Liberated

When I finish reading a book, I typically add it to the “Reading List” on the right column and leave it unmentioned in other places on this blog.

That is enough for most books. But sometimes there is a story behind the story.

I would put my most recent conquest in the literary world in that category of book-reading experiences that deserve more than the title on the sidebar.

I have just finished reading “Liberators,” a history book by a former Parliament member about seven men most influential in the liberation of Latin America.

Last summer, I decided that if I was going to be backpacking through South America, that I might as well learn about the history of the countries I’m visiting. So I went to Borders on Liberty St. and bought what I thought would be a fascinating, can’t-stop-once-you-start book about South America’s liberation.

Before I give you a month-by-month timelime of my progress through the book, I have to tell you that the story of Latin American independence is one of the most remarkable I have read. The tactics and charisma of the Libertadores made for a worthwhile read.

Especially for someone living in Latin America for two years, it is pretty useful to know about the national history. Imagine living in the United States and not knowing about the Founding Fathers’ impact on the nation’s formation.

And now the timeline.

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For the first eight weeks of my journey, I spent bus rides marveling at the countryside or moving through “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Then, on the bus ride between Sao Paolo and Parati, I finally finished.

That means I finished fifty percent of my reading material for the summer (If I were to have read fifty percent of the assigned reading in my time at Michigan, well that would have been a significant improvement upon what I actually did. )

The only book standing in my way: Liberators.

It is full of detail, which makes processing all of the information quite difficult. I started reading the book on at rainy day at Ilha Grande. I told one of the other hostel guests that he could read the book when I finished (I wonder if he still wants it). So I got off to a strong start — maybe sixty pages in the first day.

Then the sun came out. Then I left the island and headed to Rio. For some reason, I found Brazilians much more interesting than Francisco de Miranda’s failed attempts at liberating Venezuela.

Then I got to Rio and brought the book with me to the beach almost every day. But every time I went to the beach, I found a nice group of Brazilians who was willing to help me with my Portuguese. Progress stalled. In fact the bookmark that I have been using for over a year is the map I got from the Rio tourist information booth when I was looking for places to learn samba or capoeira.



So I managed to get about 100 pages done before the end of my summer and returned home with a resolve to finish the book.

Then came covering Michigan football for the Daily. Then came school.

Combined progress over those four months: 8-11 pages.

So I graduated and took the book with me on my roadtrip through the South. Obvious opportunity to knock out a good chuck of the book.

Wrong. I read three paragraphs over the 3,000-mile ride and didn’t sleep once. (I did manage to drive us off the road in Paoli, Indiana, though.)

Between the end of the roadtrip and my departure for the Peace Corps I had a couple of weeks. Plenty of time to knock out a good portion of the book. I should be extra motivated to learn about South America if I am going to spend the next two years there, right?

Well, Tony Soprano got in the way. I watched the entire series; no book progress made.

I read a couple pages of the book the night before leaving for the Peace Corps with all intentions of bringing the book with me. Well, somehow, it got knocked under the bed the next morning, and I kind of left it behind.

Five months later, my brothers came down to visit me and brought the book with them. I was in the middle of another book at the time, but put Liberators next in the queue.

When I finished the other book, I picked up from where I left off in “Liberators” and realized that I have no idea what is going on. I decided to start from the beginning and re-read the first 146 pages.

Between rides to and from Machala, the town where I’m working on the community bank, and sixteen hours on the bus last weekend, I can confidently say that I am free of this burden.

The battle lasted more than 15 months. Sometimes, it appeared the two sides were at a stalemate. Even when I was reading the book, it was so dense with information that I couldn’t go more than 15 pages without falling asleep.

But I marched on — kind of like how Bolivar marched across the supposedly unpassable Andes to surprise the Royalist forces.

This book had no idea who it was dealing with – much like how the Spanish navy in Lima had no idea that Lord Cochrane attacked with such a small force.

And then, tonight, I can declare myself free from the oppression of this book — much like Dom Pedro’s Cry of Yrapringa.