I, Che Guevara: A Novel

From Publishers Weekly
Che Guevara, the iconic guerrilla and revolutionary, is not dead. He was not killed in an ambush in the Bolivian mountains in 1967. Instead, after 32 years on the run in the Third World, he is back in Cuba leading a galvanizing new revolution against both communism and capitalism. Blackthorn (Sins of Our Fathers), a political figure on the international intelligence scene who writes under a pseudonym, has produced a gripping and unusual political thriller of contemporary Cuban politics and Cuban-U.S. relations. As the novel begins, a tired and aged Fidel Castro strikes a deal with the U.S.Ahe will step down and allow free elections in return for U.S. diplomatic recognition and removal of all embargoes and sanctions. The bargain is accepted and the Communist left and the Miami-based (and Mafia-backed) right square off for the presidential election. This is a bitter rivalry of political titans, but soon a new party, the True Republic, led by a white-haired and fiery Che, starts to gain popularity. Known only as Ernesto Blanco, the ex-guerrilla never admits he is Che, but the Cuban people cannot believe otherwise. The left, the right and the fumbling White House all panic at the spreading rumors that Guevara is back, and they try every dirty trick in the book to get rid of himAmanipulation, treachery, threats, intimidation, bribery, media payoffs and even assassination. But despite desperate measures by the big boys, Che's grassroots drive for populist local self-determination gains unstoppable momentum. A savvy but worn-out TV anchorwoman, a na?ve State Department analyst and even a hired killer are all spellbound by Che's simple messageAgovern yourself. Politics may be nothing more than bad theater, but Blackthorn's political drama is compelling and believable, written with style, clarity and conviction. Agent, Philippa Brophy at Sterling Lord Literistic. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Taking as its premise the willing retirement of Fidel Castro, this novel speculates about Cuba's immediate future. As the novel opens, a white-haired gent from the provinces begins to draw attention to his new Cuban freedom movementAcalled "The Republic." Rumor soon has it that this is Ernesto "Che" Guevara returned to public life decades after his reported death. Bolstered by the efforts of two powerful American womenAa journalist and an assassinAhis movement leapfrogs to the world's attention. The percussive pace and energy of an election-year yarn alternates with inward passages as Ernesto deliberates privately about political theories and effective government. The pseudonymous Blackthorn (who is, supposedly, a well-known figure in State Department circles) writes with passion, skill, and a sure knowledge of Cuba. This book will find ardent readersAbut they may constitute a niche audience. For public libraries.-ABarbara Conaty, Library of Congress Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Washington Post
"A thoughtful espionage story... plenty of suspense and action."

From Booklist
Just as Fidel Castro stuns the world with his announced retirement in favor of democratic elections, an old man turns up in Cuba bearing a physical and philosophical resemblance to Che Guevara. Calling himself Ernesto Blanco, the mysterious stranger inspires Cubans to imagine a new kind of politics, a republic of local self-government, a pure democracy. His suggestion wreaks havoc with the election plans of the former Communist Party and expatriate Cubans in Miami as well as the American business interests salivating over a Cuba without Castro. Frustrated with communism and repulsed by American capitalist democracy, the Cuban people are receptive to Blanco's message of ideal participatory democracy. Blanco's simple campaign across the countryside incites both opposition parties to escalating dirty politics, including assassination attempts on Blanco. Pseudonymous author Blackthorn cynically portrays the democratic political process as practiced in the U.S., including unflattering portrayals of journalists, politicians, and power brokers in this thought-provoking novel about the radicalism of the concept of democracy. Vanessa Bush

The Denver Post,
"A taut, well-written thriller that makes the reader think while it entertains."


"A taut, well-written thriller that makes the reader think while it entertains."

Book Description
Sometime during the summer of 1999 a mysterious elderly stranger appears in rural towns around Cuba, quietly advocating a new kind of politics he calls "the true republic." Old-timers begin to suspect that the stranger, who calls himself Ernesto Blanco, may actually be the martyr Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Shortly thereafter, Fidel Castro steps down from power in exchange for a commitment from the United States to recognize Cuba and lift the embargo. Diplomatic recognition, in turn, is conditioned upon free elections.Two traditional parties are formed: One is a successor to the Communist Party and the other is composed of U.S./Mafia-backed Cuban exiles. As the True Republic movement spreads like wildfire throughout Cuba, each faction devises a plot to get rid of Ernesto Blanco-by assassination if necessary.I, Che Guevara culminates in a frantic last-minute run up to the election in which assassins from both sides play key roles. Within the context of this revolutionary adventure, Cuba becomes a metaphor for the struggle of people throughout the world to evolve a new kind of politics, a politics with a human face.

About the Author
John Blackthorn is the pseudonym of a political figure whose name is known ininternational capitals and intelligence circles. He has extensive experience ininternational politics -- especially U.S., Russian, and Cuban relations -- as well as aninsider's knowledge of intelligence methods and operations.


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What's winning about the novel's premise is the opportunity it affords the author to consider the Cuban people apart from their government. His prose may read like boilerplate, but Blackthorn -- the pseudonym of ''a political figure whose name is well known in international capitals and intelligence circles'' -- provides readers with the benefit of his Latin American experience.


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