Chavez gift to Obama makes a book bestseller
A book that was given as a gift to President Barack Obama became an instant bestseller!
The book given by Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to Obama during the Americas summit, and in just two days it became a hit!
The book, Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent has risen to number 2 slot from its previous ranking of 54,295 on the sales charts of bookseller Amazon.com
The original Spanish version, Las venas abiertas de america latina, likewise have also risen from 47,468th place to 283th.
Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano wrote the book which is about the colonial past and exploitation by the world’s big powers.
Chavez gave the book to Obama with message inscribed, “For Obama, with affection.” Obama was surprised when Chavez handed him the book, but shook his hand and said that the book was a “nice gesture” as he is a book reader.
The gesture however was a serious matter for Chavez.
“This book is a monument in our Latin American history. It allows us to learn history, and we have to build on this history,” the Venezuelan leader said.
Chavez frequently accuses the United States of “imperialist” policies.
Sources:
BBC News
Yahoo! News
Tags: Amazon.com, Americas summit, bestseller, book, Chavez, Obama, presidents, The Open Veins of Latin America, US, Venezuela, world news
And over a book they shook hands. Very nice. Chavez is America’s strident critic especially during George Bush term, right? I’m impressed Chavez took this diplomatic book giving route. Even if the book is highly critical of the US foreign policy towards South America. But of course nobody can beat the stunt pulled by the Iraqi journalist – not in a long time anyway. So the futility of ever upstaging that hilarious moment perhaps tempered the fiery Chavez. Or perhaps Chavez loves his shoes too much to part with them? lol.
jan_geronimo’s last blog post..A Tale of Two Blog Problems and One Little Rascal
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Roy Reply:
April 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
You do read a lot Jan
You know these two’s love story
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i think chavez has also some good points on his crusade and advocacy against the US imperialism. i think the US is not totally immaculate, which chavez also strongly pointing out. the US government had been overzealous, which in the end, their own agenda and benefits are the things that they would protect.
i don’t know but i like this man is some ways. hope obama could change the relations of the US and the latin americas into something better, for the in the end, the poor are the one’s who are affected.
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