues, and he has to get past that to become the hero he feels destined to become. I really liked how Bernardo was presented as much cooler that the bald servant on the Disney version of Zorro (although I liked that guy, too), and it explained why he was mute.
This novel looks at some very touching issues such as rape, clashing cultures, and how Spain mistreated the natives of California, so it is a valuable read for anyone. It is exciting because Diego is learning how to be a clever swordsman and take his stand against injustice. If someone is not familiar with the Zorro stories he/she would still enjoy this book, but it is even better for fans of Zorro!

Review by David Dunkerton