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Summary: most complete work on che guevarra
Review: I just finished this king size book, and enjoyed every letter written. One cannot imagine how the author could have made such a complete work on the life of che guevarra. This book is a must for everyone interested in the life of Che Guevarra!!!
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Summary: Perhaps the most documented of all Che's bios
Review: 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.
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Summary: VIVA CHE!
Review: Jon Lee Anderson's "Che Guevera" is a masterpiece. You know, some books talk about a subject and stick to it. This one tells the average reader, bombarded and blinded by a reactionary press, the things you didn't hear about but are the core of people like Che. Eisenhower Administration's "cozy" relationship with the notorious United Fruit. How the American Government cared more about exceeding the power of the already massive economy and the already very rich corporations, and to heck with the Latin Poor! This tells the true story of Latin America as a sexist and racist continent (Yes, very similar to Amerika) And one that has semi-colonized countries that bow down to American interests at all times. Anderson's Che offered hope and did more for the common man and did more for the poor than every U.S. President combined did for 50 years!
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Summary: This book introduced me to the legend...
Review: The book was fantastic. It was epic. I couldn't put it down. Today, Guevara is one of my personal hero's. I didn't even know who he was when I bought the book, I just a saw a massive red paperback and I thought it looked interesting. My only complaint is that some parts were a difficult read, namely the parts where Anderson was describing the combat scenes, etc. I would without hesitation recommend this book to anyone, especially those with an interest in idealism, communism, capitalism and Latin America. Epic.
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Summary: A benchmark, which other bio's are measured by.
Review: Ernesto Che Guevara was a prominent figure in the Cuban revolution, and is admired throughout the world for his anti-US, and anti-imperialist ideology (many of the admirers of Che, seem to abhor Fidel Castro), his compassionate humanism (Jean-Paul Sartre said Che was the most "complete" human in the World), and apparently, his handsomeness (I got a poster of Che, and the first thing my mom said, was, "he's a good looking guy"; which is quite a strange experience!). And there have been a spew of bio's that cover the life of Che in recent years, and they all seemed to occur in conjunction. When Anderson's masterful bio hit the shelves, one by Taibo II called, 'Guevara: Also Known as Che', was also released, and one by Jorge Castanedas, named 'El Companero: The Life of Che Guevara' was released as well. But don't be fooled, this bio of Che is the only one you'll ever need to read.There's a reason this book is in the shelf of a person in almost every town in the US, it is well-written, and is astoundingly interesting. Much like Stephen Ambrose's trilogy on Nixon, a person doesn't even have to have an interest in the subject, to enjoy the book. Similar to Wheen's bio of Marx, Anderson does not focus on Che's ideology, he focuses on the human Che Guevara. And even an ignorant right-winger can not deny that Che Guevara led an extremely interesting life. This is a ground-breaking biography, and it's almost a crime that it is not categorized in the literature section at bookstores, much like Gertrude Stein's the Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, and Sartre's Words, because it is that good, if not better!
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Summary: Overpacked, understuffed. I was left wanting
Review: The author takes his understanding of his subject more seriously than the task at hand: Showing us why we should care to read about this guy. It seems Jon Lee Anderson gets a little too caught up in some of the hero worship and recounting Che's luck with the ladies instead of showing how this guy rose to be such an effective leader and a powerful influence in the world. The book seems to be a series of adventures - Che helping lepers, Che on a motorcycle, Che and his revolutionary guerilla buddies - rather than an exploration into the evolution of one of recent history's most interesting people. If you want to actually know more about the guy, pick up some of the editions of his own journals. They'll get you the closest.
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Summary: Che: Myth, man or both
Review: John Lee Anderson has written a great and comprehensive biography about Che Guevara. The author has put in a great effort in order to collect all the material used in this book. Lots of interviews with all kind of different people, that be family, friends or enemies. The story of Che starting in his youth, his attending in medical school and the development af his thoughts of being a revolutionary doctor is good. It gives an idea of why and when Che developed his political ideas. Especially the descriptions of his journeys in South America where he got aware of the social injustice in the countries in South America are great. Che's meeting with Fidel Castro in Mexico and the reasons he joined the fidelistas is also very interesting indeed. His participation in Castros uprising in Cuba and the work he did for the revolution afterwards is very well described. Why did Che leave Cuba afterall? The question is never answered completely (and it might be impossible to answer it) but quite a few possible reasons are given in the book - reasons that gives the reader a good insigth to the thougts of Che Guevara. One of the reasons could be Che's view on the problems between China og Russia. There is no doubt that Che found that the Chinese way to socialism was a better strategy for the countries in South America than the russian way. Another explanation could be that Che wanted to prove his own theories about guerilla warfare by establishing new revolutions in other South American countries. The last part of the book is dedicated to Che's disastrous struggle in Bolivia where he tried to throw over the government. That story is very interesting as well and John Lee Andersons book was the reason why the body of Che and his comrades where found. The book really gives a good picture of the man behind the myth and an understanding of why the man became a myth. I wouldnn't hesitate: Buy the book and read it!
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Summary: Vive El Che!
Review: This is the most complete biography I have ever read. Mr. Anderson focuses on Che, the man. It tells the unbiased truth, for once, about a man who was feared and admired. Many praises for Mr. Anderson and his associates. The research and detail is astonishingly amazing. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know more about Che Guevara.
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Summary: Lunatic Real Life Adventure, Part 4
Review: I am in no way an apologist for Cuban communism or an admirer of Guevara's idiotic and disastrous political beliefs, but you have to admit the guy's life was a ... of an adventure. Che and Castro brought the most powerful nation on the planet, literally to its knees. To go from being an asthmatic Argentinian medical doctor to shooting prisoners of war in the head in the mountains of Cuba, just to set an example of harcore revolutionary dedication for his macho followers, now that's what I call a larger than life character. Jon Lee Anderson's book is much more than a meticulous and definitive non-biased biography, it is a political history of Latin America in the '50s and '60s. One of the best books I've ever read; very hard to put down.
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Summary: Superb, Exhaustive Biography
Review: This is a great story; it borders on the epic. Anderson got access to seemingly thousands of sources in the U.S. and Latin America and the result is a fascinating and gripping account of Che Guevara's life. Virtually everything you'd want to know about Che is in this book, which has to rank as the authoritative work on the man. Anderson does an excellent job of laying out the historical setting, which frames Che's life. He recounts the U.S.'s imperial behavior toward Latin America, including directing the overthrow of the government of Guatemala and other misdeeds, which radicalize Che and sets him on the road to destiny. Anderson convincingly describes Che's complex personality, but emphasizes his single-minded devotion to improving the condition of the poor and bedraggled of the world. One can't help but respect, grudgingly or otherwise, someone (with chronic asthma no less) who willingly gives up whatever creature comforts he has in order to fight in the African and Latin American countrysides for such an ideal. Many of course scoff becuase Guevara was a dedicated Marxist, but all things considered, he consistently comports himself better than his enemies, particularly in combat. For example, he routinly frees captured enemy soldiers, while his opponents shot their prisoners. Granted, Guevara presided over executions in Cuba, but they pale in comparison to the behavior of the pro-U.S. regimes in Guatemala and elsewhere. And of course Che himself is executed in the end by his Bolivian and CIA captors. This book also contains some great photos. I particularly liked those of Che disguised as an elderly professor, his cover for his ill-fated mission to Bolivia. To be sure, there are some flaws in the book. For one thing, Anderson surprisingly does not fully discuss Che's conversion to Marxism. Just a few more paragrahs on this key question probably would've sufficed. Also, on a couple of occasions Anderson uses the same phrases in the same paragraph; tighter editing would've eliminated this. Still, these are minor defects. All things considered, this is a great bio. I don't know if Anderson won any awards for this book, but he certainly deserves recognition of some sort.
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