Gringo : a coming-of-age in Latin America / Chesa Boudin

Gringo charts two journeys, both of which began a decade ago. The first is the sweeping transformation of Latin American politics that started with Hugo Chávez's inauguration as president of Venezuela in 1999. In that same year, an 18-year-old Chesa Boudin leaves his middle-class Chicago life and arrives in Guatemala. He finds a world where disparities of wealth are even more pronounced and where social change is not confined to classroom or dinner-table conversations, but instead takes place in the streets. While a new generation of progressive Latin American leaders rises to power, Boudin crisscrosses 27 countries. He witnesses the economic crisis in Buenos Aires; works inside Chávez's palace in Caracas; watches protesters battling police on September 11, 2001, in Santiago; descends into ancient silver mines in Potosí; and travels steerage on a riverboat along the length of the Amazon. Including incisive analysis and deep humanity, Boudin's account of this historic period is revelatory.--From publisher description.