This book deals with what may be one of the most iconic figures of the 1960's, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who is considered by many as the ultimate hero of the struggle for "liberation" from the oppression of the Olicarguias of Latin America. He was a man of strong belief that communism was the answer to the solution of the Latin American problems, and as such he was willing to give his life for his ideals. Although his methods may have been wrong, nevertheless, you have to respect the man for his commitment to those ideals. The book deals with the last episode of his life.

The book is divided into 7 chapters with an introduction, an aftermath, appendix, sources and notes. It is, at least to me, a very interesting book about the life of Guevara. We start with a short history of Bolivia which provides interesting facts about the country. In the second chapter we also have a synopsis of Guevara’s early life through the Cuban revolution, his involvement in Africa, and finally Bolivia. The third chapter is dedicated to the Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN). We are provided with the principal members of the movement, their position and importance in same. We are introduced to General Barrientos, the man responsible for the elimination of "Che", as well as his guerrilla forces. General Barriendos, who spoke Quechea fluently and was loved by the people of Bolivia, had an interesting life and relationship with his fellow Bolivians. The fifth chapter deals mainly with the Bolivian army, its organizations, and their locations. The chapter also introduces us to the Fuerza Aerea Boliviana (Bolivian Air Force), their aircraft, and commanders. Finally, the chapter ends with the description, organization and location of the Bolivian Naval Forces. The sixth chapter talks about the training of the 3 branches of the Bolivian armed forces by the U.S. Army, the type of equipment supplied, and the use of the same.

The last chapter is a detailed description of the Nancahuazu guerrilla insurgency during 1967. The chapter provides you with the types of units used from the beginning of the conflict between the Bolivian forces and the guerrillas. The battles between both groups, and the final conflict between the guerrillas and the Bolivians and the result of this conflict.

The aftermath is a synopsis of the attempts to revive the armed insurrections (1969 and 1970) by the Bolivian Communist Party and their utter failure. The Appendix consists of 7 tables of organizations describing the staff of the Bolivian army, Bolivian civilians killed, Bolivian ranks for officers, non-commissioned officers, police ranks, the ELN urban organization, and ends with the fate of every single member of Guevara’s troops.

The book is very interesting for historians, especially those interested in Latin American history. I would strongly recommend this book to any of the historians in our midst. I enjoyed the book very much.

My thanks to Casemate Publishers for the review sample. Keep them coming!!