With this book I learned a lot about the economic forces that shaped Argentina into what it is today up to 1991. Not particularly light reading, but worth while, especially as an Argentine that was too young at the time to remember any of the events described here.

Excellent book about the facts that caused Argentina's failure in shaping a modern economy.
Lewis makes a very thorough analysis, full of empirical data, that begins in the colonial era of the country and ends up at the first administration of Menem, with some hope at last.
Some years later, the country will show again its ability to destroy confidence and people's savings again...

In a sea of travel guides, this report makes a great companion. It closes the time gap from when the guide book was published months ago to now. Lots of in-depth information on travel health issues, breaking events and security precautions and risks. Covers a lot more - culture, financial, legal issues, etc.

Lots of information in here that you can find on the Web, but it is all assembled in one place. Saves a ton of time and even more if you don't know where to look :)

THE REAL ODESSA is an interesting expose of the escape of Nazi criminals into Argentina during the time of Juan Perón's reign. As a former exchange student to Argentina, an admirer of Eva Perón, and a person in the process of conversion to Judaism, it is understandable why THE REAL ODESSA would hold interest for me.

Rumors and accusations of nazism have long circled around the figure of Juan Perón, leading many to think that Peronism was simply the South American extension of the Nazi party. Books like THE REAL ODESSA are now being published to bring the truth forward. Part of that truth is that Juan Perón himself was not a Nazi and did not subscribe to any Nazi ideology. As Lawrence Levine notes in INSIDE ARGENTINA FROM PERON TO MENEM, Perón's own views and his political associations were not anti-Semitic: "Perón sought out the Jewish community in Argentina to assist in developing his policies...." Levine also notes that one of Peron's most important allies in organizing the industrial sector was Jose Ber Gerbald, a Jewish immigrant from Poland. Perhaps Robert D. Crassweller states it more succinctly in the appropriately titled PERON AND THE ENIGMAS OF ARGENTINA: "Peronism was not nazism...."

So, if Peronism was not nazism, why exactly did Juan Perón, as THE REAL ODESSA points out, help Nazis excape from justice? Because, as Tomas Eloy Martinez, author of SANTA EVITA, says, Perón was hoping to acquire advanced technology developed by the Germans during the war. (Martinez also notes that Evita herself played no part in any dealings with the Nazis, which I find ironic seeing as how her picture is used on the cover of THE REAL ODESSA.) Perón was not a Nazi; but he *was* a politician, and one not opposed to shady dealings at times. (And yet another confounding thing is that, as Joseph Page writes in PERON: A BIOGRAPHY, there were no concentration camps in Perón's Argentina, Perón was at heart a pacifist, and it was the military government that ousted Perón that killed tens of thousands of people.)

I recommend all of the above mentioned books in addition to THE REAL ODESSA for understanding the often perplexing and contradictory movement known as Peronism.

Superb, detailed, readable chroncicle of the Nazi-Argentina escape process, with chilling details and look-'em-in-the-eye realism.

Includes lots of "behind the robes" scoop on the Catholic Church's involvement too.

Literally a must-read for anyone with an interest, scholarly or casual, in WW II's aftermath

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Reding earlier this year, and as I chatted with him over some drinks, I was really struck hy the though, "This guy has led a really amazing life!" As a result, I went out and grabbed this book and as I read it, I became even more amazed.

Nick tells the story of his experiences in the Chilean Patagonia in a way that draw you in to every moment. The vividness of his writing and the beauty of some of his comparisons made this quite an enjoyable read. His attention to detail leaves the reader with a feeling that they are right there staring over Nick's shoulder as he goes about life in a very different part of the world.

Nick has that knack that some of the best writers have of being able to see the common thread that exists between very different experiences and places. This book is also extremely well researched with a lot of attention to historical detail, but this detail is not integrated in a dry textbook like manner. Instead when Nick feels it is neccessary to illuminate the reader about a particular piece of history to provide context for an event, he explains that history without distracting from the main storyline.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of writing and I look forward to future books by Nick (he assures me at least one more is on the way).

Nick Reding's book is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It gives the reader a well researched perspective on the power of modernization upon the isolated world of the gauchos in Chilean Patagonia. But it is more than a sociological study. It is also a very human story of a family that embodies the dissolution of a culture. This family brings both comedy and tragedy to the unraveling of this piece of history. I found myself so invested in these people by the end of the book that I didn't want it to end.

This is simply the best book I've read all year. It's the story of a guy who goes to Chile to work as a fishing guide and stumbles on an entire culture of people that history has overlooked--the Chilean gauchos. Most people would have thought, "Wow, that's pretty cool" and left it at that. It's a good thing for us that Nick Reding is a writer with an incredibly sharp and curious mind.

Reding returns to live among the gauchos (a cattle-herding people) in remote Chile, where he is exposed to their unique language, culture, and way of life. He stays with a family of five who come to represent many of the different stresses that the modern world places on a poor, rural people--depression, alcoholism, loneliness, desire for material comfort, etc. But Reding gets underneath a lot of this stuff to reveal the spirit of these people who have lived solitary lives in harmony with the stunning landscape for hundreds of years.

But don't think for a second that this is some dry sociological account. Reding is first and foremost a writer, and he focuses on the characters he meets and the many tiny plots that connect people and make up the narrative of a whole culture. He does an amazing job of drawing you in, making you care about the people in the book. He goes on harrowing cattle drives, travels to the mountain hideaways of a known criminal, and documents the way that the modern world is changing the gauchos' way of life.

I first learned of Eva Peron through a recording of "Evita," the musical play based on her life. Peron, who served as First Lady of Argentina before her untimely death in 1952, was one of the most intriguing women of the 20th century. "In My Own Words: Evita" contains an English translation of a document (entitled "My Message") that claims to be Evita's deathbed testament.

In addition to this document (which has been translated from Spanish by Laura Dail), the book also contains several other components: a 46-page introduction by Joseph A. Page; an account of an interview with Juan Jiminez Dominguez, who was an aide to Evita in her final days (the account is written by Alberto Schprejer); a collection of black-and-white photographs from Evita's life and career; a few facsimile pages from the contested manuscript; and a chronology of Evita's life.

As Page notes, the authenticity of the document has been contested. Was it really dictated by Evita? How much of it is reliable? We may never know. But if it is authentic, it affords a fascinating window into the mind of this extraordinary woman. The document is largely a single-minded defense of Peronism, the political philosophy of Evita's husband, Argentine President Juan Peron. The document speaks of "the absolute truth of Peronism" with a sort of religious fervor. Also interesting is the document's support for a revolutionary, socially-conscious Christianity; if the document is authentic, then Evita could be seen as a forerunner of Latin American liberation theology.

The document's weakness is the fact that it seems to be more a political treatise than a true personal testament. But the document, Page's introduction, and the other materials in this book are still very interesting. Eva Peron is a true international cultural icon, and those who have been captured by her spell should explore this controversial, intriguing book.

Of all the books I've read on Eva, this has to be my favorite. I was glad to see a more personal side of Eva, to read her own thoughts. It was intriguing to read more about Eva's personal life and feelings (i.e. towards her husband) rather than the deeds she did, which I feel most people are already aware of. No matter how well the authors of other books "knew" Eva, there will always be a certain something lacking. No one will ever know Evita as well as she knew herself. Therefore, I recommend this book to anyone searching for a more personal side of Eva Peron: Spiritual Leader of the Nation (Argentina).

Yes, this book is undoubtedly Peronist propaganda. But, as Fraser and Navarro point out in "Evita: The Real Story of Eva Peron," Evita meant every word she said. Evita asked the people to give their lives for Peronism, but she led by example and gave /her/ life for Peronism - which is something much different from what most politicians do, say one thing and then do the other.

Evita was not perfect, she was a human being limited by time and place, as we all are. Just as she was no better than any of us, she was no worse than any of us either. Evita did many wonderful things to empower women (for one, she helped Argentine women get the vote. A commemorative peso, with Evita's profile on the front, has been issued in Argentina for the 50th anniversay of the law granting for women the right to vote), and to inspire the poor, including building schools in the poorest neighborhoods, and building thousands of houses for the homeless. And thanks to Evita's foundation (which, by the way, was NOT a cover for extortion, though many people have claimed that it was. There has never been any evidence to support these wild accusations), and through the training of thousands of nurses and the employment of the most advanced medical equipment available at the time, there was for the first time in Argentine history no inequality in health care. She did a lot of wonderful things that she is seldom given credit for. People seem unable to get past the fact that she was so beautiful and so aware of the power of media representation - what can I say? Evita was ahead of her time. Why does society have trouble understanding that beautiful women can also be intelligent, and that it /is/ possible for beautiful women to achieve success in life without it meaning that they had to "sleep around" to get that success? See, Evita was a feminist in many ways, but she was a feminist with the power to help pass laws that helped women, amoung them the law that made divorce legal. Some people will never be able to forgive her for not remaining constrained by the dictates of a conservative society's ideas of what women should be.

As for the allegations that Evita and Juan Peron were involved in "such corruption," well, name me ONE politician who /wasn't/ involved in corruption. Let's keep in mind that the United States was founded by slave owners who wrote "All men are created equal." Isn't it corrupt to then go against one's own words and hold slaves? Or shall we just brush that bit of American history under the rug and feel smug to point out the errors of foreign leaders? Yes, there was corruption in the Peronist government - but there is corruption in EVERY government. Let's keep in mind that leaders, all of them, are human. This doesn't excuse corruption, it just helps us remember that we are all cut of the same imperfect cloth.

I would recommend this book for those who are interested in learning about Evita's inner life. Again, yes, it /is/ propaganda, but she meant and lived by and believed what she said. Even her most venomous opponents admitted that she lived by her romantic and idealized Peronist rhetoric. In her will Evita wrote, "If I have committed any errors, I know God will forgive me because I committed them out of love." And I hope a male dominated society will some day forgive Evita for having been so powerful (by some estimates, the most powerful woman of the 20th century) and for not being what they wish she was - a shallow, empty-headed bimbo who only got where she was because of her looks. If you are someone who is willing to look beyond the myths and prejudiced opinions, then I would recommend you reading this book.

Circle of Love Over Death really opened my eyes to what was happening to the people in Argentina. It was shocking to read the stories of what happened to these people. I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of pain the mothers went through when their children disappeared and there was absolutely nothing they could do. Matilde Mellibovsky did a wonderful job of portraying the hurt, despair, and helplessness of the mothers as they did everything they could think of to find their disappeared children. I think this a great book that really touched me. However, some of the stories did seem a little repetitive.

Circle of Love over Death, written by Matilde Mellibovsky, gives true testimonies from the Mother's of the Plaza de Mayo. These are true stories from women who's children have disappeared during the Argentinian "dirty war." The Mothers and Grandmothers share their stories to let others know what happen. The Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo never stop fighting for the truth and continue to wait for justice to be served. They continue to march in the Plaza even today. This was an excellent book that I would reccomend to anyone.

Circle of Love Over Death paints a realistic, and inspiring, picture of how "ordinary" women faced with terrible loss(es)-- the loss of their children -- are fighting for justice. There is background text for each chapter, followed by testimonies of mothers whose sons and daughters "disappeared." The "children" (most of whom were in their late teens to mid-twenties) were from varied backgrounds and ethnic groups, but they shared a deep desire to better the lives of the poor, and acted upon that desire. This was their crime.

The mothers' testimonies often relate gruesome, shocking details. Their stories are filled with not only indescribable pain and loss, but with the adamant refusal to be a victim.

After more than twenty years, and at risk of personal safety, these courageous women continue their struggle. Their goal is twofold: for justice for the disappeared, and to call the world's attention to this flagrant violation of human rights. Their Thursday afternoon marches around the Plaza de Mayo have attracted worldwide attention and support.

Warning: This book may inspire you to become more involved with social justice and global concern for humanity.

This book is a good intro to Aconcagua (history, geography, etc), it helps plan a trip with good tips on preparation and local arrangements. However, it does not spend enough time describing the trails and the difficulties of each route. Even the normal route, the most popular one, is not described in depth.

Anyone thinking about this climb should get this book. It, along with the video that's also available from amazon.com, make a good combination to get you mentally prepared for Aconcagua.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Secor's guide. I read it before climbing Aconcagua and when I was on the mountain I felt as if I had already been there because of the accurate description in the book. The book has also good general advice on equipment, guides, weather, and acclimatization. Definitely a good companion for a wonderful adventure.

This book was disjointed. It was really hard to follow what was going on and where the author was going and why. The book seemed to be a compilation of miscellaneous stories about his life. Some of the stories made sense, while others were out of place and unintelligible. This made for a difficult read.

Full Circle is a book that cannot be read only once. The stories become like old freinds and are joys to visit with again and again.

a very honest and coolly written book. While the narrative appears disjointed at first, one realizes that if the author were to write all the details in chrono sequence, given that he has been travelling for years, it would have been several fat volumes. This is not srictly a travelogue in the sense of day 1 we did tis, day 2 that happened.. rather, its a collection of incidents and events that took place in the couirse of the author's travels, that illuminate life in the various places he has been.
I feel like hitting the road again, with no fixed destination in mind, no final goal, timeless...

This is an essential read for anyone interested in the contemporary Argentine history. The writer is an acknowledged expert on the subject. Why then have I awarded it one star? Because the translation is appallingly bad, at times bordering on the incomprehensible. One gets the impression that it was done one word at a time, dictionary in hand. If you are not already familiar with the events and personalities of the period you'll have difficulty figuring out what's going on. Conclusion: Only for those who are never, ever going to learn to read Spanish

Verbitsky transcribes Scilingo's confession regarding the "flights" in which he participated during Argentina's dirty war, between 1976-83. The trivialization of his testimony gives the reader insight on how "desensitized" to their own excesses, the military had become by the time their "deed" was over. Scilingo was the first naval officer to admit to the military's violation of human rights during the war against "subversives". He exempts himself of responsibility by claiming that in the process of carrying out orders from the commanders in charge,the officers themselves, had also become victims of the process. He provides details involving the "loading" of the planes from which live bodies were thrown into the South Atlantic Ocean. A worthwhile tool in making an assessment on the entire story...

An ex-officer in the Argentinean military confesses how political prisoners were murdered. I can't write "highly recommended" about this book, because it seems to trivialise those horrible events to some marchendising event. Just read it, you may not be able to sleep for few nights, but you'll get a true look into the mirror of evil regimes, supported by the United States only because they were "anti-communist".

I have only just begun planning my trip to Argentina, and I have been very frustrated with the incorrect information presented in this book. Many of the phone unmbers are missing a numeral and, after quite a bit of research, I found a key website didn't work because the book left out one of its suffixes. I'm going out to buy a different book.

I used this book on my recent trip to Chile and Uruguay, so I can't vouch for information it offers on Argentina. Most of the information it offers on Chile is pretty useful. There were some inconsistencies, however (although not a big deal). For instance, the entrance fee for the US citizens is now $61, not $45, as stated in the book, and is payable ONLY in cash and only in US dollars. If you are a citizen of Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, double-check before you go, as entrance fees for your countries may also have changed. Also, some items claimed by the book to be in the menus of the restaurants were actually not on the menu.

Nevertheless, I was VERY satisfied with the book's recommendations on restaurants, hotels, siteseeing, as well as organized tours in Chile. Following their recommendations, I have NOT been disappointed once, which I found quite impressive. They certainly did a very nice job with that.

The book also provides a few pages worth of information on Uruguay. It is very basic and sometimes superficial, but nevertheless useful, in particular the recommendation on hotels and siteseeing in Montevideo, as well as transportation between Montevideo and Punta del Este. However, it is certainly incomplete, and I would use some other reference books in addition to it if you plan to spend more than 1-2 days in Uruguay. I would certainly use other references for shopping recommendations in Montevideo or for what to/where to dine in Punta del Este. Also, beware that many ATM machines in Uruguay are giving instructions only in Spanish, and US dollars (symbol U$S) can be easily confused with Uruguayan pesos (symbol U$).

Despite the problems mentioned above, I STILL would highly recommend this book.

This is a very nice book. I live in the South of Chile and I got it on a recent visit to the Central part of the country. I find the suggestions on places to visit and especially to eat very good and I must say that all the restaurants recommended in and around Santiago in which I ate,were excellent. Also one day we were to make a reservation for a table for lunch and we tried the phone number that showed on the 2002 edition of a local guidebook. It was disconnected. Than we tried the number indicated on the Frommer's and it worked!!!
Around the region I live in, I find that the book gives the best suggestions on places to visit, dine and stay. It shows that the author has researched thoroughly and lived in Chile for a while. Her comments are elegant and full of insight.
I'm looking forward to try it on my visit to Buenos Aires next month!!!