Rating: 
Summary: a bum and a con-man
Review: It reminded me a little of Mark Twain's
travel books and some of Hemingway. They were both better writers.
The translator appears to be British or Canadian which doesn't help a lot ( lorries
all the way through for trucks or whatever else they were?).
You can't claim he was a civil right activist: his comments
about the South American Indians show he wasn't very much interested in other than those with
Spanish heritage. I've read Hitler's book from prison , Gandhi's works and some of Marx.
All are better political writers than Che here.
This fellow comes off as an opportunist who happens to be a doctor
with a bad case of asthma. I think he was an educated man and very intelligent.
Is there some other better example of his mature writing?
I don't think this does a fair job of representing him.
His only redeeming feature was his involvement in treatment of leprosy.
From this book he comes off as a bum and a con-man.
Rating: 
Summary: On The Road Diaries
Review: *Che Guevara, there is much to say about this man and the way he changed people's lives. But what about before he was famous? This book, The Motorcycle Diaries, is an adventure that Ernesto Guevara took, along with his friend Alberto Granado, across South America. The means in which they start their journey is that of spontaneity. At that time, December of 1951, Guevara is at medical school learning to become a doctor. He and Alberto had just quit their jobs and decided to go to South America on Alberto's Norton 500 motorcycle called "La Poderosa II". In their travels they come across many diverse people living in conditions neither of them had ever seen before, as well as some that they have. Indians, lepers, so many people who show them a different world not seen by any, save the one's living there themselves. Argentina, Chile, Peru, through hot deserts, hitchhiking when they could, Columbia, Venezuela, fighting hunger as well as their desire to give up, but all the while never wanting to stop. This is the story of Ernesto Che Guevara, and his journey across America.
*I read this book and can hardly comprehend the feelings Guevara has on the expedition through South America. I think that it is hard for anyone to leave the place they call "home" to go explore the worlds around them. He doesn't have the trip all planned out, doesn't know where he will sleep or if he will be able to find something to eat. I think because of that "improvisation", Guevara shows how strong his will is and how much worrying about something won't change anything unless you try yourself to change it. You may have realized it by now but I really like this book and recommend it to any and all who want to read a story about a journey, life altering to a man who tries to change what he believes must be changed.
Rating:
Summary: kerouac in south america with an edge
Review: About the same time Jack Kerouac was "On the Road" Che was on the old Norton below the equator. Part philosophy, part travel, part biography, makes for a fine read and gives insight into the force of this young doctor's life. I am eager to read the sequel
Rating: 
Summary: che's diary blazed a trail across my own adventuresome heart
Review: although this book was edited by che some time after returning from south america, he acknowledges this at the beginning of the book by saying, "the person who wrote these notes died the day he stepped back on argentine soil. the person who is reorganizing and polishing them, me, is no longer me, at least i'm not the me i was." and in the next paragraph, commenting on how people might interpret his words he states, "i present a nocturnal picture, you have to take it or leave it, it's not important. unless you know the landscape my diary photographed you've no option but to accept my version." it doesn't get much more simple than that. take me or leave me, i don't care. i read the pages of "the motorcyle diaries," and was completely blown away! i wanted to be right there on la poderosa with che and his amigo, alberto - drinking at all the dives; conversing with the people; playing soccer with whatever team, in whatever town/country they happened to be; scamming places to eat and sleep, and making their way across the continent on the back de la poderosa until, bless her little hot-rod heart, she literally came apart. then, it was hitching, stowing away on boats, and, finally, floating downriver atop a not-so-navigable homemade raft, the whole while surrounded by the mystery and beauty of wild and mountainous south america. it was an awesome adventure to share! che's writing style is so conversational, and his wit will run up on you like a hairpin turn. i laughed out loud so many times. might i suggest you get a map of south america before turning the cover of this fantastic, freaking adventure. believe me, you'll get so wrapped up in it that you'll want to pinpoint each madcap pitstop. en fin, this is a tale of a grand adventure, of determination, willpower, curiousity, and guts. a great first read of the che. he was a believer in the underdog. sin duda.
Rating: 
Summary: Our Modern Soviet Cinema
Review: Browsing through books, you don't expect to recieve the kind of shock I did when reading reviews on Guevara's "Motorcycle Diaries". I have a minority opinion, which saddens me not becuase it isn't popular here - but because others have read only the inspiring part's of Che's life. Not to discourage reading on this side of his life, but for a complete picture - read about his other actions. Are murderers inspiring rebels? Someone who sentenced Cubans to death because they fought for the very rights we enjoy daily in this country is a hero? Sure, be inspired by an awesome travel story - and even by a young person who wanted to make much needed changes - but please, do not be inspired by his later actions. An executioner is not someone to look up to. This book is a manifesto, a 50 year tardy soviet script, and should be acknowledged as such.
Rating:
Summary: get to know Ernesto.
Review: can't say anything more than... YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: Che Guevara: Hindsight is 20/20
Review: Che Guevara's Motorcycle Diaries is a sloppy after-thought of South America and its indiginous peoples. At the age of 22, Che, a medical student, decides to travel to fulfill his "wanderlust." During his travels, he has not yet arrived at his revolutionary credo and does not, even in the beginning, give an inkling as to the possibility of travel to explore the lives of the proletariat. He is simply travelling because he is young and his friend has a motorcycle. Che, however, rewrites his diaries years later when he is living in Cuba and injects all the "insight" into the sorry lives of the natives. Hindsight is 20/20 but lets be realistic, this is not an account by a 22 year old. It is a retelling of the story by a weathered revolutionary. It lacks any of the exciting self-discovery which travel should inevitably lead one to; apparently the self-discovery comes much later. The Motorcycle Diaries is a good travel guide and not much else.
Rating:
Summary: On the Road
Review: Che's Motorcycle Diaries is a non-politicized odyssey around South America, full of comical high jinks and adventure. The 23 year old, pre-revolutionary Che is a talented travel writer with an abundance of humor and an observant eye for the human condition. The Motorcycle Diaries reflects intimate insight of the young man who would one day become a legend. Praise needs to go to Ann Wright, the translator, who maintained the integrity of the Diaries.
Rating:
Summary: The Dreamer
Review: Click on the image of a young Che sitting in a pensive , relaxed posture as though he is daydreaming. The picture will reveal an image in your mind quite different from the familiar bearded face many have come to associate with Che. The youth and gaze in his eyes is reflective of the book in it's first hand portrayal of a young idealist. The roots of Che's radicalism, that evolved into his believing in Communism and fighting alongside Castro, in Cuba, began with what he saw on a trip he took through South America. His observations on the differences in social classes within various towns shows his astute vision and concern that eventually turned into action.The epic journey Che undetook with his friend is full of anecdotes, frolicking, humor and some keen observations. Setting out from Buenos Aires, Argentina with his best friend, Alberto Granadas, the two start out on a motorcycle along the Atlantic eventually arriving in Caracas , Venezuela. Prior to their departure the first-hand account talks about cutting ties and the lives they left behind . The narrative account makes for a small book that can be read in one sitting or so. In the small time invested an interesting portrait and adventure awaits the reader. The intimacy of the book is life taking the trip side saddle within Che's mind. Incidently, this book is being transformed for the big screen. The production for a soon to be released movie, directed by Brazilian Walter Salles, with young, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal("Y Tu MamaTambien" & 'Amores Perros") taking the lead role of Che. The book is entertaining and worthwhile for those interested in history and those that have shaped history.
Rating:
Summary: Guevara, Kerouac and Rollins - - Road Revolutionaries
Review: Everyone takes a journey. Only a few can ever write about it. Che Guevera - The Revolutionary Jack Kerouac - The Beat Henry Rollins - The End of Silence
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