Lesson Plan Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson

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Eight Week Quiz A. Eight Week Quiz B. Eight Week Quiz C. Eight Week Quiz D. Eight Week Quiz E. Eight Week Quiz F. Eight Week Quiz G. Mid-Book Test - Easy. Final Test - Easy. Mid-Book Test - Medium. Final Test - Medium. Mid-Book Test - Hard. View all 4 comments. May 05, Hadrian rated it it was amazing Shelves: Extremely interesting biography of a very controversial man. I'm still not quite sure what to think of him, but I know considerably more about him. That is not the point of a biography, to confirm your own prejudices.

It is to form a portrait of a man's life to analyze and learn from. Feb 13, A. There may be people who are sincere in their admiration, The great historical tragedy surrounding the legacy of Che Guevara is that man who was nothing but completely and utterly sincere has become a symbol of insincerity. Che spent the remainder of his life with the ambition to duplicate the Cuban revolution in his birthplace. Here's where Che's many faults came into play. Guevara had all of the arrogance and hardheadedness that came with being a steadfast ideologue.

Just because something had been done once, Che believed that it could be duplicated in different situations by following a set of principles.

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This belief led to nothing but disasters of an increasingly hubristic nature. Che failed that his earlier success in Cuba made a repeat of that success near impossible. Now, Latin American governments and their U. Instead, they would be smashed quickly and brutally. Sep 10, Selby rated it really liked it Shelves: A great biography about a generally misunderstood figurehead. I have seen too much crap with Guevera's face on it; tees, bandanas, medallions, pencil holders, etc. His persona has been so commodifed it is important to understand who he was and what he represents.

The book does not shy away from his dark moments; rape, murder, or his phenomenal ones; adrenaline shots into the heart, voluntary poverty.

View all 6 comments. I highly recommend this book. All have heard of the icon Che Guevara May 14, — October 9, This book shows you who he really was. His character, his weaknesses and strengths, his life-philosophy and goals, all of this is covered in this book. It is meticulously researched and full of exclusive information, for example previously unavailable information gathered from his second wife. It follows his life chronologically through to his death.

After his death, in the epilogue, the lives I highly recommend this book. After his death, in the epilogue, the lives of his siblings, parents, children and wives are chronicled too. This book is comprehensive. His characteristics are exemplified through his deeds. I admire Che Guevara and yet he went too far. At least in my opinion. He certainly wanted to help others. He certainly demanded high standards of others, but he demanded the same of himself. This book is also about the ideals of socialism. It is about communism and how the Russian and Chinese diverge.

Jon Lee Anderson On Che Guevara - state of nature

It is about the guerrilla warfare. The book is about how these political ideologies spread in Latin America. You learn of how these ideologies played out in all of Latin America, not just in the country of his birth, Argentina, not just in Cuba, but in Nicaragua and Guatemala and Peru and Bolivia and Mexico. The history of all of Latin America from the 30s through the 60s is delineated. Because he had a hand in much of it. You learn of the fight for socialism in the Congo too.

I am usually not interested in politics. But Che had such devotion to his principles that his enthusiasm spreads and you understand why he does what he does, even if it all goes too far in the end. The author made me understand how Che reasoned. And Che knew his own faults. How wonderful ideals can get all messed up. I feel I know who Che Guevara is after reading this book.

I learned a lot about Latin American history. Through his life I became very interested in this history. There are a lot of names and historical facts that will disappear from my head, but something will fasten. I listened to an audiobook. He could read the facts with an appropriate tone. Beware, this is a very long audiobook - 36 hours and 48 minutes! I found all of it compelling. To really know who Che is you must hear the details.

These facts are not boring. Nevertheless I did remember most of who all these people were. You must know that Che was really called Ernesto. He used to say that all the time to others. That is why others started calling him that. He was trained as a doctor. When he was young he was not at all interested in politics. He had terrible asthma. Can you imagine fighting as a guerrilla with asthma in humid climates?

These are just a smattering of some interesting tidbits. I still admire Che Guevara. He is a fascinating person. I will put an end to this….. I cannot go on and on telling you about him. I highly recommend this book, but give yourself the time to read it properly. Sep 04, Erik Graff rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: This book was given me as a gift--an excellent one as the biography of Ernesto "Che" Guevara b. Although a cultural icon even in life, Che is presented realistically as the hopeful revolutionary he was--too radical and cosmopolitan, perhaps, to have lasted long as a Cuban administrator.

One may not agree with his politics, but it is difficult not to admire the man's spirit. Sep 08, Jason rated it it was amazing Shelves: I bought this book because I really had little to no idea who this guy was. I knew he was involved in the Cuban revolution, and that his face adorns thousands of T-shirts around the world, but that was it. What really motivated me to finally sit down and read this book was something I saw in a Chinese restaurant about two or three months ago.

I was sitting in the restaurant, waiting for my food when a twelve-year-old kid came in, wearing a Che Guevara shirt. I wondered if the kid even knew anyth I bought this book because I really had little to no idea who this guy was. I wondered if the kid even knew anything about the history or what that shirt entails. Was it simply a cool symbol of rebellion to him, as it is to thousands of others? To me, a kid wearing that shirt seemed rude, somehow.

But these judgements I gave so easily only made me a hypocrite; I had no real knowledge myself. Jon Lee Anderson's opus takes us on Che Guevara's adventurous life from birth up until his death in the Bolivian mountains. Exhaustively researched, the timeline is flawless, from what I can tell. But what makes this book, and Che's life, so interesting, is the man himself: As a Capitalist Imperialist myself, an individual Che would have enjoyed shooting, I never thought I'd admire a communist. But there is a lot to admire in Che. Up until his death, he was a man who stood by his word.

He walked the walk and talked the talk. If he was going to be a communist in a role of leadership, he wasn't about to abuse that power and live in a palace. He lived amongst the people, and expected no less from others in positions of power. There was also a lot to hate. Che was a man bent on using violence to create social change within the world. Although this theory may hold some truth, in my opinion, the things Che wanted to accomplish in his lifetime were just insane.

I live in country where I'm allowed to read what I want, and think for myself, so I'm glad these things never came to pass. My country's politics are very flawed, but so is communism, in my humble opinion. It is also my opinion that there's no government that can operate perfectly, but that is another topic. Che was, however, loved by many people. His very presence in history was enough to spark even my own affection, as he was a rare and most interesting individual.

I highly recommend reading this, especially to those who've either worn the shirt, or have wanted to, but know nothing about the actual man. And remember, it is much a more attractive character trait to educate yourself before making judgements. May 06, K. Absolutely rated it really liked it Recommends it for: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. While reading it, I had a feeling that I was taking a Rizal course in college. When I picked the book in December last year, I said that I would like to know the man because I have been seeing his image printed on cool t-shirts since I was a kid.

A few years ago, I bought and viewed some parts of the movie Motorcycle Diaries but I did not know that it was about the teenager Che Guevara. After reading the novel, I think I know everything that I need to know about the guy. Thanks to this well-researched book of Jon Lee Anderson.

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I look forward to reading his other books like the one about the Fall of Baghdad that he wrote only a few years ago. Did I like Che Guevara as a person? He stood to what he believed was right.

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Did I believe he was right? Philosophy and literature including poetry are his greatest interest and this broadened his thinking and developed his critical reasoning. Then his sojourns in the countryside opened his eyes to the injustices to marginalized people in Argentina. With Fidel Castro by his side, he succeeded in Cuba but failed in Argentina, Honduras and Bolivia leading to his death on October 9, I was only 4 year old then.

He was able to serve the poor as a doctor in the years in the mountain. However, now that the Lenin-Marx models were proven as not as effective, I have a second thought that his short life he died in the age of He could have succeeded more as a allergy scientist.

On the other hand, with your image printed on shirts being worn by young people even 40 years after your death, is it not an achievement enough? Apr 23, Amy rated it it was amazing. After trying to research information about Che on the internet and from people around me I found that there is a large amount of propaganda from both Cuban's and American's that conflict with what people are told that this man was like.

This books was thoroughly researched and showed both the great attributes of the man and the extreme views he held. It was also interesting to read about Che as a father, husband and son because I think it is forgotten that those close to him seemed to have to acc After trying to research information about Che on the internet and from people around me I found that there is a large amount of propaganda from both Cuban's and American's that conflict with what people are told that this man was like. It was also interesting to read about Che as a father, husband and son because I think it is forgotten that those close to him seemed to have to accept that he was a revolutionary on behalf of Latin America first and a person second.

Many books about Che also forget about the people around him and how his death affected them, but this book tells us what happened to each person involved in his life after he was killed and how they were either encouraged or disheartened by the events. I think Jon Lee Anderson wrote this book very cleverly as he layed out all the facts for us in a captivating and engaging way but he still leaves room for us to come to our own conclusions about the man and his beliefs.

Excellent biography with great quotes and passages from Che himself and those close to him. Dec 29, Jason rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Those interested in Latin-American especially Cuban history and politics.

This is a hell of a book, both in length and content! I enjoyed getting a clear and ample picture of such a mythologized human being. Even as a Spanish major, I didn't hear very much about Che, other than that he wanted to be the new Bolivar and he was Castro's right-hand man. I also learned a lot about communism and its implementation in various countries throughout the world. It took me a whi This is a hell of a book, both in length and content! It took me a while to get through, and I was getting tired around page or so. It's well worth the struggle, however!

Nov 23, Benjamin rated it really liked it. Exhaustive to say the least but if you have any questions about the life of this man, this book will answer them for you. I do get the impression that Guevara would hate just about everybody walking around the US with his picture on a t-shirt. Sep 12, M.

Aug 11, G. Brennan rated it it was amazing. Among Communism's dead and dying giants, Che Guevara stands out.

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Few of them lived a shorter life; the job title of "Major Communist Figure" seemed to grant Fidel Castro, Deng Xiaoping, Kim Il Sung and others a Methuselah-like longevity, whereas Che didn't live to see his fortieth birthday. But few, too, lived a life so chock full of romantic adventure, intrigue, myth and mystery.

It's a life that retains a certain allure, a life that, to many, still seems worthy of veneration and emulation. It i Among Communism's dead and dying giants, Che Guevara stands out. It is difficult to write a biography about someone larger than life, hard to convey both the person and the myth, but Anderson has done a stellar job on both fronts.

Besides being well written, "Che" is excellently and thoroughly researched, a far more difficult and important feat: Importantly, too, Anderson shows us not the blown-up and distorted figure so many have seen, but the true dimensions of a man and his actions. On one level, those actions were considerable: After a relatively secure youth, Che trained to be a doctor, then embarked with a friend on a continent-spanning motorcycle journey before his studies were up.

It was, perhaps, a sign of things to come: Che's journey helped crystallize the sentiments that would underpin his life: In support of those beliefs, he first played a bit part in Guatemala's ill-fated revolution, then joined Fidel Castro's revolution-in-training in Mexico. Castro and company's subsequent landing in Cuba seemed like a quixotic undertaking: But they succeeded, against seemingly impossible odds, driving Batista's regime from power and finding themselves triumphantly holding the levers of power in Havana. And that success was, in many ways, Che's undoing. At the ripe old age of thirty, Che found himself one of the most important men in Cuba.

And, mindful of the Guatemalan revolution's untimely demise, Che helped Castro cement the Cuban revolution by ruthlessly purging the island of those who weren't committed to it. But his temperament remained that of the brash revolutionary, not that of the patient technocrat he was asked to become, and when it came time to actually run the country, to make the revolution a success, Che and his ilk were failures.

Anderson does a masterful job in describing how disasterous the Cuban revolution was for Cuba. In distancing themselves from the United States and putting their country in the Soviet orbit, Castro and Che wreaked havoc on the Cuban economy. Che was a fanatical and austere idealist truly committed to his cause, but few shared his level of committment; many of those with the technical know-how to keep the nation's sugar mills running fled the country rather than work for a man who knew a little about revolutions but very little about running an economy.

Gavin Lawler rated it really liked it May 23, Ines is currently reading it Dec 27, Marina Merris added it Dec 28, Armaan is currently reading it Sep 01, Maria marked it as to-read Nov 12, Ale added it Dec 09, Hector Rodas marked it as to-read May 06, Sai Venkat marked it as to-read Jun 10, Sushil Bista marked it as to-read Sep 09, Nadir Ali marked it as to-read Jan 21, Hamza El allami marked it as to-read Feb 20, Stephen Phillips marked it as to-read Oct 02, Igrowastreesgrow marked it as to-read Apr 28, Khristine Dizon added it Nov 19, Vipul marked it as to-read Jul 01,

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