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The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey
 
 
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The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey (Paperback)

by Ernesto Che Guevara (Author), Cintio Vitier (Author), Aleida Guevara (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)

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  • This item: The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A freewheeling account of an extended youthful road trip undertaken in the early '50s by the future poster boy of Communist insurrection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
“Das Kapital meets Easy Rider.” (Times)

“A Latin American James Dean or Jack Kerouac.” (Washington Post)

“…Ernesto Guevara in search of Che. On this journey of journeys, solitude found solidarity, ‘I’ turned into ‘we’.” (Eduardo Galeano)

“An extraordinary first-person account. … It redoubles his image and lends a touch of humanity with enough rough edges to invite controversy.” (Los Angeles Times Book Review)

“For every comic escapade of the carefree roustabout there is an equally eye-opening moment in the development of the future revolutionary leader. (Time)

“There is pathos in these pages — the pathos of Che himself, ever thoughtful, ever willing to sacrifice all, burning with guilt over his own privileges and never letting his sufferings impede him.” (New Yorker)

“This candid journal, part self-discovery, part fieldwork, glimmers with portents of the future revolutionary.” (Publishers’ Weekly)

“A revolutionary bestseller… It’s true, Marxists just wanna have fun.” (Guardian)

“What distinguishes these diaries… is that they reveal a human side to El Che which historians have successfully managed to suppress.” (Financial Times)

“This book should do much to humanize the image of a man who found his apotheosis as a late ‘60s cultural icon. It is also, incidentally, a remarkably good travel book about South America.” (The Scotsman) -- Review

See all Editorial Reviews


Product Details

  • Paperback: 175 pages
  • Publisher: Ocean Press (August 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1876175702
  • ISBN-13: 978-1876175702
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #10 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Guevara, Che
    #91 in  Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Travel

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Customer Reviews

76 Reviews
5 star:
 (38)
4 star:
 (22)
3 star:
 (9)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
63 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Sweeping Portrait of South American Life in the 1950s, October 17, 2004
The hooks are obvious: charismatic revolutionary Che Guevara on a continent spanning motorcycle trip of South America. However, this book is by Ernesto Guevera, a 23 year old middle-class medical student looking for a break from his studies, and the motorcycle doesn't last through two countries. It is a rare glimpse into the young mind of a major cultural revolutionary. The book is also a unique look into the everyday life of South America in the middle of the 20th century. The point of view is of sons of privilege wandering the countryside and living off the land. Sometimes they are encountering the workers and experiencing their simple hospitality and honest struggles. At other times, they rely on their social class and education to open doors to more polite society. What I found compelling about this book is that in such a brief work the author was able to present a sweeping portrait of South American life. it was, for me, a wonderfully human introduction to the people and lands of this vast continent.
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73 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Literate & Whimsical, March 17, 2001
By Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
I grew up in Loma Linda, a University town with a medical school. I never heard of anybody taking off on a motorcycle, even after graduation, for a journey like this. But Che Guevara was an exception to the rulers. The young (Everything he did was young--he didn't live to see 40.) Ernesto "Che" Guevara, left the university & his life of privilege for seven months on the road, touring South America, first on a motorcycle, then as a vagabond, with his compadre Alberto.

The two of them posed as Argentinian Doctors, specialists in the treatment of leprosy. This gained them food and lodging, as well as special treatment at times. It also gained them face-to-face experience with the impossible living conditions of people suffering from this disease.

Alberto & Che traveled on their own resources. When money got tough, they scammed & stowed-away, sometimes even working for a meal, but they didn't cable home for money or assistance. During this experience, Che became personally acquainted with the poverty and disempowerment prevalent in South America.

Reading the book was a delightful experience. Che has a poetic way with words. He doesn't take himself too seriously, telling tales of purloined wine, of scamming for sustenance, of bravely shooting a "puma" in the dark of night. By daylight it turned out to have been a local rancher's dog. He tells of hiding with a shipment of melons, hoping to stow away on a boat, but getting busted when sailors noticed melon rinds floating by the dock. Ernesto & Alberto were indeed a couple of scallywags, but loveable, the kind you'd sit down with for a stein of beer or a cup of mate.

This book tells a human story, one that's unselfconscious enough to be truly enjoyable. Almost enough to make me want to sell the house, buy a motorcycle ...

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36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a motorcycle book, June 11, 1999
By A Customer
I think the title of this book was a calculated effort to sell this book to people like me--people who care more about motorcycles than revolutionaries. If you pick it up determined to read about a guy who rode a motorcycle all over South America, you'll be disappointed. If you're seeking an adventure touring story, you won't be. I finished the book in a few hours and walked away glad I didn't give up when a youthful Che's motorcycle broke for good 30 pages into the book. The rest detail the travels of Che and a friend, total slackers posing as doctors and leprosy experts (which they were, in loose senses of the words), as they scam their way across the continent by hitching rides, sucking up to cops and brown-nosing anyone with food, booze and a warm place to sleep. The reader gets the feeling that this journey was perhaps the defining experience in Che's pre-revolutionary life, and that his worldview really came into focus based on the things--beauty, oppression, generosity, treachery--that he saw on his bohemian-style trip. This compelling read changed my impression of the man we call Che--much for the better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow
I urge all of you to read and get to know "El Che!" as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, on this reflective journey across South America. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Eliseo Lara

5.0 out of 5 stars A product of his environment.
Ernesto Guevara & Alberto Granados set of on a road trip for the fun & adventure of it. What they got was was more of a learning experience. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nicolas Lemus

4.0 out of 5 stars a long journey.....
Very good book to read to learn what goes on in the head on Che. He shares his emotions and passion for life and everything that comes along with it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Manita

2.0 out of 5 stars A couple of dull guys have very little fun and adventure on their road trip
I read the book pretty much ignoring the Che of later years and hoping to find the adventure of a young, passionate man free on the roads. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Wintertiger

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting character but writing is bland
I understand that he was an important historical figure but his adolescent writings are pretty uninteresting.
I much preferred the movie over the book.


Published 13 months ago by Thomas Chaves

5.0 out of 5 stars Before and Beyond: The Background a Revolutionary
Che Guevara... Whether you respect him or not there is absolutely no denying the fact that he had a profound impact on the history of Central America and the Caribbean. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Cookies McFurguson

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, but at least it's by "Che" ...
If this book were written by any other person, I'd give it 2 Stars. But because it's by Che, you at least get some insights into him, and that makes it a 3. Read more
Published 20 months ago by D. S. Greene

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Translation, Great Book
I'm so pleased that you had this earlier English translation of The Motorcycle Diaries and that it arrived in time for my Spanish class presentation. Read more
Published on May 15, 2007 by Cherokee Sky

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing look into Che
Seen the movie long before the book, but this book was very interesting to see how Che's thoughts began to form before he became only known as Che. Read more
Published on April 10, 2007 by R. Cadorin

3.0 out of 5 stars Is Che Guevara a hero ?
Brad Delong, Matthew Yglesias, Armed Liberals and others have been having a discussion about whether Che Guevara can be considered a hero. Read more
Published on January 12, 2007 by Michael T. Kelly

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