Argentine History Found Useful Outside of Class

The Argentina ReaderThe Argentina Reader by Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Montaldo has literally saved my life this semester. It is a collection of essays and primary texts about every important era in Argentine history with interesting analyses of each text written by the editors; it basically has everything you need to know about Argentina, from perspectives even Argentines don’t know about. I have been assigned to read many of the texts for various classes this semester, did not understand a word because I do not know what I was thinking taking all my classes in Spanish after only studying the language for a year, and went to The Argentina Reader, and the text in English. It was the only book I brought with me, the only book I needed, for three hours on a plane and 31 hours on buses through Patagonia this spring break. I give all the credit of my pleasantly surprising Historia midterm results to Gabriela Nouzeilles and Graciela Montaldo. Anything mildly informational about Argentine history I have thrown in to any other post was knowledge I gained from this book.

Monday night three friends from the program and I were invited to dinner at an Argentine’s apartment. We met him a few weeks ago at a boliche (club) we go to when we can’t think of something more creative to do. We were standing outside and he and some friends stumble (literally) out of a cab and immediately start telling us they were just robbed by a transvestite prostitute. I didn’t believe a word, but later found out it was true. We talked to them for a while longer, a few of us exchanged numbers with little intention of actually seeing each other again, and then we left. We ran into this funny group again at a party we happened upon at the Palermo Golf Club, and they actually helped us get in for free and with relatively no wait. Finally we ran into them again at a random bar last Friday and we decided it was our fate to be friends. All of this relates back to The Argentina Reader because at this dinner, I notice one has a different accent from the other two. I ask him if he’s from Buenos Aires also and his friend, a bit drunk by now, jumps in and says, “no he is not from Buenos Aires, he is from the provincia. We are showing you the civilization and the barbarism of Argentina,” (this is also an example of the porteño ego). “Wait a second,” I say, “are you referencing Sarmiento (the first president of Argentina, and author of the book Civilización y Barbarie - Vida de Juan Facundo Quiroga)?” They were stunned by my knowledge of Argentine history. Little did they know I had read excerpts of Civilización y Barbarie. Thanks, Argentina Reader!