Popular South American Political Books
Find political books written by authors from South America for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (14)
1.
Departing at Dawn : A Novel of Argentina's Dirty War by Gloria Lisé EN
Country: South America / 
Argentina
Argentina
Description:
Gloria Lise describes a terrifying period in her nation's history with a touch that is light yet penetrating. This book is a powerful portrait of Argentineans caught up in traumas that have haunted the country ever since."
2.
Facundo : Civilization and Barbarism by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento EN
Country: South America / Argentina
Argentina
Description:
An educator and writer, Sarmiento was President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. His Facundo is a study of the Argentine character, a prescription for the modernization of Latin America, and a protest against the tyranny of the government of Juan Manuel de Rosas (1835-1852). The book brings nineteenth-century Latin American history to life even as it raises questions still being debated today--questions regarding the "civilized" city versus the "barbaric" countryside, the treatment of indigenous and African populations, and the classically liberal plan of modernization.
3.
Country: South America / 
Uruguay
Uruguay
Description:
“An epic work of literary creation . . . There could be no greater vindication of the wonders of the lands and people of Latin America than Memory of Fire.” —The Washington Post Eduardo Galeano’s monumental three-volume retelling of the history of the New World begins with Genesis, a vast chain of legends sweeping from the birth of creation to the era of savage colonialism. Through lyrical prose and deep understanding, Galeano (author of the celebrated Open Veins of Latin America) recounts creation myths, pre-Columbian societies, and the brutality of conquest, from the Andes to the Great Plain... continue
4.
Invisible Women : Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez EN
Country: South America / 
Brazil
Brazil
Description:
"Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development, to healthcare, to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias, in time, money, and often with their lives. Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women, diving int... continue
5.
Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras EN
Country: South America / Argentina
Argentina
Description:
In 1976, a young boy flees Buenos Aires with his opposition-supporting family, renames himself after his hero Harry Houdini, and dedicates his time in exile to mastering his role model's escape artistry.
6.
My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel EN
Country: South America / 
Chile
Chile
Description:
A funny and compassionate play about a middle-aged "inventor" who has spent his years chasing one illusion after another while first his wife and then his teenage daughter have had to work to support him.
7.
Open Veins of Latin America : Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano EN
Country: South America / Uruguay
Uruguay
Description:
Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx. Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation. Thus he is concerned with gold and silver, cacao and cotton, rubber and coffee, fruit, hi... continue
8.
Operation Massacre by Rodolfo Walsh EN
Country: South America / Argentina
Argentina
Description:
1956. Argentina has just lost its charismatic president Juán Perón in a military coup, and terror reigns across the land. June 1956: eighteen people are reported dead in a failed Peronist uprising. December 1956: sometime journalist, crime fiction writer, studiedly unpoliticized chess aficionado Rodolfo Walsh learns by chance that one of the executed civilians from a separate, secret execution in June, is alive. He hears that there may be more than one survivor and believes this unbelievable story on the spot. And right there, the monumental classic Operation Massacre is born. Walsh made it hi... continue
9.
Pequeno Manual Antirracista by Djamila Ribeiro PT
Country: South America / Brazil
Brazil
Description:
Onze lições breves para entender as origens do racismo e como combatê-lo. Neste pequeno manual, a filósofa e ativista Djamila Ribeiro trata de temas como atualidade do racismo, negritude, branquitude, violência racial, cultura, desejos e afetos. Em onze capítulos curtos e contundentes, a autora apresenta caminhos de reflexão para aqueles que queiram aprofundar sua percepção sobre discriminações racistas estruturais e assumir a responsabilidade pela transformação do estado das coisas. Já há muitos anos se solidifica a percepção de que o racismo está arraigado em nossa sociedade, criando desigua... continue
10.
The Bolivarian Revolution by Simon Bolivar EN
Country: South America / 
Venezuela
Venezuela
Description:
Known throughout Latin America as El Libertador, Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar was one of the most important leaders in the wars of independence from Spain. Recently revived by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez for his own political program–which he has called ‘the Bolívarian Revolution’–these galvanizing words remain as relevant for current political and social struggles as they were in Bolivar’s own day.