Che on My Mind

More than 45 years after Che Guevara's death, his image and legacy continues to grow. Randall (cofounder, El Corno Emplumado), a poet, photographer, feminist, and social activist, offers a remembrance of Che based on his writings, reflections by his family and those who knew him, and the historical record surrounding the Argentinean doctor-turned-world revolutionary. Randall is clearly an admirer of Guevara and comments often here on his morality, integrity, sacrifices, and principles—indeed, she considers Che a figure as principled as Ho Chi Minh and Nelson Mandela. In a beautifully composed text, she points to Che's leadership abilities so evident in his Cuban experiences yet later absent in the Congo and Bolivia. The author also deals with the relationship between Che and Fidel Castro, concluding that Castro had no role in Guevara's death. Randall mentions but fails to balance Che's role as executioner of those condemned as enemies of the Cuban Revolution.