Che on My Mind - Tapa dura

"Part biography, part memoir, and part philosophical reflection on the relationship between means and ends in political activism, Che on My Mind is a slim yet refreshingly self-reflective (and beautifully assembled) collection of stories, analysis, and memoir. . . . It is a notably thin volume, yet meant to be read-I would think-not in a single sitting but slowly, with ample time to digest and ponder the interweaving of personal history with meditations on an era that is simultaneously growing distant and historical, yet whose connections, via the continued reproduction of Che iconography and the longevity of the Cuban revolution itself, now more place than state of mind, remain ever present." -- Eric Zolov * E.I.A.L. * "If you only read one book about Che Guevara, this is the book that I strongly recommend. . . . Perhaps only a poet could capture the complexities of the life, lives, myth and myths of Che. . . . [I]n the able and creative capacities of Margaret Randall, the many verses of Che's life are woven into an epic poem." -- Budd Hall * Left History * "This beautifully written reminiscence is 'the intution of a poet' . . . Such familiarity with Cuba and the guerrillas may not be unique among the innumerable writers on the century's best-known and perhaps most admired guerrillero, but no others have brought such sensitivity to the task." -- David Kunzle * The Americas * "If you have not been thinking about Che, now you will. Our gifted poet, feminist author, and revolutionary thinker has given us a spare and ethical meditation on the lingering life and death of Ernesto Che Guevara. . . . Che on My Mind will invigorate and deepen your own thinking." -- Bernardine Dohrn * Monthly Review * "A well-written, brief reflection on Guevara and his time that will interest historians and social theorists." -- Boyd Childress * Library Journal * "Che on My Mind is a 160-page tour-de-force in which, with her poetic and visual sensibility, she considers Che Guevara's life and legacy. The slim tome is also a meditation on how her own beliefs on revolution have changed, a prose poem on the vicissitudes of protest, courage, and the tricks of time." -- Jenny McPhee * Bookslut * "Che On My Mind stands not only as an arresting discussion of an enigmatic historical figure, but also as a testament to Randall's own ability to fuse the observations of anti-imperialism and feminism into a formidable political and cultural concoction." -- Nick Witham * LSE Review of Books * "[A] series of reflections that alternately encompass personal reminiscence, biography, political analysis, nuggets of historical information, feminist hindsight and even poetry. . . . As with any good conversation, this book leaves the reader stimulated and enlightened with new questions to ponder. . . . We are simply listeners, treated to a very rich personal rendition of [Randall's] own private tune of Che on my mind." -- Sheyla Hirshon * Havana Times * "Hundreds of books have been written about Che; the facts are documented, the myth celebrated. But with, as she calls it, `the intuition of a poet,' Randall has created something unique - a compelling personal contemplation, an exploration of `the intimacy that has stayed with me all these years.'" -- Robert Woltman * Albuquerque Journal *

Che on My Mind is an impressionistic look at the life, death, and legacy of Che Guevara by the renowned feminist poet and activist Margaret Randall. Recalling an era and this figure, she writes, "I am old enough to remember the world in which [Che] lived. I was part of that world, and it remains a part of me." Randall participated in the Mexican student movement of 1968 and eventually was forced to leave the country. She arrived in Cuba in 1969, less than two years after Che's death, and lived there until 1980. She became friends with several of Che's family members, friends, and compatriots. In Che on My Mind she reflects on his relationships with his family and fellow insurgents, including Fidel Castro. She is deeply admiring of Che's integrity and charisma and frank about what she sees as his strategic errors. Randall concludes by reflecting on the inspiration and lessons that Che's struggles might offer early twenty-first-century social justice activists and freedom fighters.