Forgotten Continent: A History of the New Latin America

Written by my husband, to whom I gave this book as a gift: Thanks to his clear, straightforward, thorough and objective writing, Michael Reid not only captured my attention, but left me feeling like an expert on Latin American history, politics, and economy. This book is an excellent blend of the dry facts of Latin America's economies combined with the much more interesting stories of dictators and democracy, culture and history, and the unique differences of the many countries that us North Americans tend to simplify as a single entity. I read the book as a US citizen married these twenty years to a Venezuelan, so I was particularly curious in Reid's writing on Bolivar and Chavez. I think he treats both in an objective manner, using Chavez as a reference point for comparison to other Latin countries that have found more sustainable and equitable solutions to their problems. Unfortunately for Venezuela, the original promise of change that Chavez embodied, is shown by Reid to be just another example of a destructive, dead end path of Populism. Similarly, Reid manages to tell the stories of Fidel, Che,and Evo, as well as Peron, Allende, Pinochet,and the many other singular characters so important in Latin America today and yesterday. Reid builds his story with a concise and focused review of Latin American history - both the region as a Colonial whole, and the individual nations in their unique cultural, historical and geographic settings. The reader will be well informed for Reid's last few chapters where he analyzes the present for the Latin countries, including the near future outlook. Reid introduces most chapters with stories of individuals, both famous and average, in their national and economic settings - an effective means of engaging the reader with the rest of the chapter content. Ultimately Reid concludes this excellent book with a relativiely positive outlook for democracy and increasing equality throughout the region, and thanks to his numerous citations, I found myself wanting to read more about Simon Bolivar, Che Guevara, and Latin American history. Like the review I originally read in the magazine, Americas (published by the Organization of American States), I strongly recommend this book to any and all who have an interest in Latin American history, politics, and/or culture.

I just finished reading this book and while it is a bit pessamistic, the outlook for the continent is the same. I would love to respond to an earlier review saying that the author was "not academic". I have a Ph.D. and teach Latin American Studies and found his footnotes to be very thorough and would not expect him to carry out interviews as they would be biased to his cause. However, he draws from previously published sources. I ask the previous reviewer what his experience of academia is? Excellent! Read this book to know what is happening now in Latin America, especially for a concise overview of the Argentina debacle where I spend half the year.

It is very sad that we in Latin America have to learn more about the history and current affairs of our continent from foreign writers. Our own literature is full on panegirists of the left that even confronted with the sham that is Cuba and its totalitarian regime that has failed in providing a better life for its masses still try to sell us the idea that revolution and marxism is the way to go for our development. Living in Ecuador, currently under the XXI Century Socialist regime of Correa and having everyday to hear his endless tirades and propaganda and knowing that most of what he sells is untrue and that populism is probably the main cause of our backwardness this book was very refreshing to me. You have to look at the good examples such as Chile and even Colombia or Peru are currently developing their nations based on a democratic and open market model of development. We are capable people in this continent, we are passionate and hard workers and with a capable state apparatus we can achieve a good life and development but we are also gullible and still expect a miracle from an iluminated leader that magically transforms our societies and can achieve development with social equity but without sacrifices. This explains how Chavez, Correa, Morales, Ortega, the Kirchner couple have achieved power through their badly executed and corrupt social investment and redistribution schemes and that is why potentially rich countries such as Venezuela and Argentina are declining instead of moving forward. I hope every educated person in Latin America have the opportunity of reading this book so at least they can glimpse the truth from other perspective. For me it was an eye oppener and I live this reality every day.

Mr. Reid, a writer for The Economist magazine, arguably the best magazine in the world, delivers us an extremely concise, well-written book on a region that America turned its back on after fostering democratic reforms in the 80's, but one which has now been cast to the forefront of world affairs due in large part to the huge commodities boom, the flood of investment into their capital markets, leading to the emergence of a new type of 'Caudillo': the Hugo Chavez-esq 21st Century descendent of Fidel Castro, bolstered by the price of oil sitting above $100 per barrel. Mr. Reid adroitly explains to us the historical, political, cultural and ethnic differences between the countries in Latin America with just enough historical reference to make his points without getting the reader bored. Latin America, often viewed as a land who's ground is rich, but the places that have been blessed by nature have been cursed by history. But where John Perkin's conspiracy-theory-laden (but highly entertaining) "Diary of an Economic Hitman" blames the big, bad Gringo and our multi-national corporations and local (LatAm) corrupt politicians and a bureaucratic IMF and World Bank for the continent's centuries of under-achievement which the likes of Hugo Chavez have used to great success (and which have much merit), Mr. Reid takes Latin Americans to task and assigns some of the responsibility, at least, to them. This is a welcome balance to the overplayed 'dependency theory' heard so much today. Most Americans limit their knowledge of Latins to the illegal immigrants who bravely struggle to get here, doing the jobs that Americans won't while sending much of their earnings back home. Reid reminds of staggering facts: some as simple as Brazil alone being geographically as large as the continental 48 US states, and that in 1913, the standard of living in Argentina was higher than that of France, Germany, Italy or Spain. Buenos Aires was the 2nd largest city in the Americas after New York, had more sewers than Paris and more telephone service than Japan. Also, that by 1551, universities had been founded in Peru, the Domican Republic and Mexico, almost a full century before our esteemed Harvard University. Whether it be for a businessperson who is new to the region; or someone trying to understand the great undying dichotomy that is Latin America in almost all ways, Mr. Reid's book presents a timely but historically rich study on this diverse region, but never lets the reader's mind wander and does his work with skill and balance. Highly recommended.

In "Forgotten Continent" Michael Reid offers a balanced, and in many ways refreshing, interpretation of modern Latin America. He eschews two common, competing views of the region, disagreeing with the leftist argument that Latin America has been a victim of "neoliberalism" and globalization, as well as the opposing thesis that Latin countries are doomed to dictatorship and poverty due to deeply rooted cultural impediments. Instead, Reid argues that Latin America has made tremendous strides--economically, politically, and socially--during the past quarter century. Despite his largely positive assessment, the author is under no illusion regarding the continued challenges facing the region. Its largest challenge comes from populism, best embodied by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and the continuing temptation of economic policies that have proved disastrous in the past. While the text is at times dry (especially in sections heavy on economics), overall it offers a fresh take on a part of the world that does not receive much attention among the popular press. After reading the book, I could not help but to share some of Reid's cautious optimism about the "forgotten continent." This book can be enjoyed both by Latinamericanists and curious newcomers alike.