The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara [Paperback]

Ernesto Guevara (Author), Mary-Alice Waters (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0873487664 | ISBN-13: 978-0873487665 | Publication Date: January 1, 1994

Guevara's day-by-day chronicle of the 1966-67 guerrilla campaign in Bolivia, an effort to forge a continent-wide revolutionary movement of workers and peasants and open the road to socialist revolution in South America. Includes excerpts from the diaries and accounts of other combatants, including -- for the first time in English -- My Campaign with Che by Bolivian leader Inti Peredo. Introduction by Mary-Alice Waters. An edition of Che Guevara's Bolivian Diary is also available in Spanish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Selected for inclusion in Significant Books of the Last 75 Years." --Foreign Affairs

Waters meticulously edited pair of volumes [Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War and The Bolivian Diary] is now the best original source for English-speaking scholars. Her attention to detail and her precision do not overcome the rough eloquence that was Guevara s style; the transcendental message of a new moral order bites through the prose with deceptive simplicity. --Hispanic American Historical Review, November 1996

"Pathfinder Press in publishing Che Guevara's Bolivian Diary has performed a major service for a new generation of activists and scholars….The Diary provides major insights on issues of democratic politics, transformative leadership and the ethics of revolutionary practitioners." --Letter from James Petras, October 1994

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 467 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Press (NY) (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873487664
• ISBN-13: 978-0873487665
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Guevara, Che
  • #35 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Bolivia

More About the Author

Ernesto Che Guevara was born in Argentina in 1928. After fighting alongside Fidel Castro in the three-year guerilla war in Cuba, he became Minister for Industry following the victory of the Cuban revolution. In 1966 he established a guerilla base in Bolivia. He was captured and killed in 1967.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Che's Report Card - "A" for initiative ," F " for judgement, January 16, 2001

By 

Gerry Fahrenthold (Westfield, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara (Paperback)

In November 1966, Ernesto Che Guevara and a few comrades took to the jungles of Bolivia to recreate the revolution which he helped to lead in Cuba. This diary narrates a years effort by Che and his band and to survive in a truly hostile territory. There is no revolutionary doctrine here. The story is one of a daily struggle for food, water, shelter and security. As the months pass, the struggle becomes even more difficult as Che fails to win the support of the peasants and faces a more capable Bolivian military. Che's leadership in the face of mounting difficulties is extraordinary. Che remains focused on the big picture and the long term goal, even when they dont know when they will eat again. The diary shows Che as a true revolutionary and visionary, without resorting to propaganda. While Che's leadership is exemplary, his judgement is catastrophic. He is an expert on revolutionary doctrine, but in going to Bolivia he ignores his own advice. Bolivia is not fertile ground for insurrection. The people are not eager to hear his message. The terrain is extraordinarly difficult. He and his band are, in effect, on their own from the day they arrive. Finally, how could a man dependent on asthma medication hope to live for months or years in the wilds of rural Bolivia ? If Che harboed doubts about his decision, he kept them out of the diary.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extending the revolution, August 13, 2001

By 

hatlanta "hollyatlanta" (Marietta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara (Paperback)

Che went to Bolivia because he (and the Cuban leadership) thought that the situation was ripe for revolution. It tells the story of how he built a cadre of fighters with dedicated youth who wanted to fight until freedom or die. He wrote this diary in the mountains, fighting the Bolivian army as well as hunger and asthma. Despite everything, he was always focused on the goal, not his own pain or suffering. He was constantly evaluating their situation, politically and militarily, and determining the next move.

I first read Che's diary in the early 1970s because I wanted to learn more about him. At the time I thought it was interesting, but it didn't make much sense to me. This new edition is far superior to the Ramparts edition I read back then. The Pathfinder editors went to Cuba to collect photos and maps to make the diary come to life. This book includes accounts by surviving guerillas who fought with Che in Bolivia. There is a chronology and a glossary so you can understand who everyone was, where they came from, and what happened to them. If you want to read this famous book, make sure to read this edition!

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, Authoritative edition., August 31, 2001

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara (Paperback)

. .. . .What strikes me in this edition is Che's outstanding humanism. You don't kill or abuse your prisoners, because it dehumanizes you, teaches Che, who would be murdered without a trial after he was taken prisoner. The contrast in this excellent text between Che's modesty about his own difficulties and the testimony in the memoirs of other combatants of how Che suffered because of his asthma, how he pitched in doing all of the work is truly inspiring and illustrative of how you lead by example. This is the authoritative edition, edited with the assistance and advice of Cuban revolutionists who fought with Che in Bolivia, Bolivian revolutionists, and Che's surviving family

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