Che Guevera's appeal to young people come from his dreamy temperament, revolutionary ideals, impulsive actions, and longing for a better world. This book captures all those things--as it shows a young man embarking on a poorly planned Latin American trip. The best parts recall him interacting with locals. It shows how his encounters with poverty, the ill, and indigenous culture influenced who he'd become. Likewise, the weakest sections show him as an immature dude full of scatological humor, lustful thoughts, and bizarre commentary on people of African descent. Still, it's hard to fault an autobiographical book for documenting the person at the time, and not who they would mature to become. ( )

The book started out somewhat slow for me, and the manner in which he recorded his memoirs was a bit patchy in places, with some details missing, which I guess is understandable if he was writing for himself and not necessarily to publish (I don’t know if that was the case, but it makes sense).

The details of the trip were marginally interesting, 2 young men hitchhiking through South America ended up doing a lot of the same things in a lot of different locations. What I enjoyed especially was when he would go into detail about his experiences with the lepers they visited, or his observations on Cusco and Machu Picchu. He spoke of many places that I’ve visited myself, which was fun to learn a little bit more about what they were like a half century back.

I know very little about Guevara except that he took part in overthrowing the Cuban government, and this book gave some insight into where he got some of his revolutionary perspectives from. After listening to his book, I’m interested in learning more about him, and definitely would love to make my own trek across South America - not hitchhiking, but certainly off the beaten path. ( )

“ This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams.

Nine months. On the motorbike La Poderosa II - The Mighty One, with Alberto Granado. Until it breaks down, and then “…just two hitchhikers with backpacks, and with all the grime of the road stuck to our overalls, shadows of our former aristocratic selves.” Subsisting mostly on bread, cheese, and mate. Two hungry doctors, on the road!

Learning more about leprosy. Ernesto’s asthma. That river dolphin story! Those poor peaches under the window! Begging for money, food and lodging. It's a good travel story, and I learned a great deal, flipping back to the map many a time to orient myself as to their whereabouts. The pictures in the middle are pretty dang good too! The book made me want to follow their journey, and see what they saw. I'm sure plenty has changed, but the plight of the people, especially the indigenous people, is almost assuredly the same. Easy to see why a revolutionary was born!

"The future belongs to the people, and gradually, or in one strike, they will take power. here and in every country. The terrible thing is the people need to be educated, and this they cannot do before taking power, only after." ( )

More of a historical document, because when judged as a book it's not really worthwhile. The young author recounts his journey across Southern America, written in a humorous tone as he and his friend scrounge, steal, scam and abuse the generosity of the people they meet along the way. Including trying to have sex with a wife of a man who helps them along the way. This is interspersed with passages about the noble savages and imperialist west. It's so banal it's hard to take any of it seriously. ( )

If you attempt ANY kind of political comments, the exit is THAT way. It's that simple. Don't provoke me, it won't end well.

“This is not a story of heroic feats, or merely the narrative of a cynic; at least I do not mean it to be. It is a glimpse of two lives running parallel for a time, with similar hopes and convergent dreams.”

Two young men set off for the journey of a lifetime. Their chariot, a motorcycle. Their initial purpose, to know and understand the fascinating world of South America. As they travel deeper and deeper, they come across lands and communities struck by poverty, abandonment, isolation, exploitation, violence, torment, sickness, death. And the two youngsters of our story acquire a new purpose. To help the ones in need with whatever meagre (sic?) means they have.

Their quest takes them from the north across the Andes, to Chile, the Atacama Desert, Peru and Venezuela. Facing the whims of a demanding nature, encountering people who have been abused and ostracised because of their beliefs, experiencing the sacred impact of Machu Pichu, one of the marvels of human ingenuity, the two young men leave the crazy, alluring, care-free attitude of youth behind towards a new vision. Che’s writings, thoughts and experiences in the San Pablo leper colony in Peru are heartbreaking, his determination to aid the ones who suffer by an absurd divide due to false ‘’ medical’’ convictions is touching and eye-opening.

The young men’s names? Alberto Granado. Ernesto ‘’Che’’ Guevara.

P.S. Do I really need to mention the marvellous 2004 adaptation starring Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, directed by Walter Salles? If you haven’t watched it, do so. You won’t regret it.

“Some give the impression they go on living only because it's a habit they cannot shake”

“Perhaps one day tired of circling the world I'll return to Argentina and settle in the Andean lakes if not indefinitely then at least for a pause while I shift from one understanding of the world to another.”

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )