"A thoughtfully observed travel memoir and history as richly detailed as
it is deeply felt" (Kirkus Reviews) of South America, from Butch Cassidy
to Che Guevara to cocaine king Pablo Escobar to Charles Darwin, all set
in the Andes Mountains.The Andes Mountains are the world's longest
mountain chain, linking most of the countries in South America. Kim
MacQuarrie takes us on a historical journey through this unique region,
bringing fresh insight and contemporary connections to such fabled
characters as Charles Darwin, Che Guevara, Pablo Escobar, Butch Cassidy,
Thor Heyerdahl, and others. He describes living on the floating islands
of Lake Titcaca. He introduces us to a Patagonian woman who is the last
living speaker of her language. We meet the woman who cared for the
wounded Che Guevara just before he died, the police officer who captured
cocaine king Pablo Escobar, the dancer who hid Shining Path guerrilla
Abimael Guzman, and a man whose grandfather witnessed the death of Butch
Cassidy. Collectively these stories tell us something about the spirit
of South America. What makes South America different from other
continents--and what makes the cultures of the Andes different from
other cultures found there? How did the capitalism introduced by the
Spaniards change South America? Why did Shining Path leader Guzman
nearly succeed in his revolutionary quest while Che Guevara in Bolivia
was a complete failure in his? "MacQuarrie writes smartly and engagingly
and with...enthusiasm about the variety of South America's life and
landscape" (The New York Times Book Review) in Life and Death in the
Andes. Based on the author's own deeply observed travels, "this is a
well-written, immersive work that history aficionados, particularly
those with an affinity for Latin America, will relish" (Library
Journal).
