Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life [Paperback]

John Lee Anderson's book is the definitive book on Che Guevara. At times, it is almost too detailed with its nearly 800 page length. In reality, a book being too detailed is a compliment. The pictures he chose to include in the text are outstanding. Many of the pictures have been in CIA possession for years, and unseen to the public.

While not directly a goal of the book, I enjoyed the insight this book gives into the relationship between Che and Fidel Castro. Anderson lets the reader draw conclusions rather than telling the reader what to think. While Castro believed in communism, Guevara was held policies more closely to the writing of Karl Marx. Che was willing to criticize policy if he felt it was not "Marxist enough". Unlike Castro, Che was willing to criticize the Soviet Union leaders for not living in the true equality that communism is intended to be.

Despite Cuba's rivalry with the United States, I found it odd that more was not mentioned about the Cuba Missle Crisis. Guevara detested the United States, so it seems he would have had more to say in the matter. If he did have more to say, little is mentioned in the book.

Because of its length, readers need some spare time to take in this whole book. The thoroughness of the product makes reading this book a rewarding experience.

This was a man who felt deeply for the exploitation of his people. He dreamed of a tomorrow where man did not trample on one another through competition and greed. Che Guevara sacrificed his life for what he believed in. There is no death more honorable. In reading Jon Lee Anderson's biography of this enormous figure, you will fell sympathy for his cause, respect for his determination, and awe for his accomplishments on the battlefield and in his study.

On the other hand, in the rest of the book Anderson definitely succeeds in showing all sides of Che's personality, both good and bad. Like the best of biographers, Anderson doesn't judge his subject and lets the facts speak for themselves. And what we have is a highly contradictory character. Che was admirably committed to his beliefs, but this commitment was so strong that his beliefs became unyielding and dogmatic. He was an exceptional leader of men but a horrendous politician, so he earned fanatical devotion from his followers but alienated everyone else. He personified the fatal flaw of all Communists by professing a love for the vague mass called "The People," but when it came to individual persons he persecuted (and sometimes executed) anyone who didn't follow his beliefs to the letter. While he was certainly a key player in the Cuban revolution, and Castro couldn't have done the job without him, Che accomplished little after that as he tried to inspire revolutions around the world. He couldn't accept the fact that his pie-in-the-sky dream of uniting all the world's oppressed peoples couldn't possibly work in reality, both for logistical reasons and because of the differences in people's political beliefs. But Che certainly had plenty of charisma and devotion, and that is still a pretty good reason for him to be inspirational to this day. However, his legions of admirers may want to read this book and learn more about what he really did - and didn't - accomplish.