John Blackthron, I, Che Guevara - Essay Example

?I, Che Guevara Blackthorn John December 4, I, Che Guevara- Book Analysis I Che Guevara is a fictional book that shows a historic period of Cuba. The book is a gripping and unusual political thriller of contemporary Cuban politics and Cuba-US relations. The book starts up with a strange man appearing in the rural towns around Cuba mysteriously advocating for his new kind of politics that he call the True Republic, a form of direct policy. Through this, the elders begin to doubt the identity of the strange man, Ernesto Blanco. The man was presumed dead since 1967. They said that the man might actually be the martyr Ernesto Che Guevara. His campaign trail was mainly focused on converting illiterate peasants to the revolutionary political philosophy of the True Republic. After the short appearance of Ernesto, Castro’s power finally relinquishes as he steps down from power in exchange of Cuba’s recognition from the United States. Another mission was also to lift the crippling embargo. In order to have U.S diplomatic recognition and to remove all embargoes and sanctions, he had to allow free elections and step down from his official position. After this, two traditional parties formed quickly. These include the Communist Party from one side and the U.S and Mafia backing Cuban exiles on the other. The bargain was accepted, and the communists left the Mafia backed exiles square off the presidential elections. Then came a bitter rivalry of the political titans but as soon as the new party, True Republic, was introduced things started to change. Che, though he did not admit to the name, started to gain popularity. The True Republic movement spread rapidly throughout Cuba that each person from every side devised plots to get rid of Ernesto Blanco. The left, the right and fumbling White House started groping on the quick spreading rumors that Guevara is back, and they all tried to get rid of him in every possible way. This included manipulation, treachery, threats, intimidation, bribery; media pay-offs and even assassination attempts. Despite the efforts by the rivals to get rid of Che, he was able to achieve unstoppable momentum to put a stop to the revolution. Che’s spirit of governing oneself gave him grassroots drive to populist local self-determination to his missions. The book tries to speculate Cuba’s future through the early retirement of the President Fidel Castro and the return of the man who appeared after his alleged death and began to draw attention to the various provinces of Cuba. Facilitated by the efforts of two women, a journalist and an assassin, the movement captured a lot of the world’s attention. In the back cover of the book, there is an interesting opinion about the author “John Blackthorn is the pseudonym of political figure whose name is well known in international capitals and intelligence circles” (Blackthorn) This can only mean that John’s work is outstanding and excellent. In my opinion, John writes from his inner passion and skill. This is so because he is well knowledgeable about Cuba through his American-Latin citizenship. The book has been able to show a clear view of the much-illuminated social, political, and economic realities of the government. I think the author’s intentions were to assist in greater understanding of politics and socioeconomic factors of a society with an aim of molding great leaders and thinkers. Blackthorn wanted to show the forces that Cuba had to contend with and the uprisings. He also wanted to bring about the idea of Marxism and communism. John Blackthorns is a former senator and two-time presidential candidate whose public career came to a halt after a sex scandal in 1987. He is now a lawyer especially in international law. The book made him travel several times to Cuba usually to convey messages unofficially between Fidel Castro and the Clinton administration. Other works done by John Blackthorn include Sins of the Fathers, which was also a non-fictional book. The fact that Ernesto re-appeared years later after the declaration of his death took a toll in my mind. The fact that no one had a clue of where he had been all the years that passed by or what he was up to. Not a single person could provide a reasonable account on his exact whereabouts during his disappearance. This one incident seemed unforgettable throughout the book. After his reappearance, he came with a bang and preached his Marxist theory of the True Republic to contest the presidency. Quoting him, “I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves” (Blackthorn 234). This is a clear indication of him standing by his principles of a person standing on his own and a person liberating himself. Another point that seemed incredible and unforgettable was the fact that Ernesto left his profession as a doctor after coming close to poverty and hunger, and even diseases. Never in his frequent visits throughout America did he become acquainted with these circumstances. The inability of a father to treat a child due to poverty also facilitated the idea of him quitting medicine and joining politics. His quote “and I began to realize at that time that there were things that were almost as important to me as becoming famous for making a significant contribution to medical science: I wanted to help those people” (Blackthorn 190). This simple trait just showed how Che was caring and selfless. He put other people’s needs before his very own. Though he valued the fame and prestige, he also considered the poor and helpless people’s suffering. Che had elicited a lot of controversial issues and opinions as per what he was and what he represented, from the defender of the poor to a cold-hearted executioner. This brought about controversies concerning what people thought of him. A major theme in the book involves power. In the book, it can be noted that every person has been associated with power one way, or another. Che had been associated with power in many different ways. For example, when he reappeared and formed his own movement to have the seat of presidency that was left vacant after the resigning of Fidel Castro. He also quoted that he was a proud liberator who believed in one person governing his or herself. He was also known to be a dictator through his lifetime, which implies his involvement in the scrambling of power. The book also talks about the State rule in Cuba and how it occurs. For instance, how Fidel Castro resigned and gave up his presidency in exchange for the sanctions with the U.S government. Che was a ruthless leader who sometimes killed defectors, and deserters considered and punished as traitors. Those who went AWOL were tracked down by sending squads. This shows how Che misused power to his own advantage. Che also did some recommendable work such as helping the needy and preaching literacy among the illiterate. However, in my opinion Ernesto is more of the villain here as he initiated the rebellion of Marxists. He also led the country through the fight against the post Castro communists and the Miami expatriate millionaires, whom both agreed that Che must be cut off and stopped. The fact that he dictated the people he ruled was more of a reason that would make him a villain in this scenario. He preached more of social and revolutionary justice than any other issues. He also aided in overturning the Cuban government with the help of Fidel Castro. In short, Che was a revolutionist. In conclusion, the book was excellent, a fact that is shared by many other historians and politics lovers. Blackthorn did a splendid work on not only paying tribute to a fallen hero but also putting across some of the details of his political ideas. The book also has some interesting love twists in it as we are shown how one woman falls in love with Che and his movement. The book is mind engaging, captivating, and should be a necessity for anyone who is intrigued by history and politics. Work Cited Blackthorn J. I, Che Guevara HarperCollins 2009. Print. Read More