Derek's review
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson
Derek's review
rating:
recommended for: folks who like biographies
status: Read in January, 2007 — I have a copy to sell/swap
rating:
recommended for: folks who like biographies
status: Read in January, 2007 — I have a copy to sell/swap
i learned a lot about guevara's life and the history of the cuban revolution. the writing is pretty engaging but it starts to feel a little stale after page 500 or so (even though i read it over the course of like a year (and that after having to start over after the first attempt cause of film school hecticness)) but i think that just goes with the territory of what anderson is doing, which is creating an incredibly thorough examination of che's life that doesn't romanticize or unduly criticize guevara, but sifts through the hyperbole and tells a pretty engaging story about an obsessive man. i'll admit that one of the motivating factors for powering through the drier and more tangential parts is that i wanted to find out the history before soderbergh's bio movies come out. if you've ever been curious about him, then it's worth the read. i think it's good stuff to know but reading this book is more like eating oatmeal than froot loops... if that makes sense...
