Comandante: The Life and Legacy of Hugo Chavez

Updated since Chavez’s death in March 2013, Comandante is the definitive account of Chavez’s presidency, an authoritative chronicle of one of history’s greatest leaders and his legacy. Hugo Chavez was a true phenomenon, a democratically elected leader whose revolutionary aspirations made him a symbol of hope and freedom for his people. Hero to some and despot to others, he remains as divisive in death as during his fourteen year rule. As his followers mourned their great leader, critics across the world asked: what is the crumbling reality behind the illusion Chavez cast of a thriving Venezuela? Rory Carroll, based in Venezuela for years as the Guardian’s chief correspondent in Latin America, has written the unprecedented inside story of Chavez’s life and his political court in Caracas.