Che Guevara By John Blackthorn - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review: Introduction: John Blackthorn is a pen for Gary Hart, who is an American lawyer,politician, author, commentator, and professor (Johnson, 1992). Gary Hart was once a democratic senator, who represented the state of Colorado in the periods of 1975 to 1987. In 1984 and 1988, he tried to run for the presidential elections of the United States, but failed (Dionne, 1987). Gary Hart has a doctorate degree in politics, from the University of Oxford; as a result, he has extensive knowledge on political affairs. This book by John Blackthorn explains what happened in Cuba, after Fidel Castro decides to step down as the president of Cuba, without any warning. This happens in the mid 1999. However, the American government and the Cuban government entered into a deal for purposes of convincing Fidel Castro to step down. The deal is that Fidel Castro will get American recognition. For this deal to materialize, Cuba must hold a free and fair election. During this process of elections, a figure descends from the mountain who manages to electrify the voting population in Cuba, especially those of rural Cuba (Blackthorn, 3). Some think that this figure is the revolutionary leader referred to as Che Guevara. The frail old man calls himself Ernesto Blanco. The presence of Ernesto Blanco makes it very uneasy for the two major political organizations in Cuba. That is Cuban Social Democrats, and the Free Cuban Party. The two political parties devised ways and mechanisms of getting rid of Ernesto Blanco. This book is a political fictitious thriller. Gary Hart wrote this book for purposes of explaining the revolution movement in Cuba. The major thematic connotation: The major theme identified in this book is politics, and political associations. For example, Blackthorn identifies two major political parties competing for power in Cuba. These parties are the Free Cuban Party, and the Cuban Social Democrat. Politics is seen in the manner in which these two political organizations are haggling for power. The Social Democrats have the support of the Cuban government, while the Free Cuban Party has the support of the American government. However, when their interest are threatened, these two p[arties will work together, for purposes of eliminating the threat. Take for example the arrival of Ernesto Blanco in the political scene and the campaigns (Blackthorn, 13). Ernesto emerged with a revolutionary mind, and formed the True Republican Movement. He was a threat to the social democrats and the true Cuban party because of his revolutionary ideas. His ideals were appealing to the rural people, and they thought that he was the slain revolutionary leader referred to as Che Guevara. This was a great threat to the leading political parties, and it was in their agenda to eliminate Ernesto Blanco, even if it meant assassinating him. Che Guevara is an important revolutionary and political figure in Cuba. During the revolution, he was the second in command to Fidel Castro, only to lose favor with the president, leading to his exile ((Blackthorn, 31). He advocated for a true republicanism that was free of corruption and greed. He viewed the leaders of the two major political parties as opportunists, and greedy individuals who did not have the interests of the Cuban people at heart. He urged voters to reject their ideals, and follow the true principles of Republicanism (Blackthorn, 21). This was achieving equity in all manner of social and economic distributions. Ernesto Blanco managed to appeal to the masses, through his concepts of true republicanism. However, the two major political parties did not share the ideas that Ernesto Blanco had, and as such, he was a mark for elimination. From this behavior of the two major political parties in Cuba, we can learn that the country was not yet ready for democracy. This is because the social democratic party and the Free Cuban Party could not accept criticism, and anyone who criticized their operations and political ideologies, was marked for elimination. Politics is also seen in the manner in which Victoria Savidge falls in love with the revolutionary ideas of Ernesto Blanco. Victoria Savidge admits that Ernesto Blanco is a true Republican, and his political ideals should be followed (Blackthorn, 23). The authors use on the names of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara illicit some political emotions. This is because these two leaders are viewed as revolutionary leaders in Cuba, who were able to remove the oppressive regime of Fulgencio Batista. For example, the author denotes that Fidel Castro was the president of Cuba (Blackthorn, 32). The presidency is a political office and as such, the author manages to denote the theme of politics. One of the two incidences that seems to stick in my mind, is the arrival of Ernesto Blanco in the political scenario. This happens in the summer of 1999, and old people in Cuba begin to suspect that the individual is actually, the Che Guevara. This scene is remarkable, because it helps the author to advance his plot, by introducing the main character of the story, whose name is Ernesto Blanco. Another scene that is appealing to me is the stepping down of Fidel Castro from the presidency. It is important to denote that Fidel Castro took over power in the 1960s, as a revolutionary leader (Blackthorn, 6). It is due to this action, that the author of this book manages to develop the plot of this story, and its subsequent thematic connotation of politics. Through this action of Fidel Castro, two major political emerged to fill the power vacuum left by Fidel Castro. In my own opinion, the villain responsible for difficulties in the novel is Ernesto Blanco. In as much as his ideologies appeal to the masses, he is a threat to the existence of major political parties in Cuba, and the interests of the United States. That is the reason as to why these parties collude to assassinate him, and remove him from the political scenery. Conclusion: This novel is a political thriller, and in my own opinion, it is a nice book into understanding the revolution movement in Cuba, and its leaders. These are people like Fidel Castro, and Che Guevera. The author manages to explain efficiently the Federal Movement initiated by Ernesto Blanco, and why such a movement was a threat to Cuba’s two leading political parties, that is the Cuba Socialist Party, and the Free Cuban Party . There is a great connection between the novel, and what I have read in books and newspapers. For example, Cuba was a subject of American foreign policies. The US placed lots of embargoes on Cuba, for purposes of forcing its leadership to align itself with the interests of the Americans. Che Guevara is also an important historical figure in Cuba (Veltmeyer and Mark, 41). He, together with Fidel Castro managed to overthrow the leadership of Batista. However, his attempts in Bolivia to overthrow the government were not successful, and resulted to his assassination. These facts are written in Cuban historical books, and various newspapers that analyze Cuba revolutionary movement (Veltmeyer and Mark, 41). However, the major weakness of the book is its inability to develop the character traits of Ernesto Blanco in detail (Che Guevera). We are unable to identify the true personality of Che Guevera. This book is revolutionary, and it does not provide any inspiration. However, this book gives us a glimpse on what true Republicanism is, and thus we can analyze revolution in the context of Thomas Jefferson views. A revolutionist is someone who seeks to change the political system for the general good of its citizens (Veltmeyer and Mark, 41). These are the principles that Che Guevara advocated for. In my own opinion, I might like to be a revolutionalist. Thomas Jefferson was a revolutionalist. This is because he advocated for the rights of American citizens, and was a strong proponent for democracy. Works Cited: Blackthorn, John. I, Che Guevara: a novel. New York: W. Morrow & Co., 2000. Print. Dionne, E.j.. "GARRY HART THE ELUSIVE FRONT-RUNNER." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 May 1987. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. . Johnson, Dirk. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: From the Sidelines; Hart Says 1992 Race Lacks a Cause." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 Feb. 1992. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. . Veltmeyer, Henry, and Mark Rushton. The Cuban revolution as socialist human development. Leiden: Brill, 2012. Print. Read More