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Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
 
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Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara (Paperback)

by Jorge Castaneda (Author), Marina Castaneda (Translator)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product Description

Literary Review

'Excellent'


Sunday Times

'Castaneda unearths a mine of curious details...'Companero' is superbly researched and commendably sceptical.'
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Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
54% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Delivers exactly what it says on the jacket, 13 Nov 2002
By Elliot Kingdon "Polite Elliot" (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book is a heavy read, alot of detail and supporting evidence but it rewards the reader with an objective account of the man over the idol.

I must admit I started skipping the footnotes about a 3rd of the way through. These numerous footnotes added overwhelming amounts of minutiae and I found the book rattled along nicely without them (whilst still providing plenty of detail).

I found it’s objective tone absolutely spot on, delivering the man in the context of his times as well as showing an appreciation of the impact of his death upon 60’s and current day culture, without resorting to idolatry. The sceptic tone captured the faults of the man but then also served to highlight the many admirable qualities of the socialist revolutionary against a background untainted by hero-worship or sycophancy.

I came away with a feeling that I’d read an accurate, thorough and perceptive account of the man and his place in events.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books available on Che Guevara, 3 Nov 2008
Having read about half a dozen biographies on Che Guevara (written by a myriad of authors with different perspectives & objectives), I can confidently say that it is Castaneda, an eminent political scientist, who has written the most elegant and constructive evaluation of the life of Che Guevara. Although the book lacks the baroque detail of, say, Anderson's or Taibos' acclaimed biographies, Castaneda makes a moving and profound analysis. And unlike Anderson, who, as a somewhat mercenary journalist, comes across as calculating and contrived in his so-called "objectivity", Castaneda's sincerity shines like a beacon.

The only negative point of "Companero" is that the first half of the book appears to be somewhat rushed compared to the dazzling second half. Castaneda clearly prefers to write about Che Guevara from 1959 onwards. However, this criticism does not detract me from giving this book the five stars it deserves.

Because "Companero" is more of an "evaluation" than a full-blown biography, it lacks the detail of Anderson's, or the profound intimacy of Taibo's, books, so if you have time, read at least one of these first.

Another book I would highly recommend is the newly-released "Evocacion", written by Che Guevara's widow, containing a selection of previously-unpublished letters, including a heartrending, prophetic and immensely revealing poem written to her before he died. I can only presume that Castaneda, Anderson and Taibo's biographies would have been quite different had the authors come across this material at the time of writing their books. In fact, I suspect that Che Guevara's widow decided to finally release it after reading these biographies (notably Anderson's) - in order to close the circle once and for all.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great research, mediocre writing., 27 Jul 2001
By A Customer
Although you cannot fault Castaneda for his excellent factual detail, the actual structure of the book is such that you become bogged down in peripheral miniutiae rather than getting to the nitty-gritty.

The author's biographical presentation of Guevara is nothing but thorough but Castaneda has a tendency to be too subjective when analysing Guevara's character. Also, the accounts of crucial events such as the Cuban landing and march into Havana are abruptly skimmed over; Castaneda instead concentrates too much on Guevara's pro-Russian sentiments and Communist leanings.

If you have the patience this book is rewarding, but it lacks the fluency of Jon Lee Anderson's biography.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Exhaustive and Exhausting
I was looking for an in-depth biography of Che Guevara and I picked up this. I certainly got "in-depth": this is absolutely exhaustive in its research - the level of detail is... Read more
Published 17 days ago by MisterKeith

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and surprisingly balanced
Very readable and clearly thoroughly researched. What surprised me most was how it destroyed this stupid myth of the Che Guevara to which hopeless, wannabe-rebellious students... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Anon

1.0 out of 5 stars Terribly written account of one of today's legends
This book is writen more like a scientific study paper then a book. Unnecessary use of big words, irritating opinions of the author, and an all in all a very badly written... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2000

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