Roopa Unnikrishnan

Roopa Unnikrishnan Writes

New York Post
Nov. 20, 2000

Upside Down
By Eduardo Galeano
Published by Metropolitan Books
pp. 358 $24

Reviewed by Roopa Unnikrishnan

"Upside Down" is no ordinary book. A piece of advice to readers: Have a bookmark handy. This is not the sort of book you get through in one sitting, indeed, even in one week. In his long tradition of uncompromising social commentary, legendary Latin American writer Eduardo Galeano has laid bare the weaknesses of societies and governments across the globe. This award-winning author has unremittingly dissected issues -- including racism, sexism, the cult of fear and punishment -- and the reader is often left feeling gutted.

This elegantly produced book is replete with the eerie, evocative illustrations of Jos¿ Guadalupe Posada and will add some character to your shelves. The text is interspersed with short notes, anecdotes and observations presented in text boxes and the humor in them tends to break up the generally bleak narrative. Unfortunately, the main text itself often boils down to a collection of lists -- either a series of bullet points or streaming prose that eventually reads like an inventory of injustices.

On one hand, this is a book that re-awakens the reader to the inequities of the world. On the other, it is shackled by its seeming need to communicate every piece of information the author has ever came across. It reads like an essay by an angst-ridden teenager. While this may be the effect the author wished to achieve, it may frustrate the reader who is not already a fan or is approaching this book as anything other than a source of ammunition for academic debates.

Approach this book with caution, gentle reader, and a brave heart.