Customer Reviews

News From the End of the Earth: A Portrait of Chile

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This is a very well written book that provides a lot of historical information in an easy to read manner. I have travelled to Chile twice and have found it difficult to obtain books that write about Pinochet in an objective manner, because contrary to most books on the subject he is not universally reviled within the country. I think the author covered the subject well, not hiding warts but giving credit for the positive aspects of the Pinochet regime -- i.e., preventing a civil war and instituting the foundations of Chile's successful free market econmomy. I disagree with the other review to some extent, in that the author relies on his personal experience only in a few instances in the second half of the book, and most of that writing comes from his well documented research. There is a lot of information here in one book.

The opening chapters flash through Chilean history in a badly written and poorly researched haze. Later the author gives a one-sided view of the Allende and Pinochet years. Anybody who apologises for a leader who orders the murder of 3000 of their own citizens should be ashamed of themselves.