Open Veins of Latin America

Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent

By: Eduardo Galeano, Isabel Allende - Foreward

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Since its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx.

Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation. Thus he is concerned with gold and silver, cacao and cotton, rubber and coffee, fruit, hides and wool, petroleum, iron, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminum ore, nitrates, and tin. These are the veins which he traces through the body of the entire continent, up to the Rio Grande and throughout the Caribbean, and all the way to their open ends where they empty into the coffers of wealth in the United States and Europe.

Weaving fact and imagery into a rich tapestry, Galeano fuses scientific analysis with the passions of a plundered and suffering people. An immense gathering of materials is framed with a vigorous style that never falters in its command of themes. All readers interested in great historical, economic, political, and social writing will find a singular analytical achievement, and an overwhelming narrative that makes history speak, unforgettably.

This classic is now further honored by Isabel Allende's inspiring introduction. Universally recognized as one of the most important writers of our time, Allende once again contributes her talents to literature, to political principles, and to enlightenment.

©1997 Eduardo Galeano (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Well written and passionately stated, this is an intellectually honest and valuable study." ( Library Journal)
"A dazzling barrage of words and ideas." ( History)

A must read to understand Latin America

This book truly depicts the reality of Latin America. It clearly explains why Latin America has been slow and backwards in its development process

A dangerous book that everyone should incorporate.

This is an amazing, heartbreaking, and rage inducing work of art. This should be read by every person in the world.

Phenomenal book that was worth the time!

This was a great read! The narrator read quite slow, thank god for the speed feature.
this was a very thought provoking, infuriating and informative. a must read for anyone, especially if you're Hispanic.

amazing untold history

loved this so much; i cant wait till i travel alone to listen to this again.

Great and informative. A necessary read.

Wonderful summarization of the tragedy brought and reinforced to latin america by colonial powers. Narration was also a great and engaging.

very difficult to get through

but very enlightening. had a wonderful time reading this with my book club and I would recommend taking notes. the narrator was splendid, perfect for the text

Latin American Das Capital

This book was really interesting to listen to as it was written in 1971, and provides a very communist leaning analysis of the history of Latin America and it's woes.

The author raises plenty of completely valid points about the cruelty and exploitation of Latin America by Capitalist World Empires over history, while at the same time making plenty of communist idealistic statements about how the author thinks Latin America may be able to improve - that in hindsight are clearly made in the absence of knowledge about communisms own failures.

I certainly did learn a lot and you would be hard pressed not to feel some kind of sympathy for many Latin American countries, especially Paraguay, Bolivia or Peru. That said, with hindsight we cannot support the authors contention that more socialized communist societies would thrive better in the long term, as these systems are as susceptible to corruption and exploitation of the workers as the capitalist systems they were striving to replace.

This book really focuses on resource exploitation and is a little light on the wider history of Latin America that I was hoping to get from listening.

I heard a different story.

First the author said almost nothing about socialism or communism. Second it was about the People and the resources being exploited. Finally it also captured a whole era of the US violently acting out throughout an entire continent. How would a totalitarian state of communism be any worse for the great majority of the people? The dictators we supported killed and jailed hundreds of thousands! We killed thousands! Please tell me how a coercive and soul stealing capitalism dictatorship as practiced in much of Latin America is any better? I do NOT believe in socialism/comm., but such capitalism is anti-Christian and grossly inhumane!

Should be Required highschool reading

This should be Required highschool reading. There was so much I was embarrassed to not know about my own country.

what.when.where.how. wow

a lot of information that is important to my culture and background
Wow
wow