Throda tzen: This is a book in many parts, it’s more a revised blog than a diary as it doesn’t itemise the days, rather it covers short periods of travel as Che tried to turn it into more of a narrative a year later before setting off on another 2 year trek. It spans from December 1951 to August 1952 as Che and his older friend Alberto travel Latin America on a temperamental 1939 Norton 500cc motorbike.
At 165 pages [plus 24 pages of black & white pictures] this is generally an easy read but using a good map adds a lot to the understanding. The ‘diary’ actually starts on page 31, the earlier pages being introductions and contents information. Much of the route is easy to follow but a lot has changed over the years. However, it is still possible to make out the bulk of their route despite some translation errors and Argentinian spellings of place names. Bluffing their way along [before the Pan American Highway was completed] the pair manage to stay in varying places from railway stations [some now ruins and the population gone], army barracks, police stations, fire stations, numerous hospitals, even staying with family friends and acquaintances that they meet along the way to...
United Kingdom on Jul 09, 2018
Mark Gannon: The blurb on the back of the version I read states "His trip might have been the adventure of a lifetime - had his lifetime not turned into a much greater adventure," and it is true, this would have been a great adventure of a lifetime. I found myself at times laughing, moaning in sympathy and cheering. It is easy to see the beginning of the revolutionary. Four stars.
However, I have a few minor complaints about the book- or at least the version I read. One would be the number of Preface's, chronologies, maps and introductions at the start of the book. One introduction alone takes up fifteen pages, and reads more like an academic paper a History student at University might write. <-- This leads me to my second complaint. This mini academic paper would have been better placed at the end of the book, as it uses several quotes and examples from the diaries themselves which make no sense unless you have read the diaries themselves, ergo, why is it at the beginning where these quotes and examples would make no sense?
Otherwise, a great read and well worth the money spent.
United Kingdom on May 24, 2018
JaketheDax: The mythology attached to this book is incredible. One has to detach what one knows of Guevara's later life and examine the text as written by a young man on the cusp of great things, but still evolving a world-view. Indeed, anyone looking for politics and revelation should look elsewhere, as there are few passages devoted to that element, aside from the final chapter, which is powerfully eloquent.
The Diaries are full of the misery of a hand-to-hand existence, where the daily struggle to find or talk their way into a meal is paramount. The logistical puzzle of how to get from A to B is also never far from the surface. These passages, where the beauty of the landscape is drawn, are some of the more memorable passages. So too the descriptions of villages, towns and ancient cities that the two friends encounter, especially in Peru.
Guevara is a fine writer, selecting expressions that assist us to see what he saw, to feel the poverty and guess at the squalor of existence that he saw on display along his journey. Clearly, this shaped Guevara's attitude. An important book, shorter than I had imagined, but well worth your time.
United Kingdom on Oct 28, 2017
Kindle Customer: Before he was a revolutionary Ernesto Guevarra was a young man from a privileged back ground, and a medical student. He and a friend decided to travel, to see the world. Sounds very much like many if not most young men even today. He kept a diary of the adventures, escapades, and mishaps along the way. He saw a world that was new and disturbing in some places to him. Through that trip he would become the eloquent speaker, military planner, doctor, and a crusader for the downtrodden. He became Che Guevarra. But that last part is for another volume. This book introduced me to the idealistic and maybe even naive young man that he was at that point in his life.
United States on Dec 01, 2016
chandra greer: I loved this book for many reasons, and strongly recommend it. It attracted me because I have just traveled to Cuba, and had been to many of the other countries and places listed in this book. The idea of a man getting up one day with a close friend and spontaneously deciding to set off on a continental motorcycle tour was also appealing because of the adventure and travel aspects. This book exceeded all the expectations I had for it. Che Guevara’s writing style is unlike anything i had read before. The artful, beautiful way he describes everything from landscapes to his patients makes the reader feel like they are living the experiences he is, sometimes in a deeper way than the reader may have experienced themselves. Che dives into each topic or picture he sees with great emotion and personal opinion while at the same time leaving some space for the readers opinions and ideas to take form. You get the historical sense of what is being observed, with facts provided (the architechture and stories behind the churches in Lima and Cuzco) while at the same time getting Che's somewhat romanticized take on it. There is a great amount of action- (for example the dog scene, the boat...
United States on May 12, 2016
Souvik Chakraborty: Wow what a book this was, the writting is easily heart touching and stylish blending with great description about every details and whereabouts.Throughout the start from Argentina in 'LA Poderosa' or mighty 500cc Norton che and alberto faced many disasters and hardship but their spirit was so high & adventurous that nothing can disturb their journey - full of discoveries & experiences.
Che Ernesto Guevara is a symbolic character nothing to say about his lifestyle and history but he stuck me profoundly with his philosophy towards life.nobody moved my mind like che after finishing the book.he was selfless and brave with a very intelligent mind never got the space what he deserved in our world.A huge respect and salute to his life & spirit : undoubtedly one of my hero hopefully I will be able to read more about che
Long live che
Thank you
India on Oct 23, 2015
Dhruv Goel: Very exalted after watching "The Motorcycle Diaries", I decided to buy the book and read it. For me Che Guevara was an inspirational figure, since, I watched a documentary on him when I was a child. Obviously I am entranced by the book but I will write this review as honestly as possible.
It is like a travelogue which is a little vague on the places and a little study of the map of South America would greatly help in admiring the beauty described in the book. But as you will read you will observe that the narrator is drifting, here and there, towards the plight of indigenous people and also providing historical details of place. Sure the marks of future revolutionary can be clearly seen.
While you are reading try to live their experiences, imagine them happening to you, dream that you are on a similar adventure, if you live in a post-colonial country then try to understand your people's past, then ask the question - Will you try such a travel again? Compare your answer with future endeavors of Che and you will understand my rating, as you may understand my answer.
I am confident that you cannot finish this book without admiring the beautiful phrases in which...
India on Jan 19, 2015
E Shipp: I was told to read this before a trip to Cuba so I could understand Che. If you have never heard of Che, this is a useful guide to understand his philosophy, or at least his philosophy as a young man. It does not however describe in any way shape or form Cuba. Che wrote what seems to be about a million journals, roughly all of which are translated into English so if you want to understand the Cuban revolution read on of those. This journal gives a vivid and well-written description of Argentina and Chile and a few other South American countries in the 1950s. It is a vivid snapshot in time of the poor conditions which led to populist and Communist revolts in so many nations. Spoiler: the motorcycle only makes it through part of the book so it is not literally motorcycle diaries for most of the way.
United States on Feb 28, 2014
M. A. ZAIDI: "Motorcycle Diaries" fashions itself as a road trip buddy comedy. Ernesto Guevara is an Argentinean medical student in 1952. Instead of finishing his last semester at school, he, along with his bio-chemist friend Alberto climb on to a broken down Norton 500 motorcycle and tour South America. The trip is meant to free the human spirit within them, which in young person terms means to find as many women as they can. Only they learn much more about the way of the land than they probably expect too.
They come across peasants and poverty stricken farmers muscled off of their land by the rich. They also experience such injustice firsthand as they are turned away for having no money. Seeing the harsh realities; no longer is Ernesto thinking of becoming the doctor his family and he wanted him to be. He is more confused and up in the air about the direction his life should take. As he says at the end of the film, "This story is not about heroic feats. It's about two lives running parallel for a while." One life is becoming a doctor, while the other is becoming a freedom fighter.
This book is not about a revolutionary or a doctor; instead it is a coming of age story about a...
United States on Sep 13, 2005
| A Transformative Journey Across South America: The Motorcycle Diaries | Dean Nicholson's Incredible Journey: How One Man and His Rescue Cat Pedaled Around the World - Hardcover | Alex Lasker's Novel, The Memory of an Elephant | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
 |
|
| B2B Rating |
83
|
99
|
97
|
| Sale off | $12 OFF | ||
| Total Reviews | 14 reviews | 1 reviews | 109 reviews |
United States on Mar 28, 2023