Lester Langley’s succinct Simón Bolívar: Venezuelan Rebel, American Revolutionary fills a gap in both the historiography and the marketplace. . . . The work reads well for Langley’s intended audience of undergraduates and general readers. The chronological organization allows Langley to assess the broad outline of Bolívar’s life in an easily accessible way. . . . Bolívar, like Thomas Jefferson, ... Read moreremains enigmatic. Langley’s biography clarifies the mystery a little, and places Bolívar firmly where he belongs, in the pantheon of American (hemispherically speaking) heroes.
Journal Of Historical Biography
Langley moves Simón Bolívar to the center stage of ‘American’ politics in this masterful biography, which ranges from the eighteenth-century stage of Enlightenment philosophy to the twenty-first century of Venezuela under Hugo Chávez, one of the Liberator’s greatest admirers. This is vintage Langley and an essential read if you are interested in the political, social, and intellectual milieu of modern Latin America.
Lawrence A. Clayton, University of Alabama Accessible and insightful. Langley's perspective on the South American Liberator offers a clear view of the details of Simón Bolívar’s life and remarkable historical trajectory within a broad view of the contemporaneous historical context in the United States, Europe, and South America. Balanced and well informed, this book will be a highly satisfying experience for all those curious about this exceptional moment and this charismatic figure in South American history.
John V. Lombardi, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Show Less