Written by my husband, to whom I gave this book as a gift:
Thanks to his clear, straightforward, thorough and objective writing, Michael Reid not only captured my attention, but left me feeling like an expert on Latin American history, politics, and economy. This book is an excellent blend of the dry facts of Latin America's economies combined with the much more interesting stories of dictators and democracy, culture and history, and the unique differences of the many countries that us North Americans tend to simplify as a single entity.
I read the book as a US citizen married these twenty years to a Venezuelan, so I was particularly curious in Reid's writing on Bolivar and Chavez. I think he treats both in an objective manner, using Chavez as a reference point for comparison to other Latin countries that have found more sustainable and equitable solutions to their problems. Unfortunately for Venezuela, the original promise of change that Chavez embodied, is shown by Reid to be just another example of a destructive, dead end path of Populism. Similarly, Reid manages to tell the stories of Fidel, Che,and Evo, as well as Peron, Allende, Pinochet,and the many other singular characters so important in Latin America today and yesterday.
Reid builds his story with a concise and focused review of Latin American history - both the region as a Colonial whole, and the individual nations in their unique cultural, historical and geographic settings. The reader will be well informed for Reid's last few chapters where he analyzes the present for the Latin countries, including the near future outlook. Reid introduces most chapters with stories of individuals, both famous and average, in their national and economic settings - an effective means of engaging the reader with the rest of the chapter content. Ultimately Reid concludes this excellent book with a relativiely positive outlook for democracy and increasing equality throughout the region, and thanks to his numerous citations, I found myself wanting to read more about Simon Bolivar, Che Guevara, and Latin American history. Like the review I originally read in the magazine, Americas (published by the Organization of American States), I strongly recommend this book to any and all who have an interest in Latin American history, politics, and/or culture.
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Anders
Interesting overview of the politics of modern South America
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2019