Green Lake Public Library (Caestecker)

Life and death in the Andes, on the trail of bandits, heroes, and revolutionaries, by Kim MacQuarrie

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

contains biographical information

index present

non fiction

Life and death in the Andes

bibliography

919451696

by Kim MacQuarrie

on the trail of bandits, heroes, and revolutionaries

"Kim MacQuarrie tells great stories of South America's history, from Butch Cassidy to Che Guevara to cocaine king Pablo Escobar to the last survivor of an Indian tribe, all of these stories set in the Andes Mountains"--, Provided by publisher"Unique portraits of legendary characters along South America's mountain spine, from Charles Darwin to the present day, told by a master traveler and observer. The Andes Mountains are the world's longest mountain chain, linking most of the countries in South America. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and author 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, Pablo Escobar, Che Guevara, and many others. He describes the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, where people's lives depend entirely on a reed that grows there. He introduces us to a Patagonian woman who is the last living speaker of her language, as he explores the disappearance and sometimes surprising resiliency of indigenous cultures throughout the Andes. He meets a man whose grandfather witnessed Butch Cassidy's last days in Bolivia, tracks down the ballet dancer who once hid the leader of the brutal Shining Path in her home, and hears a harrowing story from the school teacher who gave Che Guevara his final meal. Through the stories he shares, MacQuarrie raises such questions as, where did the people of South America come from? Did they create or import their cultures? What makes South America different from other continents--and what makes the cultures of the Andes different from other cultures in South America? Why did Peru's Shining Path leader Guzman nearly succeed in his revolutionary quest while Che Guevara in Bolivia so quickly failed? And what so astounded Charles Darwin in South America that led him to conceive the theory of evolution? Deeply observed and beautifully written, Life and Death in the Andes shows us this land as no one has before"--, Provided by publisher

Chapters & Countries Where Stories Take Place -- 1. The Hunt for Pablo Escobar and the Search For El Dorado (Colombia) -- 2. Evolution & Denial in the Galapagos (Ecuador) -- 3. Death in the Andes : The Capture of Peru's Shining Path Leader, Abimael Guzman (Peru) -- 4. The Rise & Fall of Hiram Bingham, Controversial Discoverer of Machu Picchu (Peru) -- 5. Ice Maidens, Volcanoes & Incas (Peru) -- 6. The Kon Tiki Voyage, White Gods, and the Floating Islands of Titicaca Lake (Peru & Bolivia) -- 7. The End of Che Guevara (Bolivia) -- 8. The Final Days of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (Bolivia) -- 9. Darwin, the Last Yámana, and the Uttermost Part of the Earth (Chile & Argentina)