Populista: The Rise of Latin America's 21st Century Strongman

by Will Grant

'An ambitious, riveting and essential book that has much to teach us about the recent history of this region, and about the human impulse towards populism that continues to shape the world' Ben Rhodes , bestselling author of The World As It Is 'A REVOLUTION IS A STRUGGLE TO THE DEATH BETWEEN THE FUTURE AND THE PAST.' FIDEL CASTRO For more than six decades, Fidel Castro's words have echoed through the politics of Latin America. His towering political influence still looms over the region today. The swing to the Left in Latin America, known as the 'Pink Tide', was the most important political movement in the Western Hemisphere in the 21st century. It involved some of the biggest, most colorful and most controversial characters in Latin America for decades, leaders who would leave an indelible mark on their nations and who were adored and reviled in equal measure. Parties became secondary to individual leaders and populism reigned from Venezuela to Brazil, from Central America to the Caribbean, financed by a spike in commodity prices and the oil-backed largesse of Venezuela's charismatic socialist president, Hugo Chávez. Yet within a decade and a half, it was all over. Today, this wave of populism has left the Americas in the hands of some of the most authoritarian and dangerous leaders since the military dictatorships of the 1970s.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Biography, Latin American History

512 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Sam O'Beardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting profile of 6 Latin American leftist leaders. Told through a very western, BBC lens.

Useful as an intro to the different presidents but don't expect to learn too much if you already have some background knowledge.

The author doesn't go into too much detail about policies or how each of the people governed. For example failures aren't dissected, just chalked up to vague mentions of mismanagement and corruption. He also fails to analyse any of the other challenges facing these counties and internal power structures etc.

The main focus is simply on anecdotes of the men, their origins, and some often irrelevant stories about his own reporting of events at the time / in the various countries.

Lula is clearly his favorite president, although he seems to give the impression that each presidency was ultimately a failure, failing to mention the ongoing popularity of Correa in Ecuador, Lula's likely return to the presidency in Brazil, or the overwhelming support for the MAS in Bolivia and their landslide win in the 2020 election.

On Bolivia he cites the OAS report into the 2019 election as proof of election rigging despite that report being fraudulent (as acknowledged, begrudgingly, by NYT and Wapo). Also falls into typical BBC tropes of using scare quotes for words like 'imperialism'.

Overall there's some interesting anecdotes but don't expect to gain a deep understanding of policy, or Latin American politics by reading this.

[Anna R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made reading 500 pages easy. It’s structure with a chapter for each of the 6 countries and their populista leaders made it very digestible. The chapter on Cuba was an absolute stand-out for me. After two decades as a journalist in Latin America, Grant’s passion and knowledge of the region really shows. The book was not only a historical overview but also included small anecdotes and interviews from regular people, both supporters and opposers. This gave it a nice, personal touch. Grant even managed to feature interviews with two of the leaders, Lula’s being from prison. As an avid fan of Latin American history, I loved this book and I’m more fascinated than ever.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential and riveting indeed. Incredibly dense but brilliant anyways!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will Grant’s Populista! seemed like the ideal book for me to better explore the oft-complicated and misunderstood machinations of Latin American politics, given that he’s had extensive personal experience and knowledge of the countries he’s reporting on. I did really enjoy the way the book was structured as well.

By now, unless my review is the first you’re reading, you likely are aware that this book covers six different Latin American populist presidents (even though most, if not all, dislike the populist categorization, there’s no denying that at least, at the beginning of their separate movements, they truly were populists in regard to “el pueblo” - of the people). It begins with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela - then, continuing with each chapter consisting of roughly 70-80 pages apiece - goes on to discuss Evo Morales of Bolivia, Lula da Silva of Brazil, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, and finally, tying them all together in the concluding chapter with the father of left-wing Latin American leadership, Cuba’s Fidel Castro.

Maybe don’t read too much into my opinion? I do seem to be among the minority, as most have opted to give this four or five stars. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the book seemed to lack much of what I was expecting. Perhaps already knowing so much about Hugo Chavez and Chavismo along with plenty of books read about Castro’s leadership of Cuba made it less enticing to me?

Still, that’s just 1/3rd of the book. Yet despite what I’ve read from other reviews, I respectfully disagree on the opinion that Grant writes very objectively and without much bias. I don’t believe he iintended to come across as biased (what historian working on a project they love would want that?) yet it was pretty impossible to miss the very clear western approach and often blanket assumptions of corruption and human rights violations against all presidents mentioned, without always citing many credible academic or media sources. Fidel Castro seemed to be explicitly criticized, aside from the mention of his death in 2016 and the very real mourning by the nation’s inhabitants.

But then, of course, be circles back to the argument that while it isn’t quite North Korea in terms of repression - no overtly theatrical performances by civilians showcasing their grief in front of cameras. You know, out of fear they may be seen as not looking sufficiently “grief stricken”/“patriotic enough” for the newly minted regime watching these events closely - he still paints a rather bleak image of Cuban repression due to the rule of the Castro brothers. Maybe he’ll refer to some very elderly rural women who cry at the news, clearing hinting that given their age and their lack of education, they remember when the Revolution happened, and thus, seem to be the only Cubans on the island not desperate for change.

While it was interesting how he covered each leader’s origin story, how they made their remarkable and rapid way to the top office in the nation by winning over the hearts of the people, I don’t think he truly weighs the pros and cons of the six aforementioned presidencies nearly as well as he could have - and instead of using national media outlets or scholarly sources to validate his claims, he relies almost exclusively on interviews conducted with pro-regime and anti-regime civilians, participants and opposition figures, and the leaders themselves (especially with da Silva and Correa).

I suppose I ended up with the 3 1/2 star rating after realizing how long it took me to get through the book… 512 pages, with about 50 of those being sources/notes, is a relatively quick read for me. In most cases. I’ve read much longer books in much less time. Yet what ultimately led me to this realization is that, unlike those who thoroughly enjoyed this,I was really rather underwhelmed and didn’t find myself instinctively reaching for it. It still had its interesting moments, certainly - but just didn’t draw much enthusiasm from me. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the basic outlines of these regimes, but I’d love more in-depth analyses of these men and if their ends justified their means (or at the very least, they were under the impression that they truly had).

If anyone reading this would like to recommend to me any great books on Latin American politics and/or these leaders, I’d happily welcome the suggestions. Especially interested in learning more about Nicaragua, the Sandinistas, the Contras, and the entire Iran-Contra scandal. To be perfectly honest though, this book didn’t really give much more than you could learn by doing quick Google searches on all leaders and quickly scanning the Wikipedia entries.

Maybe I am being too harsh; who knows. But while I’m certainly no expert in the area, I have studied and read a decent amount on the subject to feel confidently enough in saying that it’s likely a better read for those with little to no prior knowledge of Latin American politics and the regional leaders.

**I know I always say this without doing it, but I truly do intend to edit this review for grammatical errors after I get some decent sleep. 🤞🏼

[Paul Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. It tells the story of six left-wing Latin American presidents who led the “pink tide” that swept the region in the first decades of the 21st Century: Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Lula (Brazil), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Rafael Correa (Ecuador) and Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua), with a chapter on the granddaddy of them all, Fidel Castro.
Will Grant writes of the very real differences between the men and their governments and the similarities between them. Most were able to surf the rise in commodity prices and use the money this gave their governments to implement social programmes that genuinely benefitted the majority of people in their countries. To a greater or lesser extent, these programmes proved unsustainable when commodity prices fell in more recent years.
In every case, these men were brought low to some extent by the addictive pull of their attachment to power. In Lula’s case, this led him to choose a mediocre successor he thought he could control. In the case of Castro, Ortega and Chavez, it led them to undermine democratic institutions and institute a one-party dictatorship (Castro) or a hybrid regime which maintained the façade of a democracy but was in fact a brutal dictatorship in all but name.
Lula and Morales come across as remarkable men, Correa as arrogant and unstable, Castro and Chavez as men who had good intentions until they were corrupted by power, and Daniel Ortega as a very nasty piece of work.
If I have one complaint about the book, it is that most sections are introduced by a scene-setting descriptive passage. Thus, the Bay of Pigs invasion is introduced by a descriptions of locals sleeping soundly until they are woken up by the sound of shelling, rather than a discussion of the political background. After a while, this gets a bit tiring.
But, that aside, this is a wonderful book.

[Tom Jerrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) Read this book
2)Take over a small Latin American state
3) Become a Caudillo

[Andrés Pertierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best critical primer out there that I’ve come across on leftist populist leaders in 21st Latin America. You can use it to read just the chapters on countries relevant to your interests (assign them to undergrads!) or you can read it cover to cover and use that to understand them comparatively.

Will Grant is a BBC journalist with decades in the region and it shows. He is able to interview multiple key players as well as everyday people as part of this book, which also benefits from the journalistic tendency to emphasize good prose and not academic concepts and references. The chapters on Venezuela and Nicaragua will be especially timely/helpful for young people trying to navigate understanding these countries beyond simple black and white online arguments.

I think my three biggest critiques are as follows:

1) a bunch of people will immediately be turned off by the title including the word “strongman” and an image of Bolsonaro looking at Chavez, especially the people who most need to read it. The content of the book, however, is stellar and I recommend people give it a chance

2) while the ideology motivating these regimes and their supporters are discussed, I do wish they were explored even more in-depth bc of how central they are to understanding the POV of supporters who still back them even today

3) the academic in me wishes that the book had had more media criticism and critiques of what academics had put out there, which would have helped to explain how the popular perceptions of these leaders developed, but I realize that in a book with so sweeping a topic that this was probably too in the weeds for the author to pull off well without doubling its size

Highest possible recommendation if the topic interests you and often even if the topic doesn’t.

[Cian Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bachan yffarn

[Tibor Hanappi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This recent book by Will Grant, the UK's leading broadcast journalist on Latin America and a BBC correspondent who lived in the region since 2007, offers a great introduction to the contemporary politics of the region that will help anyone who has not been following it closley to make sense of recent developments.

In my view, its main achievement is that it ties together the political developments in six different countries into an emerging grand narrative reaching back well into the 20th century. Historical episodes and first-hand journalistic experiences are woven in skillfully, while the main plot follows an assemblage of six populist leaders who have shaped the politics of their countries, and the region, over the last two decades - a real page turner!

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 leaders, 6 countries. This biography of sorts offers a thrilling insight into the lives of these unique leaders, all bound together by the Pink Tide of Latin American socialism, some winning power through the ballot box, others leaning more towards authoritarianism.

An expertly woven narrative was woven by the author, using first-hand interviews and accounts from people from all spectrums of Latin American society, including analysis of the reasons behind the rise and fall of these leaders. Always framed within the wider context of the region and the world - particularly relations with the US - this was an insightful and enjoyable read.

[Alejandro F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book as a first hand witness of what this people did to a whole continent and to their people, being able to remember and seeing through their lies, understanding how we have been brainwashed to believe that the only option out is a external force, because we have no left no right just people standing at the top of pyramid playing musical chairs with our lives.

Good book but still not what im looking for, is it so wrong that i want a book that doesn’t feel like im outsider?

[Alexander Limper · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a bit everywhere, the topic for this book was a large task to accomplish. Reading this book made me aggravated more than any other book I've read. Reading frustrating vignette after vignette of leaders who are aim to do so much good consumed by so much power. This book, however, gave me a new lens on how to view 'socialism' and the story of Latin America and American interventionism. The book showed gave me a new perspective on the region, reading Lula and Evo Morales' stories I was so moved by the genuine push to do good for the people of Brazil and Bolivia. The change to help the indigenous, afro-latin Americans, coca farmers, steel workers, working families and all those pushed down by the American backed upper classes in these countries. And after reading this book, I genuinely think I have a newfound appreciation for what Lula did for Brazil.

[Jose Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What actually is populism? This book is a masterfully narrated survey of how the phenomenon looks like in Latin America, its contemporary cradle.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-narrated, as Grant intersperses background, interviews, and vignettes to enliven his analyses. Between 4+5: if a recommended reading list was included, that'd have helped--and on Ecuador's Rafael Correa's end of office, it's rather vague. Not only corruption but embezzlement--of tens of millions--was alleged, and the reason he fled to Belgium was that in his wife's native land, he couldn't be extradited. Overall, a readable look at the modern version on the "pink left" of caudillos. Grant's familiarity first-hand living in some of the countries he covers and his fluent Spanish help...

[Andre Viticc · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a mix of statistical non fiction and biographical storytelling. Well organized and thoughtfully put together. En resumen, una análisis bien escrito sobre Latinoamérica. Maybe a little topical rather than delving into the depths of latin american political scandal and the consequences therein. But all in all, bacano.

[Nick Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good way of getting an understanding of 21st century south American politics from someone who has had the opportunity to interview many of them, or interview the very people impacted by the 'Pink' revolution. I had very little knowledge of this and has encouraged me to read more into it, in particular named south American authors such as Carlos de la Torre, Eduardo Galeano, as well as the trial that shook Cuba. Sometimes in places I think it seemed to criticise rather than compliment the achievements of some of the leaders. But I'm no expert on the subject so will make sure I do that to appreciate this book more. Would recommend to anyone!!

[John Hardwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick history of the pink tide in Latin America. I am not an expert but I felt that it was objective and fair. I definitely knew more about Chavez and the others by the end. Well worth reading.

[Isaac Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into some of Latin America's most influential leaders from the "Pink Tide" - Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Lula da Silva in Brazil and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua - that swept the region in the early 2000s. Will Grant is a brilliant BBC journalist with more than a decade's experience covering Latin American affairs, so this is a must-read for anyone interested in Latin America!

"If the men and women of the turn to the left in Latin America achieved anything over that period, it was to ensure that the region would not meekly march to Washington or Madrid's drumbeat. Armed with their boundless oil and gas riches, they most certainly would not shut up. Yet the question of how democratic populists become autocracies and dictatorships is a difficult one. It seems to me that it can partly be gauged by how they threat their opponents. Perhaps the tipping point occurs once there is a blatant disregard for the opinions, the supporters or, at its worst, the very lives of their critics. Once that threshold has been passed, the populist appears to morph from the outlandish to the profoundly dangerous." (Epilogue)

[Ciaran Monaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the lives and political careers of several Latin American politicans whose names I knew, but whose careers I knew little about. I also enjoyed reading about a couple that I had not heard about before (Correa and Ortega). I suppose I had two main takeaways. The first was a sense of disappointment in all of their careers; power and money seems to have corrupted them, and despite the optimism and genuine successes that many of them had early in their terms, they seem to have brought pain and disappointment the longer they were in power. The second is something I was aware of already, but the book gave me further information: USA has really had a terrible influence over politics and life in Latin America, backing any number of terrible politicians, even supporting conflict and violence, if it helped them to reach their own geopolitical aims.

[Ajit Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for novice to Latin America

A balanced view of the Pink Tide in the South America during 21st century, the book is an ideal starting point for somebody who has no idea beyond few names. It covers not only the leaders, their nations and histories but sincerely tries to capture the heart of the peoples who have produced this leadership...

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - but it does go through a lot of leaders, so they did all start to blur into one, so I stopped reading about half way through. But I'd still recommend it, because it's well written and not a topic I'd read a lot about before.

[David Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a single story retold six times in six different settings with six different men in the lead role. In each case, the leading man comes to power after years of corrupt and oppressive rule, promising to fix everything.
At first, he has some success but, as the problems mount, he gradually transforms himself into the mirror image of his corrupt predecessors, plundering the economy and using brutal violence to suppress dissent.
Will Grant draws on his work as BBC correspondent for Latin America to relate these stories of Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Cuba with impressive depth and clarity explaining how it all happened.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his work is the way he uses the stories of ordinary people to constantly remind us that, in the end, this is not just about high politics, the rivalries of great men and national and international power plays. It matters because these things profoundly affect the lives of everyone.
The people he interviews personify the masses whose hopes are raised by the advent of the new men, only to see their hopes dashed and dreams broken when everything turns to custard. “Trapped in the crossfire of world affairs,” is how he puts it at one point.
Grant is very good at explaining how all this happens but not so much on why it happens. Is it because of institutional weakness in the six countries he covers? Or perhaps hubris?
He does not explore such themes to any great extent, but in a sense this doesn’t matter. A reporter tells the story, it is up to the readers to make of it what they will.
However, he does conclude with a warning not to jump to the conclusion that this is a just Latin American problem and cites evidence from north of the Rio Grande to make his point.

[Francisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. It is best summed up as an intriguing journey through the complex politics of Latin America, and the all-too-popular leaders that set the continent's course at the beginning of the century.

Grant has a gift for alternating between country-wide, macro-level narrative and individual, micro-level stories. This is the gift of a great journalist.

His superb writing style makes for a comprehensive, gripping and accurate account of the life, country and rule of Hugo Chávez, Lula, Evo Morales, Rafael Correa, Daniel Ortega, and Fidel Castro.

Thoroughly recommend it!

[Oliver Quigley-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘POPULISTA’ was a fascinating account of the ‘pink tide’ of Latin America through the lens of mini-biographies on the different leaders from the left. Will Grant uses a similar writing style to that of McKittrick and McVea and his ability to draw on his personal experience reporting on Latin American politics only gives the book even more of an edge. I came away from the book with a brilliant overview and knowledge of a range of countries and leaders and a deeper understanding of power and control. I read ‘POPULISTA’ to be better informed on Latin American politics as a reference for the modern day and Grant certainly delivered.

[Marie Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just superb: Absolutely superb - reads like fast paced fiction and balances the personal and the political brilliantly, highlighting the meaning of life changing events both enormous and miniscule. I have adored reading this book and was very impressed by the balance and clarity of the analysis and acceptance of the complexity of these individuals as human beings and state-level and international actors - not something that is easy to find - in their homelands or abroad. More please!

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Not a leaf moves in Chile without my knowledge,' General Augusto Pinochet.

Populista is about the Pink Tide, the socialist wave that washed over Latin America just after the millennium, and the caudillos who prompted it. It is split into six chapters: Venezuela- Hugo Chavez, Brazil- 'Lula' da Silva, Bolivia- Evo Morales, Ecuador- Rafael Correa, Nicaragua- Daniel Ortega and Cuba- Fidel Castro. As it's around 80 pages per country/strongman, I'd recommend it if you would like a birds eye view of personality-driven politics across these six Latin American countries and their interlocking politics as many of the leaders of one chapter, naturally crop up in others (looking at you, Fidel). Grant has a talent for storytelling and I found myself getting sucked into each chapter. Marvellous.

[Elliot Hair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book tells the fascinating story of 'Pink wave' politics in Latin America with the accounts and analyses of six populist leaders (Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Rafa Correa, Lula and Daniel Ortega). Great storytelling and an essential lens through which to see populist trends in Europe and the US.

[Klara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too good not to leave a review, Grant has an ability to bring his political characters to life in a way that is so human and memorable. His depth of knowledge is related to the reader with such ease and is highly digestible. One of the best political non-fictions I’ve read.

[Nick Harriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Latin America is not an area I know a lot about, and this was eye-opening. Highly recommended.

[Jaylani Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book on the populist left in South America. Too bad the author didn't do on Mexico and El Salvador.