Che Guevara Reader: Writings on Politics & Revolution

This is a really comprehensive compilation of his writings. It has letters, speeches, all sorts of his writings from throughout his entire life so you can see how his ideas and writing changed throughout his life as he was exposed to different experiences. The book is organized very well to let you read them chronologically and by type of writing.

I was hoping for more economic and organizational theory, and it is more history or historiography which is less intellectually challenging.

Che Guevara tells us of his beliefs on how the world should be and his efforts to change the way the world does things.

read it

Che Guevara has been so etched into the public consciousness as an icon of revolution, rebellion and guerrilla warfare that it is easy for many to forget about the more intellectual aspects of the man. The "Che Guevara Reader" is the perfect tool to really study and learn the ideas behind Guevara's quest for Latin American unity against imperialism, poverty and racism. The depth of thought and analysis will be stunning to many, there are passages where Guevara writes and expresses at a level worthy of Noam Chomsky. Here we see that the man was no joke, there were very real philosophies behind his drive for revolution. The book covers Che's writings from the time of the Cuban guerrilla war against the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship to his various speeched as Cuba's ambassador to the world. Among the most powerful pieces are his speeched at such forums as the United Nations, where Guevara gives an angry, heartfelt summary of the suffering felt in the Americas at the hands of imperialism and how the people will rise. When one looks at current events in Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, there is more resonance to a passage where Che states, "our example will bear fruit." Some of the most fascinating passages in the book deal with the concepts behind social progress and unity, where Che stresses the need to work as one and not give in to shallow materialism. Che especially focuses on the need for education to build a stronger system and build social consciousness. Che and Fidel bashers will be infuriated by sections where Guevara clearly states that not ALL aspects of Marxism work for a society, destroying the myth of Che being a radical dogmatic Communist. There are also interesting speeches where Guevara expresses the need to analyze what kind of revolution every country needs, what worked in Cuba might not work for example, in Chile where the people elected Salvador Allende without having to resort to a guerrilla war, interestingly Latin America's recent tilt to the Left has been driven mostly be democratic elections as well. There is also a wonderful depth of feeling in writings where Che states the need for a true revolutionary to have a sense of love, real, true love and not pure cold calculation. The most rewarding experience of reading the "Che Guevara Reader" is realizing how important these ideas are for our times as well when corporate ideals have monopolized our industrial nations and created a huge gap between the poor and rich. Some will be surprised to find only a fraction of this book dedicated to pure guerrilla warfare talk (for that check Guevara's "Guerrilla Warfare") and a good 90% dedicated to discussions on society, people and the need for true social reforms in the face of tyrannical capitalism and social inequality. A valuable book so you can wear the T-shirt, but know the philosophy as well.

GREAT BOOK MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR REALLY THERE A MUST IF YOU LIKE READING BOUT CHE GUEVARA FROM CHE GUEVARA HIMSELF

What a coincidence! Now that a movie glorifying Ernesto "Che" Guevara is about to make its debut out of tinseltown, everyone with an ounce of greed in their innards is publishing and translating books and articles about Che--a most lucrative way for opportunistic ghost writers etc., to make lots of money at the expense of the ignorant masses and without a drop of sweat. Years after Guevara's well-deserved execution by the Bolivian military, the glorification of Che is coming out of the woodwork. For those Guevara fans and boot-lickers who weren't "fortunate enough" to live in Cuba during the early days of the so-called revolution, Che became such a thorn on Fidel's side that the maximum liar presented the sinister doctor with the notorious ultimatum: Leave Cuba now, or else. Thus the main reason the Argentinian "benefactor" leaped south in a "quest to liberate" the suffering Bolivian masses from oppression, and escape his own execution at the hands of the Castro brothers, who auspiciously ended up owning the entire Cuban farm by themselves. A ruthless human being by conviction, and a bloodthirsty doctor by trade, Guevara, like Fidel, executed in cold blood those who opposed their communist ideals right on the spot and without trial. Regardless of how the ignorant media exalts Guevara's memory, this nefarious individual will go into history as an intelligent, ruthless flake, who happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. The man deserves to be remembered as he was: A criminal, a loser, and a mass murderer. Andrew J. Rodriguez Award winning author of "Adios, Havana, a Memoir"