The book "With his pistol in his hand": A border ballad and its hero by Americo Paredes was written in 1958, a time when there was tension among the Anglo-Texans and Mexican-Texan during the change of the 20th century. The author focuses on a legendary identified as Gregorio Cortez for his analysis. Using a spare and a laconic style, the author pulls an extraordinary literary feat which his tone is explaining the story of Gregorio Cortez, a ranch worker who shot a Texan sheriff. Along the way, the author exposes the racist underpinnings of Walter Prescott. The book opens a way for a host of voices to come. This essay explores the book's unifying themes, how the context of this book symbolize larger matters of individuality within "Latino" identities as well as how the book opens my perception of the status of the Americas.