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Che Guevara: You Win or You Die
October 9, 1967. World-renowned revolutionary Che Guevara is dead at the age of thirty-nine.
The charismatic Argentinian revolutionary had been leading guerilla fighters in the jungles of Bolivia and was captured by the Bolivian army. Mario Terán, a sergeant in the Bolivian army, volunteered to execute the prisoner. He carried out the bloody assignment with nine point-blank shots to Guevara's body.
Around the globe, reactions to the assassination were mixed. In Cuba, where Guevara had helped overthrow a brutally repressive dictatorship in 1959, more than one million people mourned openly. But in the United States and elsewhere, many business leaders and government officials were relieved. Guevara's anti-capitalist movement sought to strip big businesses of their land and power. He wanted to set up socialist systems to spread wealth and resources among ordinary workers―in Latin America and all around the world. To the rich and powerful, Guevara was a dangerous threat.
In this chronicle of an assassination, find out what inspired the myth of Che Guevara and what brought him to this bloody crossroads of history.
The charismatic Argentinian revolutionary had been leading guerilla fighters in the jungles of Bolivia and was captured by the Bolivian army. Mario Terán, a sergeant in the Bolivian army, volunteered to execute the prisoner. He carried out the bloody assignment with nine point-blank shots to Guevara's body.
Around the globe, reactions to the assassination were mixed. In Cuba, where Guevara had helped overthrow a brutally repressive dictatorship in 1959, more than one million people mourned openly. But in the United States and elsewhere, many business leaders and government officials were relieved. Guevara's anti-capitalist movement sought to strip big businesses of their land and power. He wanted to set up socialist systems to spread wealth and resources among ordinary workers―in Latin America and all around the world. To the rich and powerful, Guevara was a dangerous threat.
In this chronicle of an assassination, find out what inspired the myth of Che Guevara and what brought him to this bloody crossroads of history.
- GenresNonfiction
88 pages, Library Binding
First published October 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stuart A. Kallen
410 books15 followersKallen has written more than 350 nonfiction books for children and young adults. His books have covered a wide arc of human history, culture, and science. Kallen is also an accomplished singer-songwriter and guitarist in San Diego, California
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 6, 2016
حاولت ان اقرا سيرة ذااتية لشي كيفارا من قبل لكن وجدت صعوبة في ذلك بسبب ضعف رصيدي المعرفي من الناحية السياسية و الاقتصادية لكن هذا الكتاب سهل الامر علي بطريقة بسيطة وضح الصراع الموجود بين النظام الراسمالي و النظام الاشتراكي والحرب الباردة التي كانت موجودة بين الولايات المتحدة الامريكية و الاتحاد السوفيتي لم تكن حربا ساخنة تستعمل الاسلحة لكن اعتمدت على الاعيب سياسية و محاولة التاثير على باقي الدول. كان الاتحاد السوفيتي يحاول الاستيلاء على كل الشركات الخاصة و يحارب الاديان باغلاق الكنائس و المساجد ودور العبادة في حين كانت الولايات المتحدة الامريكية تستخدم وكالة المخابرات المركزية و منظمات اخرى وتتفق مع السياسيين المولين لها من اجل المحافظة على النظام الراسمالي في امريكا اللاتينية متجاهلة الفساد و العنف المتفشي في هذه الدول. وبدعم من الولايات المتحدة الامريكية نهج باتيستا نظاما ديكتاتوريا في كوبا كان يقتل المعارضين السياسيين واتسعت الهوة بين الفقراء و الاغنياء وانتشرت البطالة الامراض و الفساد وفي هافانا كانت عصابات الجريمة المنظمة مافيا تدير تجارة المخدرات وتجمع المال من الكزينوهات و الدعارة. قاد تشي كيفارا برفقة كاسترو الثورة الكوبية ونادى الى الثورة العالمية لمواجهة الراسمالية الاحتكارية
January 17, 2022
I want to rate it more than stars in the universe because this book is so good and informative
That after reading it you will get in love with this man and his ideology to change this entire world through revolution .
And nobody can be as revolutionary as him .
Salute to him .
But at some point it also generate a curiosity about his life.
It shares quiet sufficient information but the information is very less to satisfy my knowledge about him .
Because i want to know more about his friends, love life ,his family , his nature , and more about his works and ethics .
But if you just want to have a outline of his life this book is just you need .
In conclusion , i think that the book itself has done a good job and is outstanding because of the quote and the pictures they have used to connect the reader more to 'che' and all the style and texture used are also playing a vital role in making a good chemistry between the reader . And at last
Che was , is , and always will be revolutionary of all time .
That after reading it you will get in love with this man and his ideology to change this entire world through revolution .
And nobody can be as revolutionary as him .
Salute to him .
But at some point it also generate a curiosity about his life.
It shares quiet sufficient information but the information is very less to satisfy my knowledge about him .
Because i want to know more about his friends, love life ,his family , his nature , and more about his works and ethics .
But if you just want to have a outline of his life this book is just you need .
In conclusion , i think that the book itself has done a good job and is outstanding because of the quote and the pictures they have used to connect the reader more to 'che' and all the style and texture used are also playing a vital role in making a good chemistry between the reader . And at last
Che was , is , and always will be revolutionary of all time .
August 18, 2013
I am afraid that I never really knew too much about Che Guevara. I had a vague notion that he was a "revolutionary" and that he was connected with Cuba, but decided to read this YA book to help fill in the gaps. It was a great read! I now need to learn even more about this extremely interesting person, who had such a sympathy for the poor and the drive to do something about it. I wasn't fully aware of his ties to the USSR, but he went to that country seeking armaments for the Cuban revolution (and got them.) Thus, one of the reasons that the CIA was out to assassinate him. I also learned about how the CIA involved the mafia in this effort. Apparently, the CIA tried (literally) hundreds of times to assassinate Che or Castro, and these attempts were made with things like exploding cigars. In the end Guevara died in Bolivia while trying to lead a revolution against a dictatorship. Many in Cuba and elsewhere in Latin America view him as a saint. Again, I learned so much from a slim volume!!
April 20, 2015
This is a short book about Che Guevara's life and the problems he has been through and what he has done to solve them. Che Guevara was from Argentina, Rosario. His actual name is Ernesto Guevara. Ernesto has had two wifes the first on was Hilda and the second one is Aledia. This story mostly shows about how Che first went to Guatemala to start a revolution and then went to Mexico, Cuba, and finally Africa, Congo. All to start revolutions to help the countries rules and for the citizens.
February 11, 2022
Kallen's short book is a brief biography which can be read as a detailed summary of Jon Lee Anderson's book which examines the life of Che Guevara in great detail. Having said that, like a good biographer Kallen manages to keep the narrative unbiased, while bringing forth both the virtues and flaws of this legendary revolutionary.
February 15, 2023
Concise, but informational. I liked the formatting compared to other nonfiction books.
July 3, 2023
Straightforward overview of Che Guevara
March 4, 2013
2.5 stars
This short biography of controversial revolutionary Che Guevara traces his life from childhood through death. Ernesto “Che” Guevara Lynch Jr. was born in 1928 in Rosario, Argentina to relatively privileged parents. Though he interacted with the upper class of Argentina, most of Ernesto’s friends were the sons and daughters of laborers at the hotel where his father managed the gold course. At a young age, he became aware of the large gap between the wealthy and the poor. He went on to study medicine for a few years before taking a break from his education to ride a motorcycle through South America with a friend. After finishing his degree, Guevara spent some time in Guatemala where he witnessed a country in political upheaval. He saw the way that capitalist interests were causing extreme poverty in the lower classes. In the summer of 1955, Guevara met and quickly befriended Raul Castro whose brother Fidel had attempted to overthrow Cuban dictator Batista. When Fidel was released from jail and expelled from Cuba to Mexico, the two men again began plotting to liberate Cuba from Batista, the cruel dictator who they believed was looking out for American capitalist interests. Guevara became a key player in the rebellion, training revolutionary soldiers in guerilla war tactics. When Castro came to power, Guevara had an important role within the newly established Cuban government, but he tired of the deskwork that went along with it and in 1965 disappeared from public view to get back to assisting revolutionaries in other countries. He attempted this first in Congo and then later in Bolivia where he was ultimately captured and assassinated. To this day, Che remains a romanticized symbol of the revolutionary spirit.
This short biography is written in clear, concise and easily comprehensible prose; however, the content seems oversimplified at times. The book is fine as a timeline of Che’s life, but the author doesn’t delve beyond the surface of this very complex and controversial figure. This may be appropriate because of the intended audience (middle grade readers), but it didn’t make for a very satisfying read. It left me wanting to know more about his motivations, his relationships, and who he was a person rather than a historical figure. On a more technical note, the use of brackets throughout the book was inconsistent and distracting. The author used brackets to indicate words that had been omitted when quoting from other sources, and he also used them to clarify the meanings of more difficult words with synonyms. For example, “they carried out [unsafe] jobs without the proper level of compensation [pay].” Ultimately, Che Guevara is not a historical figure who many middle school students would be likely to have an interest in, and this book is too dry to spark an interest where there wasn’t one to begin with. This is an additional selection for school libraries where a curriculum connection would make this book useful.
This short biography of controversial revolutionary Che Guevara traces his life from childhood through death. Ernesto “Che” Guevara Lynch Jr. was born in 1928 in Rosario, Argentina to relatively privileged parents. Though he interacted with the upper class of Argentina, most of Ernesto’s friends were the sons and daughters of laborers at the hotel where his father managed the gold course. At a young age, he became aware of the large gap between the wealthy and the poor. He went on to study medicine for a few years before taking a break from his education to ride a motorcycle through South America with a friend. After finishing his degree, Guevara spent some time in Guatemala where he witnessed a country in political upheaval. He saw the way that capitalist interests were causing extreme poverty in the lower classes. In the summer of 1955, Guevara met and quickly befriended Raul Castro whose brother Fidel had attempted to overthrow Cuban dictator Batista. When Fidel was released from jail and expelled from Cuba to Mexico, the two men again began plotting to liberate Cuba from Batista, the cruel dictator who they believed was looking out for American capitalist interests. Guevara became a key player in the rebellion, training revolutionary soldiers in guerilla war tactics. When Castro came to power, Guevara had an important role within the newly established Cuban government, but he tired of the deskwork that went along with it and in 1965 disappeared from public view to get back to assisting revolutionaries in other countries. He attempted this first in Congo and then later in Bolivia where he was ultimately captured and assassinated. To this day, Che remains a romanticized symbol of the revolutionary spirit.
This short biography is written in clear, concise and easily comprehensible prose; however, the content seems oversimplified at times. The book is fine as a timeline of Che’s life, but the author doesn’t delve beyond the surface of this very complex and controversial figure. This may be appropriate because of the intended audience (middle grade readers), but it didn’t make for a very satisfying read. It left me wanting to know more about his motivations, his relationships, and who he was a person rather than a historical figure. On a more technical note, the use of brackets throughout the book was inconsistent and distracting. The author used brackets to indicate words that had been omitted when quoting from other sources, and he also used them to clarify the meanings of more difficult words with synonyms. For example, “they carried out [unsafe] jobs without the proper level of compensation [pay].” Ultimately, Che Guevara is not a historical figure who many middle school students would be likely to have an interest in, and this book is too dry to spark an interest where there wasn’t one to begin with. This is an additional selection for school libraries where a curriculum connection would make this book useful.
March 21, 2013
Che Guevara: You Win or You Die
By: Stuart A. Kallen
Biography
88 pages
Che Guevara: You Win or You Die is the story of a revolutionary, Che Guevara. Che Guevara was born on 1928 in Argentina. When he was young, he had a severe case of asthma and so his family moved to Cordoba because they thought it would help his asthma. There he witnessed the huge gap between the rich and the poor. In 1952 Che set off on a 5000 mile journey on a motorcycle. During his trip, Che joined the Communist Party of Chile. Che became a commander of the rebel army. He executed many deserters, traitors and criminals. On January 1, 1959, the rebel army took control of Cuba. Fidel Castro appointed Guevara the chief of the Department of Training of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. He also made Guevara in charge of the biggest military prison in Cuba. Castro conducted trials for each prisoner and many were executed. Soon after, Che went to help Congolese revolutionaries overthrow their government. He soon gave up and went to help Bolivia. While there, he was captured and executed in a barn. The book ends by talking about the way people viewed him before and after his death.
Overall, this book was pretty informational, as I didn't even know who Che Guevara was. The main part I didn't like about this book was that it didn't really describe how brutal Castro's regime was. After the book talked about how Che helped capture Cuba, it doesn't talk about how corrupt the new Cuban government was. A part I liked about this book was that there were many pictures. For example, when it was talking about how Che went to U.N. to speak, it also showed a picture of him speaking at the U.N. Another part I liked about this book was that it had a fun fact box in some of the pages. In one of the boxes it talked about how Che raised his hand when Castro asked if any of the people in the room were economists. Che later tells Castro he thought that Che said communists. Finally, I liked that there was a section with really short biographies about important people in the book.
By: Stuart A. Kallen
Biography
88 pages
Che Guevara: You Win or You Die is the story of a revolutionary, Che Guevara. Che Guevara was born on 1928 in Argentina. When he was young, he had a severe case of asthma and so his family moved to Cordoba because they thought it would help his asthma. There he witnessed the huge gap between the rich and the poor. In 1952 Che set off on a 5000 mile journey on a motorcycle. During his trip, Che joined the Communist Party of Chile. Che became a commander of the rebel army. He executed many deserters, traitors and criminals. On January 1, 1959, the rebel army took control of Cuba. Fidel Castro appointed Guevara the chief of the Department of Training of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. He also made Guevara in charge of the biggest military prison in Cuba. Castro conducted trials for each prisoner and many were executed. Soon after, Che went to help Congolese revolutionaries overthrow their government. He soon gave up and went to help Bolivia. While there, he was captured and executed in a barn. The book ends by talking about the way people viewed him before and after his death.
Overall, this book was pretty informational, as I didn't even know who Che Guevara was. The main part I didn't like about this book was that it didn't really describe how brutal Castro's regime was. After the book talked about how Che helped capture Cuba, it doesn't talk about how corrupt the new Cuban government was. A part I liked about this book was that there were many pictures. For example, when it was talking about how Che went to U.N. to speak, it also showed a picture of him speaking at the U.N. Another part I liked about this book was that it had a fun fact box in some of the pages. In one of the boxes it talked about how Che raised his hand when Castro asked if any of the people in the room were economists. Che later tells Castro he thought that Che said communists. Finally, I liked that there was a section with really short biographies about important people in the book.
April 2, 2013
Revolutionist Che Guevara is the subject of this biography that follows his life from privileged Argentinian youth to his assassination in Bolivia.
Che Guevara is a much vilified and simultaneously praised revolutionary leader. In his youth he was highly educated and did not follow his parent's plans for him to go into medicine. Rather, he took this education and his anti-capitalist views gleaned from his travels and encounters with peasants, to eventually become a revolutionary icon. Specifically, he is regarded as the 'father' of Guerilla warfare. While this book covers Guevara's life and revolutionary activities in a very even-handed manner, Kallen neglects to cover the many seriously negative aspects of Guevara's revolution and politics, possibly painting Guevara with too broad a brush.
Che Guevara is a much vilified and simultaneously praised revolutionary leader. In his youth he was highly educated and did not follow his parent's plans for him to go into medicine. Rather, he took this education and his anti-capitalist views gleaned from his travels and encounters with peasants, to eventually become a revolutionary icon. Specifically, he is regarded as the 'father' of Guerilla warfare. While this book covers Guevara's life and revolutionary activities in a very even-handed manner, Kallen neglects to cover the many seriously negative aspects of Guevara's revolution and politics, possibly painting Guevara with too broad a brush.
December 16, 2016
A fine and comprehensive biography abt his politics and upbringing as well as his fighting and his eventual capture and execution.
Deals well with setting up the situation in South and Latin America with US companies setting up leaders they wanted and who supported capitalism and Che's desire to give the people the power while also noting his "brutality" in his fighting. The CIA gets its due mention and shows that those who are paranoid sometimes DO have people after them.
An important piece in understanding the puzzle of the 20th century and where it has led us.
Enjoy!
Deals well with setting up the situation in South and Latin America with US companies setting up leaders they wanted and who supported capitalism and Che's desire to give the people the power while also noting his "brutality" in his fighting. The CIA gets its due mention and shows that those who are paranoid sometimes DO have people after them.
An important piece in understanding the puzzle of the 20th century and where it has led us.
Enjoy!
October 1, 2014
I don't know enough about the subject to know if this is a balanced depiction. The text does include a great deal of primary source documents and quotes from Che. The author does detail the role of the US government of Che's assassination in Bolivia and mentions his own contradictory treatment as a guerilla leader under Castro. The final chapter also details how Che's life and word has become iconic.
January 27, 2013
I really enjoy middle school level biographies. Gets to the nitty-gritty in less than 100 pages. When this book arrived at my school library, I knew I had to read it in honor of the Halloween where Homer dressed as Che and his best bud dressed as Fidel Castro. 12+ years later, I now know about the famous friendship they quite hilariously portrayed in costume!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews