Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara by his Father

by: Ernesto Guevara Lynch

Published by: Vintage Books

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

(Originally published in Spanish as two volumes: Mi hijo el Che in 1981 and
Aquí vá un soldado de Amėrica in 1987. Translated from Spanish by Lucía Álverez de Toledo)

Ernesto Guevara, Sr. produced two books detailing the life of his son, Ernesto a.k.a. Che Guevara. His work has now been translated and released in English so that non-Spanish speaking readers may study Che from a primary source.

In the first book, My Son Che, Ernesto Guevara details the childhood, schooldays and young adulthood of his son with the intimate knowledge that only close family members would ever have. He tells of young Ernesto (Che) developing severe asthma, and the steps the family took to try to alleviate this malady. He also describes the people, travels and events that seem pivotal in Che’s eventual turn from an asthmatic middle-class child to the revolutionary soldier who fought alongside Fidel Castro to liberate Cuba.

In this first part, Che’s intellectual growth is well documented. He has an insatiable desire for knowledge – especially in medicine, archaeology and the sciences. He traveled extensively throughout South and Central America on foot, by motorcycle, farm truck, trains and rides hitched in cars. He climbed mountains, looked into volcanoes and worked with the peasant class in the “Banana Republics” of Nicaragua and Guatemala.

The second half of the book consists of translations of letters from Che to his mother, his father, his brother, his favorite aunt, and to several very good friends. In them, he describes many of his activities, yet never passes on information that could be linked to his revolutionary activities in a way that could cause his family or friends harm, should the letters fall into unfriendly hands. He is witty, loving, philosophical and intimate throughout these pieces.

This is an excellent book. But it is definitely not a book for the casual reader. It is scholarly, and to get the most out of it, requires quite a bit of background information about the history and cultures of South America, Argentina in particular; Central America and Mexico; and, of course the Cuban revolution.

Armchair Interviews says: This book would also be an excellent choice for a course on Latin American culture or history.