“Wherever death may surprise us, let it be welcome, provided that our battle cry has reached a receptive ear and another hand may be stretched out to wield our weapons,” Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist.
Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara had written it as his own epitaph days before he was captured and executed. Born on June 14, 1928, he was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution and has become a symbol of rebellion and worldwide insignia in popular culture in the years since his death.
As the world remembers Che Guevara on his 91st birthday, here’s a look at 7 books one should read about the Argentine Marxist revolutionary.
The Motorcycle Diaries: The memoir follows the early travels of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, while a 23-year-old medical student, and his friend Alberto Granado, a 29-year-old biochemist. The book chronicles their journey on a 1939 Norton 500cc as they set out to explore a South America they only knew from books. The book has been described as a classic coming-of-age story: a journey of adventure and self-discovery that is both political and personal.
Guerrilla Warfare: A military handbook, written by the revolutionary and published in 1961. The book draws on Guevara’s personal experience as a guerrilla soldier during the Cuban Revolution, and generalizes to readers who would wage guerrilla warfare in their own country.
Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War: An autobiographical book by Che Guevara, it describes his experiences during the Cuban Revolution to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Che . kill: Chuck Pfarrer’s novel is a fictional thriller about the action-packed hunt for history’s most infamous rebel insurgent, Che Guevara. The book is a stunning re-creation of a conflict that sealed the fate of one of the most complex political figures of the 20th century, whose death only left him with immortality in popular culture.
The Death of Che Guevara: Jay Cantor’s novel draws on history, myth and his own prodigious imagination to take on the life and death of revolutionary icon Che Guevara, as it chronicles the journey of the scion of a liberal Argentine family seeking a medical left career to become a revolutionary. The book also offers a look at the revolutionary struggles of Latin America, apart from the life of Guevara himself.
Che wants to see you: The Untold Story of Che Guevara: The book by Che’s right-hand man Ciro Bustos shares the story that perhaps only he can tell – what really happened in Bolivia in 1967 and why he didn’t betray Che. The book is a compelling memoir of the revolution in South America by Che Guevara’s Argentine lieutenant.
