The Motorcycle Diaries: A journey around South America (Critical studies in Latin American and Iberian culture)

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The Motorcycle Diaries: A journey around South America (Critical studies in Latin American and Iberian culture)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 9,849 ratings · 630 reviews

In January 1952, two young men from Buenos Aires set out to explore South America on an ancient Norton motorbike. The journey would last six months and would take them thousands of miles, all the way up from Argentina to Venezuela. En route there would be disasters and discoveries, high drama, low comedy, fights, parties and a lot of serious drinking. They would meet an ex...more

Hardcover, 156 pages

Published April 1st 1995 by Verso (first published 1992)

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Sep 18, 2012 Ash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: movie, memoir-biography, adventure-travel, own_nf, 2011-read

I wanted to read this book so badly, mainly because I wanted to read about Che. He is such a popular icon and you see so many people wearing t-shirts with his image on them etc. I knew very little about him and that was the main reason for picking up this book. I would say I read more from Wikipedia, than from the book. I would open Wikipedia to read more about the cities mentioned in the book. I also read stuff about Fiedel Castro and few more people mentioned in the book. Apart from Che's pers...more I wanted to read this book so badly, mainly because I wanted to read about Che. He is such a popular icon and you see so many people wearing t-shirts with his image on them etc. I knew very little about him and that was the main reason for picking up this book. I would say I read more from Wikipedia, than from the book. I would open Wikipedia to read more about the cities mentioned in the book. I also read stuff about Fiedel Castro and few more people mentioned in the book. Apart from Che's personal life, this book was interesting to read in many aspects. Machu Picchu, which is now one of the wonders of the world, has been explained very well by Che in the book. He also speaks about Inca empire, its decline and Spanish invasion.
What really impressed me in the book were his thoughts about everything-
1. Owner made a person carry their luggage walking while these people were riding horses. Che pitied for that guy and took back the luggage from that guy.
2. His compassion towards the mine workers who have to work in such horrible conditions, in return for such poor wages.
3. Communist couple to whom Che and Alberto lend their blanket, even though they themselves were shivering from cold.
4. The way he feels compassion for all those leprosy patients and makes sure they feel 'human' again, like playing football with them, touching their hands. I am not sure how many people would have actually done that.
5. I like the way they get free food and drinks during the trip. Che's idea of telling they always eat while drinking :)

I feel sad for the Indians(native Americans). He describes third class in the train by saying it used to stink more than the coach used to transport animals in Argentina.

"But the people before us are not the same proud race that repeatedly rose up against Inca rule... These people who watch us walk through the streets of the town are a defeated race".

"... To die hoping that one of their children, thanks to miracle powers of a drop of colonising blood in their veins, might somehow achieve the goal they look forward to until their last days"
Che's thoughts along with their travel anecdotes made it a great read.

Updated:

Movie was good. I especially loved those beautiful locations (Machu Picchu). But still book was better.(less)

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Aug 30, 2007 Matthew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a first-hand account of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's trip across South America with his good friend. Guevara is not a professional writer and it shows in his straight-forward delivery of the material. It's a diary and it reads like a diary. There is very little exposition here. It's just a blow-by-blow account of the events that took place.

What I found interesting was that Che was a passionate medical student who just wanted to help people, quite in contrast to his later guerrilla life with C...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Jim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: author-south-american, auto-and-biography, non-fiction, read-in-2013

I started this book with low expectations, and luckily they were exceeded. The movie version was by comparison, not very good - two med students hit the road on a beat-up motorcycle and spend their time fixing the bike, hustling drinks and meals, and chasing women.

The book expands on the movie version, luckily, and we get to hear more about young Che's impressions of his developing continent. Knowing Geuvara's career as as future revolutionary politician, it is easy to read these pages and see t...more

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Aug 08, 2007 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those interested in Che and Latin Literature

Although it took me almost a month to read this relatively short book, I found it very interresting and written in a literary reflective style. It made me wish my journal sounded as coherent and intelligent. The Diary did a great job expressing the feelings and thoughts of a young man who changed from his journey through Latin America. It was really cool to get into the young Che's head and see how, why, and when he began to change into the revolutionary icon so many of us know him as today. Sin...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Mahendra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

His account begins: This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams. In nine months of a man’s life he can think a lot of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most desperate longing for a bowl of soup — in total accord with the state of his stomach. And if, at the same time, he’s somewhat of an adventurer, he might live...more His account begins: This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams. In nine months of a man’s life he can think a lot of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most desperate longing for a bowl of soup — in total accord with the state of his stomach. And if, at the same time, he’s somewhat of an adventurer, he might live through episodes of interest to other people and his haphazard record might read something like these notes.

And so, the coin was thrown in the air, turning many times, landing sometimes heads and other times tails. Man, the measure of all things, speaks here through my mouth and narrates in my own language that which my eyes have seen. It is likely that out of 10 possible heads I have seen only one true tail, or vice versa. In fact it’s probable, and there are no excuses, for these lips can only describe what these eyes actually see. Is it that our whole vision was never quite complete, that it was too transient or not always well-informed? Were we too uncompromising in our judgments? Okay, but this is how the typewriter interpreted those fleeting impulses raising my fingers to the keys, and those impulses have now died. Moreover, no one can be held responsible for them. The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil again. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I am not the person I once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A” has changed me more than I thought.

In any photographic manual you’ll come across the strikingly clear image of a landscape, apparently taken by night, in the light of a full moon. The secret behind this magical vision of “darkness at noon” is usually revealed in the accompanying text. Readers of this book will not be well versed about the sensitivity of my retina — I can hardly sense it myself. So they will not be able to check what is said against a photographic plate to discover at precisely what time each of my “pictures” was taken. What this means is that if I present you with an image and say, for instance, that it was taken at night, you can either believe me, or not; it matters little to me, since if you don’t happen to know the scene I’ve “photographed” in my notes, it will be hard for you to find an alternative to the truth I’m about to tell. But I’ll leave you now, with myself, the man I used to be…

And it ends: I saw his teeth and the cheeky grin with which he foretold history, I felt his handshake and, like a distant murmur, his formal goodbye. The night, folding in at contact with his words, overtook me again, enveloping me within it. But despite his words, I know knew...I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I would be with the people. I know this, I see it printed in the night sky that I, eclectic dissembler of doctrine and psychoanalyst of dogma, howling like one possessed, will assault the barricades or the trenches, will take my bloodstained weapon and, consumed with fury, slaughter any enemy who falls into my hand. And I see, as if a great exhaustion smothers this fresh exaltation, I see myself, immolated in the genuine revolution, the great equalizer of individual will, proclaiming the ultimate mea culpa. I feel my nostrils dilate, savoring the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood, the enemy's death; I steel my body, ready to do battle, and prepare myself to be a sacred space within which the bestial howl of the triumphant proletariat can resound with new energy and new hope.

This is a diary of perhaps the greatest journey that any individual has ever made. Coming from a well to do family and taking time off from studying medicine, young Ernesto and friend Alberto travels across Latin America and witnesses the human condition and the suffering it faces. He is very much affected and it is this experience that shapes his future political ideology and what fuels his revolutionary spirit. He vividly paints Latin America as it is, exploited and downtrodden. Ernesto leaves Argentina an unconscious and idealistic boy and returns a cynical and wiser man. One can see here the metamorphosis of a young Argentine to the world's greatest revolutionary. Patria O Muerte! Hasta La Victoria, Siempre! (less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Mel Vincent rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobio-biography

This book told me how Ernesto Guevara transformed from a humble and passionate medical student into a articulate, cunning and brilliant revolutionary who not only changed the face of the entire Latin American continent but shaped the perspectives and the thoughts of millions of people from all the world over.

This book was eloquently penned and I thought that I was literally reading a novel. Che Guevara could have been a novelist or a writer and it would have produced a significant impact as well...more

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Feb 19, 2010 anonymous rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: central-south-american, nonfiction, biography, read-the-book-saw-the-movie, spl, 100-200, books-10k-done, favorites

What a beautiful, amazing book.

This is Che's personal account of his journey with his companion Alberto Granado through Latin America on their motorcycle dubbed La Poderosa II.

Only 23, he begins his journey as a medical student and emerges with a new perspective of South America. This perspective informs his future as a political revolutionary.

His compassion for the proleteriat as he describes miners who work in deplorable and dangerous conditions, the Indians of Peru being carted off in trucks...more

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Apr 01, 2008 Reyhan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Che is one of the figure I admire for his courage and idealism. And this is his diary which he wrote when he and his friend was having a journey crossing the South America from south to north by riding a motorcycle (well, at the beginning actually. Most half till the end they traveled by foot, hitch hiking, and rafting through the Amazonian river).
OK, probably because this is a diary it doesn't contain a literacy magnitude that you could appreciate, but you could admire its "essence" of the jour...more

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Jul 12, 2010 yamami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

الرحلات/الأسفار تمنحنا ، تُعلمنا الكثير .. تُرينا الصورة من كل الزوايا .. تُعيد فلسفة الحياة في قلوبنا .. أؤمن أن الإنسان يتغير وتتوسع معارفة بعد كل رحلة سفر يقوم بها ، فكيف إذا كانت الرحلة لـ عام كامل وبرفقة صديق على دراجة نارية؟

الكتاب ممتع ، وتفاصيل الرحلة غاية في البساطة والجمال
أجمل ما في الكتاب إحساس الحرية العميق ..

؛

أغبط من يَملك روحاً توّاقة للإرتحال مع القدرة على ذلك

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Nov 24, 2008 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Had to see what the fuss was all about. I found the chronicle well-written, and of course knowing the context of the rest of his history-making life, I do find it remarkable to have a document of his developing mind. You get to know Guevara as a merrymaker, a resourceful engineer, and a charismatic person. And his writing is good, that is put on clear display. But I felt myself looking for some form of evidence of the great change that he underwent politically. I didn't find it. He goes into bri...more

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May 17, 2013 Aditya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is this quote I read some where that if a man is not a socialist at the age of twenty, then he has no heart. I myself am in my twenties and view the world pretty much the same way as Ernesto did. The letters he writes to his mom, the concern he has for the leprosy patients, the youthful frivolity and lightheartedness he shares with Granado are all ample testimony to the fact that Che was indeed human with feelings, emotions and aspirations. The encounter with the dilapidated town of Cuzco...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Ismael Galvan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because I wanted to understand more about the enigmatic man known as Che. The Motorcycle Diaries is the journal he kept as a young man while traveling through Latin America. This was before he became the revolutionary his famous for.

Reading it purely for the sake of it's literary value, I would have to say it was an interesting adventure. Che's cheerfully, mischievous attitude makes his account truly charismatic. The description of the different places, people, and random mini a...more

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May 10, 2012 Gaby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Che Guevara describes how two young men travel to South America without money or a car, they travel in motorcycle! They both leave their family members and girlfriends behind. They left their college that they were currently attending and went to tour around! They go through good and bad times. Jumping around from being bad guys in a town to really "good experts" in other towns. Che writes his whole way to South America, during, and his way back. Him and his friend both change in many ways at t...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I've looked over some of the other reviews for this book and it seems that even most of the lower ratings have relatively appreciative reviews.
Here's the thing, this is a travel log... It's non-fiction, it's a diary, it's somewhat hastily written. Some reviews complain that it should be in the third person, that it should be more descriptive, etcetera etcetera.... But the fact of the matter is a diary shouldn't BE anything other than what the author wants it to be... (and should probably nev...more So I've looked over some of the other reviews for this book and it seems that even most of the lower ratings have relatively appreciative reviews.
Here's the thing, this is a travel log... It's non-fiction, it's a diary, it's somewhat hastily written. Some reviews complain that it should be in the third person, that it should be more descriptive, etcetera etcetera.... But the fact of the matter is a diary shouldn't BE anything other than what the author wants it to be... (and should probably never be in the third person, for that matter.)
Taken as the kind of work that it is this is a beautiful piece. Guevara writes more eloquently than I had imagined, truly brilliant imagery and insight. At times it does get choppy but one must understand that it's composed from a real diary kept in the midst of a grueling adventure.. Ernesto didn't exactly have the time and energy to write down every detail of his 8 month journey for your future enjoyment. Especially since I tend to doubt he originally intended it to be published, maybe not even intending to be read by his closest friends. The book gives a cursory overview of Che's early pilgrimage from Argentina to Miami, including his most valuable memories-more often than not being getting to know and love the people around him.

Compared to the film the book is different. I refuse to say that either is better, they are simply different. The film serves brilliantly to give more visuals for the experiences that Guevara clearly held close to his heart. Some of the details are shuffled around but mostly the film holds true to book. What I found interesting was two details that I noticed were in the movie and explicitly in Che's personal account here. The scene in which Che is honest to the doctor about the novel he has written, and the recurring detail that Guevara knows little abut dancing. Though the Mambo Tango is still the name of the raft. I'm not sure if other editions contain an more information (?) or if Che maybe disclosed those details in a different forum, or perhaps they were just creative control. It doesn't matter, but I thought I'd mention it. Either way, both the film and the book are great. It's a fast read and is beautifully written, I couldn't put it down and read it in 24 hours. (As a side note, the film will always be one of my absolute favorites as well)(less)

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Oct 08, 2010 Hans rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies, adventure-survival, history, social-commentary

Guevara's coming of age story. In many Native American cultures they used to practice a ritual "walk-about" sending off their young men into the wild to survive and live on their own for a couple of months. The idea being that when they came back they would be changed by that experience and have discovered some truths about themselves, thus making them more mature.

What started off simply as a spontaneous adventure ended up becoming a tale of relationships that one after another began to shape G...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Khalid rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Che Guevara's riotous riotous diaries charting his motorcycle odyssey from Argentina through Chile and Peru ending finally in Venezuela. There are the diaries written by Che Guevara during his riotous motorcycle odyssey from Argentina through Chile and Peru ending finally in Venezuela. Most of the journey was undertaken on 'La Poderosa', the Powerful One: a 500cc Norton. Che Guevara's route is no political campaign: it is six months of high drama and low comedy in which the main concerns of Che...more

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Jun 13, 2010 P.J. Mazumdar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is inevitable that anyone who reads this book would have vivid images of Che Guevra intruding into his or her mind. Who doesn't remember the stunning photo image of Guevra, said to be the most copied image in the world? Then the image of Guevra fighting through the marshes to capture Cuba, and then when Castro and the others set about rebuilding the country, taking his gun again to fight his lonely battles for liberation in other countries. And the last flashing image, a tired, defeated Guevr...more

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Feb 17, 2010 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ernesto Che Guevara is one of the most recognizable political figures of the twentieth century. But that is not where our story begins. Our story begins with a simple conversation. “Why don't we go to North America?” asks Che’s close friend Alberto Granado. “North America? But how?” responds Che, the then 23 year old medical student. “On la ponderosa, man,” replies Alberto. And off they go, two men with hopes of seeing what’s out there from Alberto’s less than reliable motorcycle, la ponderosa....more

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Feb 08, 2010 Vida rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book has been on my list for years. I was finally forced to read it for a Latin American History Course that I am taking.

As I read it, I became very skeptical. How could Che Guevara be such an eloquent writer and have such an enormous foundation of political history in 1951/1952? He must have added a lot when he went over it an edited it.

The biggest thing that struck me was his passion for communism which was tied to his position of authority in the communist movement. So, I could not look...more

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Dec 01, 2009 Jacob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara is a journey that sparked action. This book is the story of Guevara’s journey through South America, with his friend, Alberto Granado. This is the time when Ernesto Che Guevara was a young medical student, before he became a revolutionary in Cuba. Both Ernesto and Alberto decide to travel through Latin America on Alberto’s Norton 500 motorcycle, La Poderosa II (Spanish for “The Mighty One”). What Ernesto sees during his journey is what caused him to...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Atlas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-project

The Motorcycle Diaries is a book about the early travels of Ernesto Che Guevara and his friend Alberto Granada. At the time, Che was a 23 year old medical student and Alberto was a 29 year old biochemist. Together they travelled 5,000 miles all over South America on an old single cylinder Norton Motorcycle which they called La Ponderosa meaning The Mighty One. They passed through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and then to Miami before returning back to Argentina. T...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Nicolette rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: nonfiction book readers

The Motorcycle Diaries ‘tis a charismatic description of two men, numerous kindhearted Latin Americans, and countless memorable experiences. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy nonfiction books, or who want to learn about Latin America. I think that non-fiction is a very special genre that only a select group of people enjoy, but I also think that it depends on the subject matter of the story- that is why I mention its charming, verbose illustrations of the essence of Latin America....more The Motorcycle Diaries ‘tis a charismatic description of two men, numerous kindhearted Latin Americans, and countless memorable experiences. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy nonfiction books, or who want to learn about Latin America. I think that non-fiction is a very special genre that only a select group of people enjoy, but I also think that it depends on the subject matter of the story- that is why I mention its charming, verbose illustrations of the essence of Latin America. All in all I found it to be a mediocre journal, and I noticed that I enjoyed the more subtle messages that the book held, the ones that you think about days after you actually read the piece. To me, the lines in-between-the-lines were far more delightfully surprising.

The book is composed of Ernesto's succinct, daily journal entries. Everyday was different, and every day presented new difficulties. Days were in chronological order and their titles often referenced the city he was in that day. Some were brief and some were long, but I don't think that I was too interested in these stories because in the end I found myself thinking about the book's theme and about connections I could make (which often ended up being to the world). I also suppose this story wasn't particularly thrilling, to me, because I did not have much background knowledge on Latin America or an Ernesto himself. However, from this notebook, I did learn a lot about said, spontaneous (because that's the word that I feel best describes him based on these notes) Ernesto Guevara.

I would describe Ernesto as an inspiring brave individual because he encountered many people and many situations that were unusual, different, frightening, and/or worrisome. For example, I dare say, most people are not as friendly to lepers as Ernesto and Alberto were. See, long time ago, leper colonies were created because people believed that leprosy was contagious. Now, however, leprosy colonies are formed so that the lepers do not have to be seen. Leprosy is a very unpleasant, and often sickening disease- the looks of it. And apparently their (the lepers’) original community, too, did not fancy seeing them anywhere near themselves- hence the colony. So, why then would Ernesto and Alberto want to see them? Well, they do not say. But I believe that their entire trip was dedicated to learning and experiencing and they must have believed that it was a once in a life time journey, so they did whatever they felt would be unregrettably beneficial.

Ernesto also never seemed fazed by the fact that nighttime shelter was always a constant worry. They depended much on strangers’ generosity. But I will say that the effect is pleasant; Latin Americans are very generous. During one of the discussions I asked my table “Do you think that people in America, today, would treat Ernesto and Alberto with such generosity?” My table agreed that America today would not. If fact, we went farther and asked ourselves if we would have let them stay at our own houses and sadly, we said that we would not. We (and we believed the same of the majority of the rest of the nation) think that we would have been suspicious of the intentions of two men who didn't have a place to stay.

All in all, I think that this book was more than just a tale of Ernesto's journey, because if you read between the lines, you will learn far more about the heart of the Latin American people, and about the beauty of Latin America itself.
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Mar 13, 2013 Mudit Sood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One mention of Guevara's name evokes images of "revolution", "rebellion", "guerilla warfare", "youth", and "communism". But don't expect your imagination of these images to be depicted in words in this book. I first came to know about'The Motorcycle Diaries' when I watched Brazilian director Walter Salles' dramatization of the book with the same name featuring acclaimed Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal and his Argentine co-actor Rodrigo De la Serna. I was driven to watch the movie when I first l...more One mention of Guevara's name evokes images of "revolution", "rebellion", "guerilla warfare", "youth", and "communism". But don't expect your imagination of these images to be depicted in words in this book. I first came to know about'The Motorcycle Diaries' when I watched Brazilian director Walter Salles' dramatization of the book with the same name featuring acclaimed Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal and his Argentine co-actor Rodrigo De la Serna. I was driven to watch the movie when I first listened to its beautifully composed soundtrack 'Apertura' by Gustavo Santaolalla on one of my friend's music system. Although he had been listening to this soundtrack since quite sometime, he had no idea about the movie!

As the title of the book suggests, the text is actually translated out of the tour diary of Ernesto Guevara's journey through the Latin America of the early 50s with his friend Alberto. It narrates a youthful adventure of the young men. Ernesto was a medical student back then in Argentina & his friend was a bio-chemist. The trip was partly on a large run down bike and partly through hitch hiking across the vast and diverse South American continent.

Not delving further into the details of the book, I must say that it's more of a travel diary. If you have even been 'wee' bit curious about South America- its culture, its people, the food, the drinks, the nature, the description of ancient ruins/temples, the hardships of travelling on a limited budget with limited planning, the "human" side of people and the youth and the learning phase of Che Guevara then grab a copy of this book and relish it with all you can. The language is pretty simple and you'll glide through the pages once you form an image of the descriptions written by Guevara. The things he witnessed in this tour was what made Guevara what he is famous for as it helped him gain a greater understanding of the problems faced by the people on his continent. It brought him closer to the Latin people.

All in all I really enjoyed reading this book. The book is better than the movie as the narration is more detailed. There are some events that were glorified in the movie to make it an important part of the plot. However, watch the movie for its amazing visuals and some good acting!(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: argentina, latin-america, travel-classics

Long before he became a martyred revolutionary icon made to order for hipster T-shirts, Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a goofy and even funny middle class kid from Argentina. While in his early twenties, he talked his fellow med student Alberto Granado into a trip across South America. How? Why, on Alberto's rickety Norton 500 motorcycle, nicknamed La Poderosa II ("The Mighty One II"). This book is the story of their journey, lasting approximately until he and Alberto split up in Venezuela, where the...more Long before he became a martyred revolutionary icon made to order for hipster T-shirts, Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a goofy and even funny middle class kid from Argentina. While in his early twenties, he talked his fellow med student Alberto Granado into a trip across South America. How? Why, on Alberto's rickety Norton 500 motorcycle, nicknamed La Poderosa II ("The Mighty One II"). This book is the story of their journey, lasting approximately until he and Alberto split up in Venezuela, where the latter found work.

In the meantime, La Poderosa managed to make it over the Andes (with considerable help) into Chile, where it gave up the ghost miles south of Santiago. From then on, the two were dependent on hitching rides, and even stowing away aboard a ship to Antofagasta. But they are caught and forced to work for their keep and play cards with their captain, who never seemed to sleep.

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey is actually a fun book to read. One could begin to see Guevara's sympathies for the downtrodden indigenous people in Peru, where there is considerable tension between the Aymara and the ladinos, the Mestizos who are intent on treating them like dirt. Eventually, after many a diversion, they make it to the San Pablo Leper Colony near Iquitos, where they spend some time before continuing north. Both Granado and Guevara had been interested in leprosy and made friends by their treatment of the patients as fellow human beings.

The book ends with a speech made years later in Castro's Cuba entitled "A Child of My Environment," which, thankfully, is abridged for this edition. I liked Guevara a whole lot more when he was describing suffering from one asthma attack after the other while trying to find free food, accommodation, and transportation in Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. In the end, the two med students were like hoboes -- but it is interesting that they frequently found the help they so desperately needed.

Except for the speech at the end, the book is virtually devoid of any political content. In fact, Che seems to come across at the time as a supported of the Argentine dictator Juan Peron and his wife Evita -- though those scenes may have been only to make conversation with curious Peruvians.

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Aug 23, 2011 Zach Flint rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Motorcycle Diaries highlighted the long and turbulent adventure of Ernesto "Che" Guevera, a young doctor at the time, and his friend, Alberto Granado. They go on a cross-continental journey searching for new lands that though close in proximity to their homeland appear foreign, no pun intended, to them. They find that though different in some respects there in a brotherly bond between them and their continental neighbors.

The largest difference I found between Argentinian and US American cul...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Jeruen Dery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An edited version of this article was first published as Book Review: The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara on Blogcritics.org.

I rarely pick up non-fiction. And whenever I do, it's usually a hit-or-miss, I either like it or hate it. I have this idea that most of the non-fiction I have read, especially memoirs, are books that didn't sit well with me. However, I decided to give the genre another chance, and after reading this book, I am glad that I did.

So what is this book about?

This is t...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Rob Sheppard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the translation by Ann Wright, and I get the impression that makes a difference. Her translation is littered with Britishisms, in some cases very obscure ones (she uses "put paid to" 3 times!). I would have thought it was common sense that translators–British, American, whatever–must avoid the -isms of their particular dialect, as it's extremely distracting, like superimposing your own culture onto a book about another culture. I read plenty of British translations, but never has it been...more

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May 04, 2013 Krishna Kumar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As the newyork times said about this book, this journey might have been his adventure of a liftime had not been his total life turned into an amazing adventure. This book made me to research a lot of things about history esp about Che. I understood how leaders are really formed, it is when they do not want obey and go on with what they think they could possibly change. What I feel is that neither he nor this book would have become famous had he carried enough of money to stay and travel his nine...more

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Mar 05, 2012 محمد على عطية rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

هذا الكتاب يسرد وقائع رحلة قام بها ارنستو (تشى) جيفارا مع صديقه ألبرتو جرينادو على ظهر دراجة نارية عبر أمريكا اللاتينية بدءاً من مدينتهما -قرطبة- بالأرجنتين و ذلك فى عام 1951/1952, و كان عمره وقتها 24 سنة و لا يزال فى السنة النهائية فى كلية الطب.
من خلال السرد نرى بعينى جيفارا صورة لأمريكا اللاتينية فى هذا العصر, و إذا اعتبرنا أن هذا الكتاب من أدب الرحلات فبذلك سنبخسه حقه....فبأمكان أى منا أن يزور نفس الأماكن و نخرج بوصف قريب لها..أما البشر, فيعتمد هذا على إحساسك بهم....و لابد أنك ستتخيل ما هى نظ...more هذا الكتاب يسرد وقائع رحلة قام بها ارنستو (تشى) جيفارا مع صديقه ألبرتو جرينادو على ظهر دراجة نارية عبر أمريكا اللاتينية بدءاً من مدينتهما -قرطبة- بالأرجنتين و ذلك فى عام 1951/1952, و كان عمره وقتها 24 سنة و لا يزال فى السنة النهائية فى كلية الطب.
من خلال السرد نرى بعينى جيفارا صورة لأمريكا اللاتينية فى هذا العصر, و إذا اعتبرنا أن هذا الكتاب من أدب الرحلات فبذلك سنبخسه حقه....فبأمكان أى منا أن يزور نفس الأماكن و نخرج بوصف قريب لها..أما البشر, فيعتمد هذا على إحساسك بهم....و لابد أنك ستتخيل ما هى نظرة جيفارا للكثير من المرضى و الفقراء و المقهورين الذين قابلهم فى عدة دول بأمريكا اللاتينية.
عندما تجد أن الرجل قد كتب ما كتب و هو فى الرابعة و العشرين من عمره ستعلم أن الرجل كان متسقاً مع نفسه...إنه نفس المناضل الذى عرفناه بعد هذا التاريخ ب10 سنين كأحد أبرز قادة الثورة الكوبية..و أحد المناضلين ضد الإمبريالية فى العالم الثالث و خصوصاً أمريكا اللاتينية بطبيعة الحال.
و إهتمامه الإنسانى المبكر بالعمال و طبقة البروليتاريا الكادحة , و كذلك تعامله مع مرضى الجذام بالصورة التى وصفها فى الكتاب يؤكد لنا مدى إتساقه مع نفسه كما ذكرنا.
بحكم السن تبدو شقاوة الشباب واضحة فى سطور الكتاب و طريقة الوصف و المغامرات..لكن مع هذا تبدو ثقافة جيفارا....و لكم أعجبتنى بعض التعبيرات التى استخدمها - و كانت جديدة على - مثل قوله (أكلنا السمكة متبلة ببهارات جوعنا)..و هو مثل المثل القائل (الجوع أحسن طباخ) لأنك فى حال جوعك سيكون همك هو أن تملأ بطنك و يأتى الطعم فى مرحلة متأخرة من الأولويات..و انت مو انت و انت جعان :)))
استوقفنى فى بداية عرضه للكتاب قوله:(أن الرجل الذى كتب هذه اليوميات توفى لحظة لمست قدماه تراب الأرجنتين...لأن السفر و ما رآه فى (أمريكتنا)قد غيرنى أكثر مما حسبت) .
و كذلك استوقفنى الحوار فى نهاية الكتاب مع الرجل الذى قابله فى فنزويلا و كأنه يتنبأ له بدوره المرسوم فى النضال.
و أتشوق لقراءة ما كتبه عن يوميات الثورة...إذا وجدته (less)

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Jan 22, 2012 Luis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was named "The Motorcyce Diaries: Notes on Latin America" by Che Guevara. What grabbed my attention about this book was that i have always been interested in Che's story and I wanted to learn more about it. This book is not like other books were everyone ends up happy. This book is full of many different stories.

This book is different from other because Che leans things from thing that happen to other people and that he has to be there to see. Many tragic events happen during his tr...more

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About Ernesto Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, commonly known as El Che or simply Che, was a Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, since his death Guevara's stylized visage has become an ubiquitous countercultural symbol and global icon within popular culture.

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“I knew that when the great guiding spirit cleaves humanity into two antagonistic halves, I will be with the people.” — 40 people liked it

“I finally felt myself lifted definitively away on the winds of adventure toward worlds I envisaged would be stranger than they were, into situations I imagined would be much more normal than they turned out to be.” — 9 people liked it

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