Che, My Brother

A fascinating account of the family roots that contributed to the emergence of one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, as well as a personal intimate story of Che's brother who also fought against injustice in Argentina. Extremely informative, passionate and a pleasure to read.

Really enjoyed reading this book. I always like "Che" Guevara from when I was younger. This book took nothing away from the actual "greatness" of the man he really was.

This book, written by the youngest brother of Ernesto Che Guevara, Juan Martín, in collaboration with the French journalist Armelle Vincent, recounts in a deeply emotional way episodes of the life of Ernesto that Juan Martín shared with him in his native Argentina. The narrative can be divided into four parts, which are very well intertwined, and include the family life of Ernesto from his birth in 1928 until his departure from Argentina in 1953; the political persecution to which his family was subjected and the imprisonment of Juan Martín by military governments of the extreme right in his native country; the defense of the triumph and achievements of the Cuban revolution by the author; and the meaning of Ernesto's political thinking for future generations. The extraordinary and imposing personality of the mother, Celia de la Serna y Llosa, stands out as the most influential person in the formation of the Guevara children: Ernesto, Celia, Roberto, Ana María and Juan Martín. She and Ernesto develop a unique affective bond that leads them to suffer intensely the absence of each other, sometimes with devastating consequences for the mother, who experiences long lasting depressive episodes. The father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch, is characterized as an individual without defined objectives, an adventurer, an opportunist. Juan Martín affirms that he is a tanguero, meaning a man who enjoys the easy live in the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Ernesto, during his life, maintains his family contacts intact, without breaking them, through an extensive correspondence, which Juan Martín uses to describe important aspects of Che's personality as his love for all of them, the interest for the welfare and the progress of his siblings, and thr joy of sharing with them the experiences of his success in the Cuban revolution. Juan Martín illustrates very well the their family life with the excellent photographs included. The dark side in the life of the members of the family appears after the triumph of the Cuban revolution and the implantation of repressive, usually military, governments in Argentina. All members of the Guevara clan endure the effects of persecution, are exiled, and some of them die far way from their homeland. Juan Martín remains in Argentina where he is imprisoned for eight long years . After his release, he decides to become the standard-bearer to preserve the political thought of his brother.The author's experience as a political leader along with his visits and contacts in Cuba help him to analyze and express his opinion about the future of this country, and the not too distant possibility for Cuba to re-enter the capitalist world. To avoid the worst, he believes, man must transform himself into a new one, following the steps of his brother, who was a profoundly intellectual individual and became one of the most important world leaders of the twentieth century.This book, for its historical value, should be read carefully. Some of its chapters, like the first, are moving in the description of the author's personal experience while visiting the places in Bolivia where his brother Ernesto spent the last days of his life.Note: I wrote this review after my reading of the Spanish version of this book.

This book is a very easy read. I read it in a couple of days and passed it on to my brother. He really liked it as he had not read much about Che. The subject is controversial of course so take that into consideration where you are reading it. When I was younger I had read most books about Che the Cuban Revolutionary. I would say I was very well versed in his exploits. Then a few years back there were several movies so his life has been well discussed and written about. I got a new perspective on the man after reading this book. The book humanizes Che as opposed to many other books where he is glorified in god like fashion. His brother lends great insight into the man. Although I don't have much curiosity about Che really anymore I really did enjoy this fresh perspective. If you'd like to know about Che the man as opposed to the Cuban revolutionary you might like this book.

I'm heavily suspicious of rhetorical perspectives regarding the life and work of Che Guevara. Although I love a revolutionary (where would we be without them?), I wonder how factual all of the info we're being fed truly is. Che is an enigma as we may never quite know him. It seemed to me that the most telling biography thus far has been The Motorcycle Diaries.I understand that we may never know the real man or what exactly happened in those revolutionary times, but we can get a pretty good, if not clean, perspective, from journalists committed to finding the truth, without stars in their eyes.I've been waiting for the English translation of this book, "Che, My Brother", thinking it may be interesting & that perhaps I may gain insight from Che's Brother's perspective.This book not only delivers, but it provides an intimate account that only a brother's perspective may give us.Originally written in French, it took a year from the time it was published to be translated into English. There are moments when you know it's a translation, but it's still quite clear.I am thoroughly enjoying the intention of the writer and brother to bring us the Man, the Person, not the icon. The photo was carefully chosen to express this wish. This book is fulfilling in that a more personal account helps make this man more real to me. I want insight into what makes a revolutionary successful. As you will read or may already know (spoiler alert), he was not always successful with his efforts. But he mustered on and never stopped. I continue to seek insight into what give a person such dedication to The People. Such a person is sorely needed today, and all the time, to keep political mechanisms from tearing away at the hearts and hopes of The People.May Che inspire us, even if in some small way, to evolve and solve our worlds problems.Highly Recommended!

Che Guevara's Life as told by his younger adoring brother Juan Martin. None of his other siblings have talked about his life or their relationship with their brother, understandably as it's a very painful subject to touch for them.Juan Martin is the one who undertook the step to talk about their early lives; the influences & factors that shaped their outlook & beliefs in the tumultuous events of their country and Latin America in general.The dynamics of their relationship with parents or the extended relatives; whose right wing leaning bourgeois background was in contrast to the family's liberalism & idealism, especially the mother Rosa who was very close to Che in particular & who instilled these humanist values in her children.There's the very difficult years of imprisonment for Juan Martin during the dictatorship in Argentina followed by exile in CubaWhat role the Cuban Leader had in their lives? and how does he feel about being refered to as the 'brother ' of his 'famous' sibling?So much more is touched upon in this book but I won't elaborate any further. It's very moving so read it yourselves.

This isn't a history of Che; it's a history of his family. As he was rarely home, his path rarely crossed with his brother's for many years before his death, but you still get a valuable insight into Che the person from a sibling who clearly adores him. Written frankly and engagingly; I'd recommend this if you're not looking for more of a historical biography of Che and his revolutionary travels.

This book filled in the information about Che's early life.

I remember in the nineties there was something of a revival of Che Guevara, at least in T-shirts, posters and the circulation of his diaries or published writing (though not to begin with "Guerilla Warfare" which I had yet to realise was more a political treatise than the rumored instruction manual it had been made out to be), asking my dad about him he told me he was "the perpetual revolutionary", going from one struggle to the next until it resulted in his death, shortly after that a I watched an old VHS copy of Omar Sharif's movie "Che" (which I still think was better than the recent twin DVD production).Finally Jon Lee Anderson produced "Che: A Revolutionary Life", a huge book (in dimensions and content) and a bright red paperback in the edition I had. Even by this point I had thought that the popularity of the "Che myth" (what other reviewers have called the "Che Cult") was beginning to wane, I remember buying a mug with the famous Che print on it which had been part of a complete range (which I did not buy) which also featured Mao and Lenin, I think, Mao anyway, but the gist of which was that in the hip, post-socialist, post-capitalist nineties of Blair's third way you could have Che merchandise provided by the market.I enjoyed Jon Lee Anderson's book a lot, felt that it was a production by someone who firmly admired and approved of Guevara while not becoming sycophantic, since then there have been a great, great many books in what I would call the publishing phenomenon that is Che, both building him up and seeking to tear him down (the later have been produced by both the left and the right its got to be said). Given much of what has been published I can see how Juan Martin Guevara would want to add his own account and voice to the proceedings, I also give this book five stars since I think its the best I have read about Che Guevara since I read Lee Anderson's mammoth tomb.In appearance, the edition I have anyway, is contrasting, its a smaller book, hardback, I think you could carry it in a larger rain coat pocket. It is a more personal and personable account too but it does not descend into a kind of celebrity lifestyle read or gossiping, in fact, surprising to me at least, it maintains a political character too, Juan Martin spent some time imprisoned by a military junta because of his contact with his brother and he does share his brother's perspective on Cuba, given the times both lived in and the conditions in their part of the world I dont believe its difficult to see why.I very much liked the narrative style and pace of the writing in this book, there are appendixes, end notes and good contents but no index. Accompanying the text itself there is a great collection of glossy photographs, documenting Che's early family life as much or more than the later pictures, of which everyone is pretty much familiar, when he had begun to dress in plain green fatigues and wear the beret with the red star. If you have any kids of your own or know any young people who have a burgeoning interest in politics or Che Guevara then I would recommend first this book to you for them and second Lee Anderson's book.

We read so much rubbish about those who are hated and killed by our governments, and Che Guevara is most certainly one of those people. I knew very little of him except that the American government wanted him dead and very many ordinary people love and admire him, even all these years later. So it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the real man from this lovely biography of the real man, written by his younger brother, Juan Martin Guevara, who is now in his 70s.The book begins with Juan Martin's journey to the place his brother was murdered - which he finds distressingly commercialised - and then takes us into the story of his brother and their family, who were intelligent, edcuated and free-thinking people. It is a fascinating read, complemented by family photographs, and it certainly adds to our understanding of the real man and his life and its influences.