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A review by a_spaghetti_western
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano
5.0
4.5
Now THIS was phenomenal. Credit to translator Cedric Belfrage for such an accomplishment, though I can only imagine how transformative this would be to read in its original language.
Full transparency, I am not qualified to evaluate this book for its factual accuracy. To my knowledge, it appears meticulously well-researched, with twenty-or-so reference pages at the end citing extensive primary source material, numerous Spanish-language histories, and multiple perspectives based in the United States. For what it’s worth, this book fulfilled my every expectation: Galeano provides a sweeping history of Latin America through an explicitly anti-imperialist lens, condemning both the various Western powers who have participated in the plunder and subjugation of the region, as well as the wealthy citizens of the victim nations themselves who, Galeano claims, have betrayed their people in exchange for blood-soaked luxury:
In the author’s view, this duo — external extractor and internal facilitator — cemented the fate of Latin America’s economy to function forever “at the service of capitalism developing elsewhere” (Part I).
An added bonus: this book reads like fiction. The author defends his approach as follows:
I find Galeano’s voice particularly impactful in my favorite section of the book: “The Thirteen Northern Colonies and the Importance of Not Being Important” (Part II). Galeano’s comparative analysis of the North American and South American colonies — from the ideological and political differences between the Europeans who settled each, to the colony-core trade relations that subsequently flourished in both — will leave a hole burned in my brain, I am certain, for years to come.
I would recommend “Open Veins” to anyone with an open mind and serious interest in the region. Removed half a star, perhaps unfairly, for the fact that it was written in the '70s, which hindered my enjoyment of the text only in the sense that I could never feel completely confident that what I was reading remains, to this day, the most up-to-date presentation of available facts. Nevertheless, this in no way diminished the value of the reading experience for me.
Now THIS was phenomenal. Credit to translator Cedric Belfrage for such an accomplishment, though I can only imagine how transformative this would be to read in its original language.
Full transparency, I am not qualified to evaluate this book for its factual accuracy. To my knowledge, it appears meticulously well-researched, with twenty-or-so reference pages at the end citing extensive primary source material, numerous Spanish-language histories, and multiple perspectives based in the United States. For what it’s worth, this book fulfilled my every expectation: Galeano provides a sweeping history of Latin America through an explicitly anti-imperialist lens, condemning both the various Western powers who have participated in the plunder and subjugation of the region, as well as the wealthy citizens of the victim nations themselves who, Galeano claims, have betrayed their people in exchange for blood-soaked luxury:
The colonial economy was run by merchants, by owners of mines and of big estates, who divided up the usufruct of Indian [native] and black labor under the jealous and omnipotent eye of the Crown and its chief associate, the Church. Power was concentrated in the hands of a few, who sent metals and foodstuffs to Europe and received back the luxury goods to the enjoyment of which they dedicated their mushrooming fortunes. The dominant classes took no interest whatever in diversifying the internal economies or in raising technical and cultural levels in the population: they had a different function within the international complex they were acting for, and the grinding poverty of the people—so profitable from the standpoint of the reigning interests—prevented the development of an internal consumer market. (Part I)
In the author’s view, this duo — external extractor and internal facilitator — cemented the fate of Latin America’s economy to function forever “at the service of capitalism developing elsewhere” (Part I).
An added bonus: this book reads like fiction. The author defends his approach as follows:
I know I can be accused of sacrilege in writing about political economy in the style of a novel about love or pirates. But I confess I get a pain from reading valuable works by certain sociologists, political experts, economists, and historians who write in code. (Part III)
I find Galeano’s voice particularly impactful in my favorite section of the book: “The Thirteen Northern Colonies and the Importance of Not Being Important” (Part II). Galeano’s comparative analysis of the North American and South American colonies — from the ideological and political differences between the Europeans who settled each, to the colony-core trade relations that subsequently flourished in both — will leave a hole burned in my brain, I am certain, for years to come.
I would recommend “Open Veins” to anyone with an open mind and serious interest in the region. Removed half a star, perhaps unfairly, for the fact that it was written in the '70s, which hindered my enjoyment of the text only in the sense that I could never feel completely confident that what I was reading remains, to this day, the most up-to-date presentation of available facts. Nevertheless, this in no way diminished the value of the reading experience for me.