Book Review | ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

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alex haley, autobiography, beloved, black history, book review, che guevara, fidel castro, frederick douglass, malcolm x, roots, Slavery, toni morrison, Washington DC

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There is no doubt countless works written about slavery. The most famous that comes to mind is the epic ‘Roots’ by Alex Haley which is regarded as a keystone of Black historical fiction and the more contemporary, but equally compelling ‘Beloved’; Toni Morrison’s impenetrably abstract deconstruction of ‘slave psychology’ that explores the extremities of motherly love, death and the chains of freedom. Frederick Douglass’ autobiography may not be an epic, but his book definitely stands as a precious precursor to the aforementioned books. Because Douglass was a real-life pioneer of the abolition who not only managed to escape slavery, but who also went on to being a celebrated orator, secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission, marshall and recorder of deeds in the district of Columbia and US Minister to Haiti.

Needless to say, this short narrative really does not do justice to the many deeds Douglass managed to achieve during his extraordinary life, but rather gives us insight into the mind of a born revolutionary and the things he suffered that eventually and inevitably led him to his profession. The most common thing about such men of destiny is a striking similarity in their sense of ‘belonging to a cause’ and a dogged determination in overcoming the overwhelming obstacles shared by their brethren. This coupled with an unusual sensitivity to suffering gives rise to men of the ilk of Castro, Guevara and Malcolm X: men with a mission to alleviate the dishonour and injustice inflicted upon a race, a country, a creed.

For those interested in first person accounts of slavery, this is an excellent place to start. On the positive side it is free and widely available to read download and read online. I got my edition from Kobo, but it can also be accessed quite easily via Goodreads on Douglass’ author page. Secondly, it is also a historical document and could quite easily be used as a reference in a thesis or other type of research on the subject.

Through his writing I could easily see how powerful an orator Douglass must have been, as his sketches of the various good and cruel characters he met during his life is very clearly and deftly made. His command of the English language also makes the narrative very easy to read and understand. He also has the wonderful ability to make some very clever and impassioned metaphors pertaining to slavery that I felt was quite unique.

Altogether this narrative is a very valuable piece of literature that I think everyone should read, as it’s not only a part of Black history but everyone’s history. It is testament to what a man can achieve if only he sets his mind to it and perseveres not matter what.

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Best Bits ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ | La Poderosa II’s Final Tour

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che guevara, the motorcycle diaries

Gael Garcia Bernal (the young ‘Che’) and Rodrigo De La Serna (his trusty sidekick) with the beloved Poderosa in its better days.

 

“Due to a premonition, Alberto didn’t want to drive, so I sat up front though we only did a few kilometres before stopping to fix the failing gearbox. A little further on, as we rounded a tight curve at a good speed, the screw came off the back brake, a cow’s head appeared arounnd the bend, then many, many more of them, and I threw on the hand brake which, soldered ineptly, broke too. For some moments I saw nothing more than the blurred shape of cattle flying past us on each side, while poor Poderosa gathered speed down the steep hill. By an absolute miracle we managed to graze only the leg of the last cow, but in the distance a river was screaming toward us with terrifying efficacy.”

 

There it is; a dramatic finale to the ‘Mighty One’ from Che Guevara’s ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’. As a direct result of reading this book I have come to love old Norton’s. I can imagine myself doing a crazy tour of South America on a clunky motorcycle. But not one as unreliable as this! I felt a twinge of sadness as it finally gave up the ghost. Yet again, Ernesto is the one getting into trouble, as Alberto’s fine senses steers him clear of danger!

FUN FACT: Rodrigo De La Serna who plays Alberto is in fact a second cousin of the real Ernesto Guevara.

‘Motorcycle Diaries’ | Pearls of Wisdom from El Che… ‘Look Before You Crap’

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che guevara, the motorcycle diaries

“Ever aided by the letter of recommendation from the ‘press’, we were put up by some Germans who had treated us very well. During the night I had a bad case of the runs and, being ashamed to leave a souvenir in the pot under my bed, I climbed out on to the window ledge and gave up all my pain to the night and the blackness beyond. The next morning I looked out to see the effect and saw that two meters below lay a big sheet of tin where they were sun-drying their peaches; the added spectacle was impressive. We beat it from their fast.”

By far the funniest episode in the Diaries… have you noticed it always seems to be Che getting into trouble, and not Alberto? Poor Alberto, always the one to pick up the pieces when the shit hits the fan! I wonder what the people did when they saw the stuff on their peaches? What’s really funny, is that Che went to have a look at it the next morning. Typical manly behaviour!

Best Bits ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ | When in Chile, Don’t Drink and Dance!

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che guevara, funny stories, humour, the motorcycle diaries

“The bike was more or less fixed and we had decided to leave the following day, so we thought we’d throw caution to the wind with some new pals who invited us for a few drinks. Chilean wine is great and I was drinking it unbelievably quickly, so much so that by the time we went on to the village dance I felt ready to take on the world. The evening progressed pleasantly as we kept filling our bellies and our heads with wine. One of the particularly friendly mechanics from the garage asked me to dance with his wife because he’d been mixing his drinks and was not feeling very well. His wife was hot and clearly in the mood and, full of Chilean wine, I took her by the hand and tried to steer her outside. She followed me meekly but then noticed her husband watching us and told me she would stay behind. I was in no state to listen to reason and we began to argue in the middle of the dance floor. I started pulling her towards one of the doors, while everybody was watching, and then she tried to kick me, and as I was pulling her she lost balance and fell crashing to the floor.

         Running back towards the village pursued by a furious swarm of dancers, Alberto mourned the loss of the wine her husband might have bought us.”

My goodness, what a scene, what an embarrasment. I feel sorry for Alberto. He always seems to be the one who suffers most from Guevara’s crazy antics. Blame it on the wine, Che, like most of us would do!

Best Bits ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ | Crash Course in Clutching

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che guevara, driving, Lake Osorno, the motorcycle diaries

“There was a character in the little town who wanted a station wagon driven to Osorno, where we were heading, and he asked me if I would do it. Alberto gave me a high-speed lesson in gear changes and I went off in all solemnity to assume my post. But rather cartoon-like I set off with hops and jerks behind Alberto who was riding the bike. Every corner was a torment: brake, clutch, first, second, help Mamaaa… The road wound through beautiful countryside, skirting Laguna Osorno, the volcano with the same name a sentinel above us. Unfortunately I was in no position along that accident-studded road to appreciate the landscape. The only accident, however, was suffered by a little pig that ran out in front of the car while we were speeding down a hill, before I was fully practised in the art of braking and clutching.”

 

A humorous account on the trials and tribulations of clutch-control. I remember when I was a learner driver, and the dread I felt when I came up to junctions or traffic lights. It seems learning to drive back in the 50’s was a lot more fun, and quicker!

Best Bits ‘Motorcycle Diaries’ | Entendamonos – ‘so we understand each other…

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che guevara, entendamonos, la poderosa, the motorcycle diaries

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

        In nine months of a man’s life he can think lot’s of things, from the loftiest meditations on philosophy to the most modest desperate longing for a bowl of soup – in total accord with the state of his stomach… Man, the measure of all things, speaks here through my mouth and narrates in my own language that which my eyes have seen… The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil. The person who reorganizes and polishes them, me, is no longer, at least I’m not the person I once was. All this wandering around “Our America with a capital A” has changed me more than I thought.

        …But I’ll leave you now, with myself, the man I used to be…”

 

Taken from the first chapter ‘Entendamonos’, Guevara tries to sum up the effect of his journey around America, and how this changed him into the man he was to become. It is said that all people have their own personal ‘legend’, and often this legend or myth is discovered in moments of travelling. Many have reported to have ‘found’ themselves in moments when they truly got lost in the world. The young Ernesto Guevara experienced life beyond the borders of his native Argentina, and realised that the world was a whole lot bigger than him. The troubles of the world were also a lot bigger than his own selfish, personal struggles. On journeys like this, a person’s soul grows and learns to love the world on another level, and through it, all mankind. A person finds the power to stand up to the injustice prevalent in their part of the world, and give others the strength to follow such ideals.

Book Review | ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ by Ernesto Guevara

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50 books a year, Andes, book review, che guevara, communism, la poderosa, Pan-Americanism, south america, the motorcycle diaries, United States

Book Challenges: 50 Books A Year (no. 5)

“Why don’t we go to North America?”
“North America? But how?”
“On La Poderosa, man.”

Finally finished ‘The Motorcycle Diaries‘ this morning, and I am pleased to report that it was a very easy read. Guevara‘s image as a die-hard communist is somewhat challenged in this very personal account of his pre-guerilla years on the road as a humble middle-class medical student. He and his hearty companion Alberto, along with their ramshackle Norton 500cc (‘La Poderosa’, or ‘The Mighty One’) make for some extraordinary adventures, as they travel up the spine of the Andes, through Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela meeting all sorts of people, and getting into all kinds of embarrasing situations. This diary offers those acquainted with the political aspect of Guevara’s personality, the chance to get to know him as a person. The events he recounts are full of humour, his writing style is also very fluent and engaging, drawing the reader in and guiding them through events that some might argue have been heavily edited for aesthetic purposes, and some of which in hindsight, became a major influencing factor in later years.
The diary itself reads both like a coming-of-age journey and a travelogue that The Times described as ‘Das Kapital meets Easy Rider‘. I can’t argue with that. At the end of the day, the young ‘Che’ was nothing but a man with dreams and ideals that most people during the 1950’s secretly hoped for. His drunken, impromptu speech on his 24th birthday of a unified ‘Pan-Americanism‘, gives us a glimpse of the passion this road-trip developed within him for the people of South America, laying the foundation for his communist philosophy. Everywhere he went he chronicled the hardships and the political incorrectness that seemed to cripple the native peoples. He saw first-hand what the lack of basic priviledges was doing to the continent, and like any hot-blooded, politically-motivated University student, wished to find a way to do away with the shackles of imperialist US forces.

As I said before, the diary reveals a human side to Che, that is not widely written about. It highlights a time in his life when he was at a cross-roads, and in the first chapter ‘So We Understand Each Other’, he states that he too, felt the changes that were about to happen to him, “But I’ll leave you now, with myself, the man I used to be…”

I give this 4/5 Stars.

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