A review by sfarfalfa
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano

informative reflective

5.0

This nonfiction book documents the legacy of Spanish, Portuguese, and other Western and Southern European colonisation events across South and Central America from their geneses to today, the exploitation of the continent for its resources by USA and other invasive entities, and the socio-political intersections therein. Galeano commentates upon the historical events which have transpired upon the continent and draws parallels across the vast region, whilst exposing the arbitrarily demarcated boundaries of the continent’s constituents and how that further plays into and aids its exploitation by colonial powers. He does all of that unwavering truth-telling with the backdrop of some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read in a nonfiction book—the description and visuals in this were both stunning and confronting. 

This is an incredibly heavy read. At least from what I recall of my copy, there are no trigger warnings issued. Galeano describes events in all their most gruesome details, and this book does have uncensored usage of racial slurs, not by the author himself but within quotations of colonists. 

I always tell people that if you think you utterly hate colonialism, read this book, and you’ll realise you didn’t hate colonialism nearly enough.

To say I love this book is an understatement; I deeply respect it.
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