Las venas abiertas de América Latina

Eduardo Galeano's 1971 book is a history of Latin America told as a history of plunder. He starts with the Spanish and Portuguese conquest, the silver of Potosí and the sugar plantations of the Caribbean, and moves to the control of the continent's resources by European and North American powers. He reviews gold, rubber, bananas, copper, oil and coffee, and argues that the region's poverty is linked to the wealth of others, with each cycle of exploitation leaving behind a ruined economy. He writes in an energetic, literary style, with scenes, statistics and quotations.

It is for readers who want a passionate left-wing view of the continent's economic history, and it has been a widely read text across Latin America. It is also useful for anyone studying dependency theory or the politics of development.

Deep, outward-looking and clear-cut; a moderate read.

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