Che Guevera

I just finished the massive book - Che Guevara by Jon Lee Anderson.  I was fascinated and wanted to learn about this icon who has his face all over the world.  More than Castro, Guevara was the face of the revolution.  But what made him do it and why was he so charismatic?  I was amazed at the detail of the research and the complexity of the information about events in SA and Africa as well as Cuba.  He was as dedicated as anyone I have read about - his philosophy was his life.  Like St Francis of Assissi he had a dramatic change in life from the time of the Motorcycle Diaries to the revolutionary, but of course with much different results.

I am still puzzled about his charisma.  He was really not good at understanding or accepting the feelings of others.  He was not warm in anyway that I can see.  He was very smart, well read, and wrote prodigiously of his philosophy of revolution.  One key element is understanding the US Capitalist efforts on behalf of United Fruit which allowed a corporation to enslave the native people SA and empower despots in the various country capitals.  This was a major inspiration for Che and could sour any of us as we see entire populations subjugated and mistreated.

The author tells a great story, but in the epilogue shows that he became a Che admirer himself and that has to be understand as you read this 800 page book.  I did find it really fascinating and it went much faster than I would have anticipated.