Rating: 
Summary: This was such a waste of time!
Review: Yes, it was interesting to read an autobiography of Evita. However, didn't anyone see that this was propaganda? Eva Peron carried on as if her husband was God. He was far from it. (The two were involved with such corruption.) This reminds me of having conversations with people who have no idea of the person they are. I say read the official biographies of Evita's life. They are more interesting because they ring true.
Rating: 
Summary: There's a message here for you from Evita.
Review: Yes, THAT Evita. Eva Peron. From Argentina. Yes, it IS for you. Yes, she HAS been dead for fifty years. But in 1952 she wrote a book, "Mi Mensaje (My Message)." She knew her days were numbered, so she used those days for writing, and she left a message for the living. That's you.
It's a view from inside the head of a charismatic leader, the most powerful woman on earth. It's highly personal, highly political, and highly emotional. For reasons you can guess, in this, her last book, she saw no need to be politically correct--and it isn't. Without mentioning any names, she says exactly what she thinks about people, power, the Church, and the military. And precisely because she doesn't mention names, these views of hers are still relevant today.
This Message also requests a response: it is a call to action--yours.
"My Message" has been a long time coming. Too dangerous for the political climate of 1952, it has only recently seen the light of day--and even more recently translated into English, under the title "In My Own Words." It's a message for you from the real Evita.
Rating:
Summary: There's a message here for you from Evita.
Review: Yes, THAT Evita. Eva Peron. From Argentina. Yes, it IS for you. Yes, she HAS been dead for fifty years. But in 1952 she wrote a book, "Mi Mensaje (My Message)." She knew her days were numbered, so she used those days for writing, and she left a message for the living. That's you.
It's a view from inside the head of a charismatic leader, the most powerful woman on earth. It's highly personal, highly political, and highly emotional. For reasons you can guess, in this, her last book, she saw no need to be politically correct--and it isn't. Without mentioning any names, she says exactly what she thinks about people, power, the Church, and the military. And precisely because she doesn't mention names, these views of hers are still relevant today.
This Message also requests a response: it is a call to action--yours.
"My Message" has been a long time coming. Too dangerous for the political climate of 1952, it has only recently seen the light of day--and even more recently translated into English, under the title "In My Own Words." It's a message for you from the real Evita.
Rating:
Summary: There's a message here for you from Evita.
Review: Yes, THAT Evita. Eva Peron. From Argentina. Yes, it IS for you. Yes, she HAS been dead for fifty years. But in 1952 she wrote a book, "Mi Mensaje (My Message)." She knew her days were numbered, so she used those days for writing, and she left a message for the living. That's you.
It's a view from inside the head of a charismatic leader, the most powerful woman on earth. It's highly personal, highly political, and highly emotional. For reasons you can guess, in this, her last book, she saw no need to be politically correct--and it isn't. Without mentioning any names, she says exactly what she thinks about people, power, the Church, and the military. And precisely because she doesn't mention names, these views of hers are still relevant today.
This Message also requests a response: it is a call to action--yours.
"My Message" has been a long time coming. Too dangerous for the political climate of 1952, it has only recently seen the light of day--and even more recently translated into English, under the title "In My Own Words." It's a message for you from the real Evita.
Rating:
Summary: Insight into Evita's inner life
Review: Yes, this book is undoubtedly Peronist propaganda. But, as Fraser and Navarro point out in "Evita: The Real Story of Eva Peron," Evita meant every word she said. Evita asked the people to give their lives for Peronism, but she led by example and gave /her/ life for Peronism - which is something much different from what most politicians do, say one thing and then do the other. Evita was not perfect, she was a human being limited by time and place, as we all are. Just as she was no better than any of us, she was no worse than any of us either. Evita did many wonderful things to empower women (for one, she helped Argentine women get the vote. A commemorative peso, with Evita's profile on the front, has been issued in Argentina for the 50th anniversay of the law granting for women the right to vote), and to inspire the poor, including building schools in the poorest neighborhoods, and building thousands of houses for the homeless. And thanks to Evita's foundation (which, by the way, was NOT a cover for extortion, though many people have claimed that it was. There has never been any evidence to support these wild accusations), and through the training of thousands of nurses and the employment of the most advanced medical equipment available at the time, there was for the first time in Argentine history no inequality in health care. She did a lot of wonderful things that she is seldom given credit for. People seem unable to get past the fact that she was so beautiful and so aware of the power of media representation - what can I say? Evita was ahead of her time. Why does society have trouble understanding that beautiful women can also be intelligent, and that it /is/ possible for beautiful women to achieve success in life without it meaning that they had to "sleep around" to get that success? See, Evita was a feminist in many ways, but she was a feminist with the power to help pass laws that helped women, amoung them the law that made divorce legal. Some people will never be able to forgive her for not remaining constrained by the dictates of a conservative society's ideas of what women should be. As for the allegations that Evita and Juan Peron were involved in "such corruption," well, name me ONE politician who /wasn't/ involved in corruption. Let's keep in mind that the United States was founded by slave owners who wrote "All men are created equal." Isn't it corrupt to then go against one's own words and hold slaves? Or shall we just brush that bit of American history under the rug and feel smug to point out the errors of foreign leaders? Yes, there was corruption in the Peronist government - but there is corruption in EVERY government. Let's keep in mind that leaders, all of them, are human. This doesn't excuse corruption, it just helps us remember that we are all cut of the same imperfect cloth. I would recommend this book for those who are interested in learning about Evita's inner life. Again, yes, it /is/ propaganda, but she meant and lived by and believed what she said. Even her most venomous opponents admitted that she lived by her romantic and idealized Peronist rhetoric. In her will Evita wrote, "If I have committed any errors, I know God will forgive me because I committed them out of love." And I hope a male dominated society will some day forgive Evita for having been so powerful (by some estimates, the most powerful woman of the 20th century) and for not being what they wish she was - a shallow, empty-headed bimbo who only got where she was because of her looks. If you are someone who is willing to look beyond the myths and prejudiced opinions, then I would recommend you reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Insight into Evita's inner life
Review: Yes, this book is undoubtedly Peronist propaganda. But, as Fraser and Navarro point out in "Evita: The Real Story of Eva Peron," Evita meant every word she said. Evita asked the people to give their lives for Peronism, but she led by example and gave /her/ life for Peronism - which is something much different from what most politicians do, say one thing and then do the other. Evita was not perfect, she was a human being limited by time and place, as we all are. Just as she was no better than any of us, she was no worse than any of us either. Evita did many wonderful things to empower women (for one, she helped Argentine women get the vote. A commemorative peso, with Evita's profile on the front, has been issued in Argentina for the 50th anniversay of the law granting for women the right to vote), and to inspire the poor, including building schools in the poorest neighborhoods, and building thousands of houses for the homeless. And thanks to Evita's foundation (which, by the way, was NOT a cover for extortion, though many people have claimed that it was. There has never been any evidence to support these wild accusations), and through the training of thousands of nurses and the employment of the most advanced medical equipment available at the time, there was for the first time in Argentine history no inequality in health care. She did a lot of wonderful things that she is seldom given credit for. People seem unable to get past the fact that she was so beautiful and so aware of the power of media representation - what can I say? Evita was ahead of her time. Why does society have trouble understanding that beautiful women can also be intelligent, and that it /is/ possible for beautiful women to achieve success in life without it meaning that they had to "sleep around" to get that success? See, Evita was a feminist in many ways, but she was a feminist with the power to help pass laws that helped women, amoung them the law that made divorce legal. Some people will never be able to forgive her for not remaining constrained by the dictates of a conservative society's ideas of what women should be. As for the allegations that Evita and Juan Peron were involved in "such corruption," well, name me ONE politician who /wasn't/ involved in corruption. Let's keep in mind that the United States was founded by slave owners who wrote "All men are created equal." Isn't it corrupt to then go against one's own words and hold slaves? Or shall we just brush that bit of American history under the rug and feel smug to point out the errors of foreign leaders? Yes, there was corruption in the Peronist government - but there is corruption in EVERY government. Let's keep in mind that leaders, all of them, are human. This doesn't excuse corruption, it just helps us remember that we are all cut of the same imperfect cloth. I would recommend this book for those who are interested in learning about Evita's inner life. Again, yes, it /is/ propaganda, but she meant and lived by and believed what she said. Even her most venomous opponents admitted that she lived by her romantic and idealized Peronist rhetoric. In her will Evita wrote, "If I have committed any errors, I know God will forgive me because I committed them out of love." And I hope a male dominated society will some day forgive Evita for having been so powerful (by some estimates, the most powerful woman of the 20th century) and for not being what they wish she was - a shallow, empty-headed bimbo who only got where she was because of her looks. If you are someone who is willing to look beyond the myths and prejudiced opinions, then I would recommend you reading this book.
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