This was the book gifted by Hugo Chavez to Obama. The rape of Asia has been going on, lessons for India and Indians here considering missionaries are trojan horses and India is being manipulated by Western Interests in a big way!
Chavez's gift to Obama swiftly becomes best-seller. Galeano's book documents how foreign interests have dominated and afflicted Latin America since the Spanish conquest. The Venezuelan leader told reporters Saturday that "this book is a monument in our Latin American history. It allows us to learn history, and we have to build on this history."
This is a must for people who like to know the truth of what happened in Latin America over the centuries of European influence... and the truth isn't pretty. Eduardo Galeano doesn't blame the American people for all of Latin American problems and incredible corruption at government and management levels, he points out at the American governments and their foreign policy; the fact remains we, Latin Americans, have been invaded by American marines more than 200 times, and every single time it hasn't been to defend the people and democracy but to support right wing corrupted officials and capitalists. Take Chile for example, it was American dollars and American advisors which help orchestrating the criminal and totally anti-democratic coupe d'etat of 1973...
Eduardo Galeano is an excellent writer, and he has dedicated most of his life to put his writing at our service, so that we understand how we ended up in such mess and poverty having one of the richest continent on Earth.
I first read this book when I was 13, now I am 38 and came to your site because I would like to have an updated copy of this book for my children. I read the other comments made before mine and could not let the opportunity go to give people the other side of the coin...
In summary: THIS IS A MAGNIFICENT BOOK, WELL WRITTEN, WELL RESEARCHED AND WELL INTENTIONED!
... a comment from Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Open-Veins-Latin-America-Centuries/dp/0853459916