Hugo! The Hugo Chavez Story: From Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution

A refreshing departure from the ideologically charged tracts that tend to dominate the debat about Chavez Sunday Times Hugo! is the remarkable biography of Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela and leader of the Bolivian Revolution. Ex-paratrooper and outspoken socialist, Chavez is known for his stance against big business, fearless threats to the Bush administration, social reforms that have violently polarized his country, and also for providing a model for new governments and social movements across South America. Bart Jones was eyewitness to Chavez’ rise to power, and describes his life in extraordinary detail, creating a comprehensive portrait of a man who has affected the most radical transformation of Venezuela for half a century, and dramatically affected the political debate throughout Latin America. Broadly sympathetic without being starry-eyed, this is a journalistic rather than analytical account…Jones's biography is a timely and compendious corrective...a book that seeks to tell this story fairly has got to be welcome Guardian Chávez's rise has a made-for-Hollywood quality ... Jones provides a superb description of the economic inequities that helped create the conditions for a populist such as Chávez to come to power … Where [he] truly excels is in his observations of Venezuelan society and the outsized role oil has played in molding the national character. Washington Post Jones's book is thoughtful, comprehensive . . . the best in the bunch. Boston Globe The most useful guide to emerge to such a major personality on the world stage Independent Pages: 608