Comandante: Hugo Chávez's Venezuela
Mar 2013 · Penguin
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About this ebook
"An impressively well-researched and readable portrait . . . a useful reminder of what el Comandante did and didn't achieve, how he got away with it, and the danger of statesmen-as-showmen whose promises are too good to be true." —The New York Times Book Review
"A deeply informative, sprightly chronicle of Venezuela's dizzying journey." —The Washington Post
In Comandante, acclaimed journalist Rory Carroll tells the inside story of Hugo Chávez’s life, investigates his time as Venezuela’s president, and assesses his legacy. Carroll examines the almost religious devotion of millions of Venezuelans who regarded Chávez as a savior, as well as the loathing of those who brand him a dictator. Based on interviews with ministers, aides, courtiers, and citizens, this intimate piece of reportage chronicles a unique experiment in power that veered from enlightenment to tyranny, from comedy to farce. In beautiful prose that blends the lyricism and strangeness of magical realism with the brutal, ugly truth of authoritarianism, Comandante offers a cautionary tale for our times.
"A deeply informative, sprightly chronicle of Venezuela's dizzying journey." —The Washington Post
In Comandante, acclaimed journalist Rory Carroll tells the inside story of Hugo Chávez’s life, investigates his time as Venezuela’s president, and assesses his legacy. Carroll examines the almost religious devotion of millions of Venezuelans who regarded Chávez as a savior, as well as the loathing of those who brand him a dictator. Based on interviews with ministers, aides, courtiers, and citizens, this intimate piece of reportage chronicles a unique experiment in power that veered from enlightenment to tyranny, from comedy to farce. In beautiful prose that blends the lyricism and strangeness of magical realism with the brutal, ugly truth of authoritarianism, Comandante offers a cautionary tale for our times.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
1 review
Ryan G.
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December 26, 2019
Can't quite demonize Chavez as everyone seems to want to. I think he was an idealist who's policies were buoyed into feasibility by the price of oil & Venezuela's access to it. He genuinely seemed to care for the poor & minorities. He kept coming back into power because of the poor & minorities appreciation for what he did for them. However he's terrible at picking successors as we see with his choice of an ex bus driver not realizing you can't continue socialism without the crutch of high valued oil in Venezuela today.
About the author
Rory Carroll is a veteran journalist and former chief of the Guardian’s Latin American bureau. He lives in California.
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