Bolivar is a political biography of the Latin American leader Simon
Bolivar. It is a broad overview of his life, ideas and importance to
the history of Latin America, rather than a chronological narrative of
his life or a systematic account of history. As a result the reader
unfamiliar with Latin American history and geography may, like me, find
it hard to follow at times. (Some clearer maps and a chronology would
have made a great difference here.) Salcedo-Bastardo's feelings about
Bolivar seem to verge on the hagiographic at times, but I don't really
know enough to be able to judge his objectivity.
I thought Bolivar was a good introduction to Latin American history;
it left me aware of how little I knew about the subject. There are
probably better books on the subject around, but this one's not bad.
20 April 1993
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