The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara

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Summary: Inspiring, Authoritative edition.
Review: . .. . .What strikes me in this edition is Che's outstanding humanism. You don't kill or abuse your prisoners, because it dehumanizes you, teaches Che, who would be murdered without a trial after he was taken prisoner. The contrast in this excellent text between Che's modesty about his own difficulties and the testimony in the memoirs of other combatants of how Che suffered because of his asthma, how he pitched in doing all of the work is truly inspiring and illustrative of how you lead by example. This is the authoritative edition, edited with the assistance and advice of Cuban revolutionists who fought with Che in Bolivia, Bolivian revolutionists, and Che's surviving family

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Summary: The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara
Review: A truly remarkable man. This book is very sad and very moving.
May his life teach us all about human nature, courage and faith.

His murder was a tragedy the west will never transcend. May his memory be preserved and cherished.

The book reveals Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara's true character and his dedication to the liberation of oppressed peoples.

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Summary: Extending the revolution
Review: Che went to Bolivia because he (and the Cuban leadership) thought that the situation was ripe for revolution. It tells the story of how he built a cadre of fighters with dedicated youth who wanted to fight until freedom or die. He wrote this diary in the mountains, fighting the Bolivian army as well as hunger and asthma. Despite everything, he was always focused on the goal, not his own pain or suffering. He was constantly evaluating their situation, politically and militarily, and determining the next move.

I first read Che's diary in the early 1970s because I wanted to learn more about him. At the time I thought it was interesting, but it didn't make much sense to me. This new edition is far superior to the Ramparts edition I read back then. The Pathfinder editors went to Cuba to collect photos and maps to make the diary come to life. This book includes accounts by surviving guerillas who fought with Che in Bolivia. There is a chronology and a glossary so you can understand who everyone was, where they came from, and what happened to them. If you want to read this famous book, make sure to read this edition!

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Summary: The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara
Review: If you read this book, THIS edition, you will begin to know the real Che-- who gave his life building an embryo of the kind of leadership required to rid the world of Yankee Imperial domination and military dictators.Bolivians,Argentines,Peruvians, and Cubans fought side by side, changing themselves as they fought, with food and water and ammo and BOOKS in their knapsacks.Studying indigenous languages, among other things--- with the full support of Fidel Castro and the Cuban government.

And they fought to take the heat off brutalized,heroic Vietnam, even just a little.They were defeated in combat, but victorious in the example they set : "the highest form of the human species" , yes they were.To defeat this monster in the USA, working people will have to emulate these men and women.Not in the mountains, but on strike picketlines, street demonstrations,studying together, as we fight the Imperial march towards Depression, fascism, and war. Excellent introduction points to struggles in Argentina,Bolivia,Chile, afterward :now it begins again...

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Summary: Che's Report Card - "A" for initiative ," F " for judgement
Review: In November 1966, Ernesto Che Guevara and a few comrades took to the jungles of Bolivia to recreate the revolution which he helped to lead in Cuba. This diary narrates a years effort by Che and his band and to survive in a truly hostile territory. There is no revolutionary doctrine here. The story is one of a daily struggle for food, water, shelter and security. As the months pass, the struggle becomes even more difficult as Che fails to win the support of the peasants and faces a more capable Bolivian military. Che's leadership in the face of mounting difficulties is extraordinary. Che remains focused on the big picture and the long term goal, even when they dont know when they will eat again. The diary shows Che as a true revolutionary and visionary, without resorting to propaganda. While Che's leadership is exemplary, his judgement is catastrophic. He is an expert on revolutionary doctrine, but in going to Bolivia he ignores his own advice. Bolivia is not fertile ground for insurrection. The people are not eager to hear his message. The terrain is extraordinarly difficult. He and his band are, in effect, on their own from the day they arrive. Finally, how could a man dependent on asthma medication hope to live for months or years in the wilds of rural Bolivia ? If Che harboed doubts about his decision, he kept them out of the diary.

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Summary: The greatest account of a man awaiting his destiny, death.
Review: Nobody thought that Ernesto Che Guevara, born in an argentinian burgeois family could develop advanced ideas in the revolutionary palaestra. A latinamerican traveller, a dreamer. Later, the great revolutionary that made a whole story in the guerilla warfare which still many leftists all over the world. Bolivia was the begining of the leggend and in the daily we can found the meaning of phrases as "Forever until victory". Never surrender. A book that equals a summary of guerilla tactics and the deception of 60's latinamerican politics, a sadness that never ends.

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Summary: EXCELLATNE
Review: This book gives excellent insight on the political stature of the world at the time of the bolivian revolution, as well as the experiences of Che and his men. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in Che or the South American sturggle of the generations past.

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Summary: Che's Course realistic for workers
Review: This is the diary that the CIA and their henchmen cut short with their cowardly execution of Che. This book is for young people of all ages--attracted by Che, the icon of the heroic fighter--because it gives a deeper look. Che was a realist with a well-considered communist world view. He was a towering figure in history who looked for every opportunity to live as a fighter for human solidarity, for socialism. Che had a clear, vivid writing style--and the editors set the stage with accurate and useful background material. ONE LOOK AT BOLIVIA (AND THE WORLD!) TODAY SHOWS US THAT CHE'S COURSE WAS THE REALISTIC ONE

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Summary: Is Che really the author?
Review: When this diary was published, many argued that it was a fabrication. Upon reading it, I am not convinced that it is in fact written by Che, or that it is not. This is a purely objective account of what was going on in Bolivia, and seems to be accurate, but it is written in such a mechanical fashion; Che was a gifted writer- that is where the uncertainty reigns- but of course no one has the time to write during war- It's up to the reader to decide.