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Summary and Reviews of The Prince and the Coyote by David Bowles

The Prince and the Coyote by David Bowles

The Prince and the Coyote

by David Bowles
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  • Oct 10, 2023, 440 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

From Pura Belpré honoree David Bowles comes a young adult epic about one of the greatest minds of the Americas (honored to this day on Mexico's 100-peso bill).

1418 – Pre-Columbian Mexico

Fifteen-year old crown prince Acolmiztli wants nothing more than to see his city-state of Tetzcoco thrive. A singer, poet, and burgeoning philosophical mind, he has big plans about infrastructure projects and cultural initiatives that will bring honor to his family and help his people flourish. But the two sides of his family, the kingdoms of Mexico and Acolhuacan, have been at war his entire life – after his father risked the wrath of the Tepanec emperor to win his mother's love.

When a power struggle leaves his father dead and his mother and siblings in exile, Acolmiztli must run for his life, seeking refuge in the wilderness. After a coyote helps him find his way in the wild, he takes on a new name – Nezahualcoyotl, or "fasting coyote" ("Neza" for short).

Biding his time until he can form new alliances and reconnect with his family, Neza goes undercover, and falls in love with a commoner girl, Sekalli. Can Neza survive his plotting uncles' scheme to wipe out his line for good? Will the empire he dreams of in Tetzcoco ever come to life? And is he willing to risk the lives of those he loves in the process?

This action-packed tale blends prose and poetry – including translations of surviving poems by Nezahualcoytl himself, translated from classical Nahuatl by the author. And the book is packed with queer rep – queer love stories, and a thoughtful of pre-Columbian understandings of gender that defy the contemporary Western gender binary.

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

Acolmiztli was a real historic figure, better known today as Nezahualcoyotl, the name he used as ruler of Tetzcoco. He was a celebrated warrior, architect, and poet, as well as part of the Triple Alliance that became the Aztec Empire. Bowles is wonderful at bringing his perspective to life. The world in which Acolmiztli lives is integral to the book's fast-paced, exciting plot, from the religion that guides him, to the complicated interplay between family and political ties, to the class divide between the main character and many of the people he meets while on the run...continued

Full Review Members Only (626 words)

(Reviewed by Katharine Blatchford).

Media Reviews

School Library Journal (starred review)
Bowles adeptly crafts a complex, multi-format, and genre-bending novel for teens.

BookPage
The Prince and the Coyote is an intense and moving epic based on the life of Nezahualcoyotl, an influential and artistic Mesoamerican leader. Weaving history and fiction together, David Bowles fashions a rich story of political intrigue, ferocious battles, beautiful landscapes and the enduring hope of humanity.

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Fight alongside young Nezahualcoyotl as he comes of age and earns his crown... Riveting.

Booklist
Readers will admire the protagonist's confidence in his sexual identity and the author's care in developing a consensual, polyamorous relationship.

Publishers Weekly
Bowles fictionalizes the life of poet Nezahualcoyotl (1402–1472)—an Indigenous figure whose actions brought forth the rise of the Aztec Triple Alliance before Spanish colonization—in this sophisticated work... The inclusion of translations of the figure's actual poetry interwoven with Bowles's immersive prose makes this a mature novel that never shies away from the ferocious realities of war and death.

Reader Reviews

Anumon baby

Good story writing style
Its good book to those who love read fiction. Even though some readers has negative comments on this story I think its based on individual choices. So I loved the story because it lead us to an old kingdom there is prince. You know that reading kings...   Read More
Divya Ann Mathew

Whispers of Nezahualcoyotl: A Tale of Love, Power, and Identity in Pre-Columbian Mexico
The Prince and The Coyote" by David Bowles takes readers on a captivating journey through the vibrant and tumultuous world of pre-Columbian Mexico. Set against the backdrop of the year 1418, this novel weaves together the threads of political ...   Read More
Aleena Francis

The conqueror
This book is one based on the life of a Nezahualcoyolt.it is indeed a mixture up of being lonely; seeking revenge and whatnot. The prince left out in the dark wilderness seeks help from a coyotte.it is indeed a must read one with simultaneously many ...   Read More
Sahal

Good one
I read this book i got excited, I loved it immediately because I am familiar with the setting. This particular book invites BIPOC readers to appreciate their heritage and the vibrant history the predates European and Spanish contact.

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Beyond the Book



The Pre-Columbian City of Tetzcoco

Photograph of the ruins of the imperial gardens of Nezahualcoyotl, showing a succession of steps, walls, and other stone arrangements covered by trees and other plant life In David Bowles' novel The Prince and the Coyote, Prince Acolmiztli is forced to flee his beloved city of Tetzcoco after it is overrun by enemies. Acolmiztli, later known as Nezahualcoyotl, was a real historic figure still famous today, and his city was one of the most important in the Aztec Empire.

Tetzcoco (also spelled Texcoco or Tezcoco) is located in the Valley of Mexico, to the east side of Lake Tetzcoco. The region was inhabited by a diverse population of Nahuatl-speaking tribes who migrated to the area after the collapse of Toltec power in the 12th century. The specific group who made Tetzcoco their capital and controlled most of the eastern part of the Valley were the Acolhua.

Advances in agriculture, such as the ...

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