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A review by mariewesmc
Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Eduardo Galeano
3.0
One of the most poetic and compelling intros of any non-fiction book I’ve read. The actual text functions largely as a survey of exploitation and foreign “intervention.” While recognizing the challenge of covering such a vast region and bracketing a 400-year time period up to present, only a few pages were devoted to each instance at the intersection of industry, era, and place. While I don’t doubt many of the author’s conclusions, many felt insufficiently substantiated with this approach.
I often felt that the point could have been made more effectively by devoting 2/3 of the book to a comprehensive deep-dive on any one of these issues, and in the final 1/3 drawing parallels to phenomena in other regions and ramifications for the subcontinent at large.
Overall worth a read directionally if you want to be guided towards a specific topic to delve further into, or want a reference for similar instances on a topic you’re already researching.
I often felt that the point could have been made more effectively by devoting 2/3 of the book to a comprehensive deep-dive on any one of these issues, and in the final 1/3 drawing parallels to phenomena in other regions and ramifications for the subcontinent at large.
Overall worth a read directionally if you want to be guided towards a specific topic to delve further into, or want a reference for similar instances on a topic you’re already researching.