Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson
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Book Reviews of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
Book Review: Last of The Little Christs
Summary: 5 Stars
Kierkegaard had an essential theory that that the optimum way for a human to live out his existence was as a "little Christ." A man, in other words, who was an emulation of the Christian theological icon. A selfless man who gave his individuated existence wholly to the greater good; the improvement of the human condition for the most was the purpose and meaning of life for this sort of being. Che seems to have adopted fully this ethic and incorporated it into the mode of his experience. The biography is of a selfless being, a man living wholly for the greater good. Richard Lee Anderson captures this basic essence while disclosing the imperfections that plague all human beings, even exceptional specimens like Che.
A valuable lesson in what is possible for all of us. Not recommended to those who adopt a Limbaugh Land bibliography as "selfless" replaces "selfish" as the theme of the studied life.
Book Review: A True Hero of the Left
Summary: 5 Stars
The fog of time and the strength of anti-anti-Communism have obscured the real Che. Who was he? He was an Argentinian revolutionary who served as Castro's primary thug. He was especially infamous for presiding over summary executions at La Cabaña, the fortress that was his abattoir. He liked to administer the coup de grāce, the bullet to the back of the neck. And he loved to parade people past El Paredón, the reddened wall against which so many innocents were killed. Furthermore, he established the labor-camp system in which countless citizens--dissidents, democrats, artists, homosexuals--would suffer and die. This is the Cuban gulag. A Cuban-American writer, Humberto Fontova, described Guevara as "a combination of Beria and Himmler." Anthony Daniels once quipped, "The difference between [Guevara] and Pol Pot was that [the former] never studied in Paris." - Jay NordlingerBook Review: A well balanced book showing both good and evil
Summary: 5 Stars
I was impressed, this is such a huge book and it kept me wanting to push onward. I thought it balanced out the ideology of Che alongside the self-centered and otherwise bad acts he committed. Nevertheless such people are rare. He survived incredible odds to help win a revolution, then became a statesman, and then died fighting. If anything, this makes me want to learn more about Cuba.
A very interesting perspective on a few historical issues. Sad that we still have an embargo on Cuba... seems oppressive in it's own right. The only minor problem I had was the use of spanish words that were kept in use throughout... more in that I wasn't quite sure what they meant. Perhaps my own lazyness in continuing to read without checking.
Overall a very good book. Two sections of photos. I don't feel any less American for liking this book.
Book Review: Perhaps the most documented of all Che's bios
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years ago I met Jon Lee Anderson while I was reading his huge "brick" on Che. Perhaps then I understood yet a few more things about the book and his author, a man with an uncompromising journalist's mind. In my opinion while Paco Taibo's bio of Che (also available at Amazon) is more captivating, the overall documentation accummulated by Anderson is overwhelming and unmatchable. How can someone handle all that info and manage put it into a readable and yet enjoyable form? I don't know, but Anderson did it. If this wasn't enough then there are the behind-the-book stories. For instance, the very reason for finding Che's remains in Valle Grande was this conversation of Anderson with a Bolivian retired military that is mentioned in the book. I guess the author did not leave any stone unturned. This is exactly how an accurate biography has to be written.Book Review: A Winner!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was outstanding in every way, shape and form! THE ULTIMATE bio on Ernesto Che Guevara Lynch! Any serious historian who wishes to conduct meticulous and complete research on this internationally highly-renowned icon (there's a 50-foot bust of him in my town of La Coruna--no, NOT in Cuba, but in SPAIN! And they even named an avenue after him as well. We Galicians have always been revolutionary-minded. Fidel Castro's grandparents themselves were of Galician background, from the province of Lugo), I highly recommend this work. It's alot of reading, but I assure you it's worth every page, and, as you will find, very difficult to put down. Author Jon Lee Anderson's writing style can surely captivate even the gloomiest reader. Highly recommended for the serious Latin American, World and, yes, even Military historian, and for general readers as well!