1. 

   F. Orion Pozo
   July 22nd, 2010 - 04:37

   The hooks are obvious: charismatic revolutionary Che Guevara on a continent spanning motorcycle trip of South America. However, this book is by Ernesto Guevera, a 23 year old middle-class medical student looking for a break from his studies, and the motorcycle doesn’t last through two countries. It is a rare glimpse into the young mind of a major cultural revolutionary. The book is also a unique look into the everyday life of South America in the middle of the 20th century. The point of view is of sons of privilege wandering the countryside and living off the land. Sometimes they are encountering the workers and experiencing their simple hospitality and honest struggles. At other times, they rely on their social class and education to open doors to more polite society. What I found compelling about this book is that in such a brief work the author was able to present a sweeping portrait of South American life. it was, for me, a wonderfully human introduction to the people and lands of this vast continent.
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. 

   Elderbear
   July 22nd, 2010 - 05:26

   I grew up in Loma Linda, a University town with a medical school. I never heard of anybody taking off on a motorcycle, even after graduation, for a journey like this. But Che Guevara was an exception to the rulers. The young (Everything he did was young–he didn’t live to see 40.) Ernesto “Che” Guevara, left the university & his life of privilege for seven months on the road, touring South America, first on a motorcycle, then as a vagabond, with his compadre Alberto.

   The two of them posed as Argentinian Doctors, specialists in the treatment of leprosy. This gained them food and lodging, as well as special treatment at times. It also gained them face-to-face experience with the impossible living conditions of people suffering from this disease.

   Alberto & Che traveled on their own resources. When money got tough, they scammed & stowed-away, sometimes even working for a meal, but they didn’t cable home for money or assistance. During this experience, Che became personally acquainted with the poverty and disempowerment prevalent in South America.

   Reading the book was a delightful experience. Che has a poetic way with words. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, telling tales of purloined wine, of scamming for sustenance, of bravely shooting a “puma” in the dark of night. By daylight it turned out to have been a local rancher’s dog. He tells of hiding with a shipment of melons, hoping to stow away on a boat, but getting busted when sailors noticed melon rinds floating by the dock. Ernesto & Alberto were indeed a couple of scallywags, but loveable, the kind you’d sit down with for a stein of beer or a cup of mate.

   This book tells a human story, one that’s unselfconscious enough to be truly enjoyable. Almost enough to make me want to sell the house, buy a motorcycle …
   Rating: 4 / 5
3. 

   XrenegadaX@aol.com
   July 22nd, 2010 - 08:12

   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: 5 / 5
4. 

   Anonymous
   July 22nd, 2010 - 10:11

   I think the title of this book was a calculated effort to sell this book to people like me–people who care more about motorcycles than revolutionaries. If you pick it up determined to read about a guy who rode a motorcycle all over South America, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re seeking an adventure touring story, you won’t be. I finished the book in a few hours and walked away glad I didn’t give up when a youthful Che’s motorcycle broke for good 30 pages into the book. The rest detail the travels of Che and a friend, total slackers posing as doctors and leprosy experts (which they were, in loose senses of the words), as they scam their way across the continent by hitching rides, sucking up to cops and brown-nosing anyone with food, booze and a warm place to sleep. The reader gets the feeling that this journey was perhaps the defining experience in Che’s pre-revolutionary life, and that his worldview really came into focus based on the things–beauty, oppression, generosity, treachery–that he saw on his bohemian-style trip. This compelling read changed my impression of the man we call Che–much for the better.
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. 

   C. Saifi
   July 22nd, 2010 - 13:03

   If like me, you are one of those people who always wondered about the real thing behind a young man from Argentina who became such an influential character in the world and a major threat to global capitalism, I highly recommend reading this book. There is no mention of how Che Guevara became one of the top leaders in the Cuban revolution and a catalyst in many movements throughout the world, including Baader-Meinhof (Red Army Faction) in Germany, the Red Brigade in Italy as well as in many other countries in South America and Africa. This book, however, will share the experience of a passionate individual who was truly moved by the human suffering and was determined to do something about it. In short, it was not his strategies as much as his love and respect for all beings that made him the “Che” we know.

   Not being a huge fan of Marxism (not practical), I truly believe that a Gandhian (non-violent) Che Guevara would turn the world into a substantially better place for all. But the good news is that there is a Che in every one of us. What we generally lack, however, is the courage and the conviction to set him free. So we resort to reading books about our favorite heroes, watching the society’s problems on our big plasma screen HDTV and hoping that the next guy will do something about it.

   I also highly recommend “The Motorcycle Diaries” movie.
   Rating: 4 / 5

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