Evita: The Woman with the Whip

Rating:
Summary: Important only because of its historical placement
Review: Eva Peron was a woman from the slums, born out-of-wedlock, with very little formal education, with a degree of Indigenous Argentine heritage (Evita was born in the town of Los Toldos, which is Spanish for "The Tents"), who had become an actress. The treatment people of her background received in Argentina in the 1940-50s would be parallel to what African Americans were going through during that same time-frame in the United States.

Before the government of Juan Peron, Evita's husband, came to power, women could not vote, there was no minimum wage, and the poor and working classes were completely absent from the political process. This system worked well for those who were on the ruling side of it, and that is the side the author of the book EVITA: THE WOMAN WITH THE WHIP was on. The author, Mary Main, was of Anglo (English) heritage but was born in Argentina. When Mary Main was a teenager she moved to England for several years and then returned to Argentina to be stunned by what she found. Argentina was now being ruled by people who belonged to a culture she Ms. Main was not a part of and did not understand: the Peronist movement, made up of those from the Catholic Hispanic-Creole culture. EVITA: THE WOMAN WITH THE WHIP bears the brunt of that misunderstanding, and it channels all of the misunderstanding into hatred for the primary symbol of Peronism: Eva Peron. It was the first book to be published in Argentina that was hostile to Evita (originally published shortly after Eva Peron's death in 1952 under the pen name "Maria Flores"), it is a compendium of gossip and myth, but would often be used by Evita's opponents and cited as fact. It would later become the basis for the musical EVITA.

Mary Main's portrayal of Evita is quite dated in its prose, very much rooted in the conservative conventions of the 1950s. Surprisingly, however, Mary Main does concede that Evita had at least some positive effect on Argentine society, saying that Eva Peron flamboyantly challenged much that was obsolete in the structure of the past, "and for this Eva may be remembered long after the poor ghost of Santa Evita has been laid to rest."

EVITA: THE WOMAN WITH THE WHIP is interesting only for the fact that it is the first biography of Evita to become available in the United States, and it is the first time most in the Anglo/USA world heard of her. But for a more accurate, non-biased, and researched retelling of Evita's life, I would recommend EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON by Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro.

Rating:
Summary: A brutally honest book
Review: I read this book for my higher English coarse and As I read it I became more and more Fascinated with Evita this book has so much detail that only intense research could have been done to get it this perfect. Mary's art of writing shines through in this outstanding Biography.

The detail of every aspect of Eva's life is covered in this book some skimmed some in minute detail. My life has changed for ever after reading this book and as copies are in short supply I suggest you Find one and keep it forever. Or never fully live

Rating:
Summary: CRY FOR EVITA- Mary Main whips her with an even bigger lasso
Review: The title "The Woman with the Whip" should be given to the author of this book- Mary Main (or Maria Flores, depending which version of this book you read), the woman (or at least one of the women) who I deem responsible for the "demoralization" of Evita's legacy.
This so called "historical" author explains Eva's life as if she had personally met Eva or had known her for several years. After all, she tells us what Eva WAS feeling at the time and what her TRUE motivations were- and according to Mary Main it was HATE and greed. The author so eloquently states how Eva suffered from megalomania and on the verge of insanity but luckily death did her in first.

It is a known fact now that Ms. Main used the opposition as her informants for this book, therefore her book is just a 283 page tabloid, loaded with all the malicious rumours that were later used by other historians of the 50's who disliked Evita and most recently used as the basis for the international hit musical "Evita" (Tim Rice has called this biography "Superb").
No one can really blame Time Rice or Andrew Lloyd Weber or anybody of that time period for getting the wrong impression of Eva Peron considering this book was probably the only MAJOR biography written about her in the english language.
It is my consolation that many recent biographies have denounced this work. Even other hostile biographer's such as Paul L Montgommery, author of "Eva Evita: The life and death of Eva Peron" has a discredit in his bibliography (although his work is just as one-sided and hostile).

Eva Peron was a legend during her lifetime. She was able to accomplish more in 7 years than any other political leader (male or female) accomplished in a lifetime. In response to Mary Main's accusations of megalomania or attention seeking, no one who is NOT sincere would work 15-20 hours a day for their cause. Eva's foundations built over 1000 schools, over 100 hospitols, thousands of homes for the under priviledged, Shelter's for the homeless and unwed mothers, orphanages and the list goes on and on. She also personally dealt with the people, kissing lepers (leprosy is contagious), the filthy, the old, and people with such diseases as cancer, tuberculosis and syphilis. Mortality rate amongst the poor and children improved considerably because they finally received FREE medical attention. After years of being ignored they were finally recieving first aid for their malnourishment, cholera etc. All this goes against the claims of being self centered. If Evita only wanted the credit for such good deeds, she could have paid someone else to do her job BUT STILL take the credit. Someone else could have been sitting in her office recieving the public while she could have been relaxing by the pool- enjoying the view from the lofty heights she had reached by that time.
As for Eva's sinful bed hopping, need I remind everyone that you can't name an actress (past or present) who did NOT have multiple bed partners. Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor (and a ga-zillion others) have had several lovers, husbands and not to mention several abortions yet none of this hollywood "Legend" are classified as whore's or harlots by their public. Yet they are all glorified and idolized for simply having made movies. Even the American icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is the subject of a constant "cult" but what did "Jackie O" DO for her nation- besides wear nice clothes and hats, that has made her such a legendary and saintly woman of her time. I am by no means trying to offend her many admirers or trying to diminish her impact on her country but it sickens me when a "latino" woman, who was just as charismatic and lovely, is constantly put under a microscope in order to find her flaws as a woman and as a human being. Ms. Main accusses Evita of being savagely ruthless and vindictive. She is held responsible for the attrocities committed by the state police during the first Peronist Period. But if you are going to accuse someone of murder and torture- have the evidence to back up your claims. But even Ms. Main states in her book.. "there is no proof."

There is ONE credit I will give Mary Main and that is that her book is very well written. There is no doubt that she was a talented writer. Too bad her most famous work is a hateful attack on one of this century's most enduring legends. This book is recommended for the die hard Evita fan, just so you get the Anti-Peronist view of Peronism and of the Peron's. But it should not be taken seriously. It should not be taken as the difinitive biography it proclaims to be. Ignorance is not bliss and neither is hate. This biography is the perfect example of both.