The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I was first exposed to the Memory of Fire trilogy, it was a revelation. Here, in anecdotes both poetic and mythic, Galeano turned the history of the world around, centering voices that had been suppressed and hidden, introducing his worldview to a somewhat sheltered but curious 16-year-old. So, I’ve always kept Galeano on my radar.
The Book of Embraces is especially charming because it is smaller and more personal, and tells me more about Galeano, as much as it does the world. His progressive politics are clear and plain; in the wrong circles, his books must drive those neo-cons crazy! The book is accompanied with Galeano’s own illustrations, which are a world unto itself, topsy-turvy, surreal and engaging.
He was evidently such a good man. I’m glad he’s left his legacy to the world in books like this.