Customer Reviews

Francisco de Miranda: A Transatlantic Life in the Age of Revolution (Latin American Silhouettes)

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Karen Racine's book follows Miranda's life as a citizen of the Atlantic world, put into the framework of Miranda's ultimate goal to inspire and lead wars of independence in Spanish South America. Because Miranda spent the vast majority of his life traveling outside of Latin America, and because he is granted the title "Precursor" of Latin American independence (he failed at personally inspiring any revolutions), the book is probably more pertinent to the study of Enlightenment Europe than Latin American History. Racine's style of writing is somewhat simplistic and at times relies on psychological historiography, of which I am personally skeptical, and makes declarations concerning Miranda's emotional state at certain points in his life which without specific in-text references to his diaries seem like biased assumptions. In general, the book would benefit from more references to primary sources but Racine's biographical book is undoubtedly well-researched and well put together. I would suggest this book for those interested in studying late eighteenth- early nineteenth-century Enlightenment Europe as the "Age of Revolution."

Excelente trabajo de Karen Racine acerca de uno de los grandes heroes de la independencia de sudamerica,este libro retrata la vida y la dura época en la que vivio Francisco de Miranda y nos demuestra lo adelantado que estuvo su pensamiento para finales del siglo XVIII,sus viajes por Estados Unidos y Europa hicieron de Miranda un personaje extraordinario.