10 books to know more about Latin America
Here’s a list of 10 great books about Latin America, that can help you know more about these countries, their people and their culture :)
1) Open veins of Latin America - Eduardo Galeano - in my opinion, this is the best book to read if you want to know more about Latin America. It tells the story of the continent during the last 500 years, and its relation to Europe and the United States. A lot of people say it’s baised and very political, but I personally think its a great way to learn about Latin America, and it tells the truth about the both the ancient and modern colonization of the continent
2) I, Rigoberta Menchú - she won the Nobel peace prize and she is an amazing human rights activist from Guatemala who is fighting for those who don’t have a voice in Central America
3) 100 years of loneliness - Gabriel García Márquez - a book about love and life in Latin America, it’s often listed as one of the best books of the 20th century
4) The savage detectives - Roberto Bolano - to be honest I haven’t read that book yet but I keep hearing it’s very good. It’s divided in three parts that tell the lives of different people in Latin America
5) The house of the spirits - Isabel Allende - I haven’t read this one either, but it’s Isabel Allende first novel, had a lot of success and talks about “the post-colonial social and political upheavals of Chile”, so it must be interesting to read it
6) The motorcycles diaries - Che Guevara - whether you agree with the Che or not, it’s a very interesting book to read to understand better his life and his ideas, and it’s also a great adventure in Latin America (it’s actually one the books that made me want to travel in South America)
7) Lost City of the Incas - Hiram Bingham - the story of how the Machu Picchu was (re)discovered, told by the man who (re)discovered and restored it
8) The time of the hero - Mario Vargas Llosa - any book by him is highly recommended (he won a nobel prize), as he is one of the best authors of the 20th century (and probably one of the best authors ever). I recommend this one because it’s his first book and I really liked it, but you should really check out his work and read at least one book from him
9) A people’s history of Latin America - Hernán Horna - I haven’t read this entirely, but if you like history and want a very historic perspective of the continent, it’s a good read
10) Slaves no more - Aline Helg - this one is not exclusively about Latin America but it’s about the history of slavery in all Americas, from 1492 to 1838
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