Comandante: Hugo Chávez's Venezuela

Loved and admired, hated and despised, Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is the century's most polemical figure. From a failed coup in 1992 to his first election as president in 1998 and his years in power since then, Chávez has been the face of his oil-rich nation. In nationalizing the oil industry, the leader of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution ensured that he would be a target of American interests. Chávez survived strikes, a CIA-backed coup, and an overwhelming constitutional rejection in 2007. Carroll (former chief, Latin American bureau, Guardian) gained access to those within and outside of the comandante's inner circle; his portrait of both Chávez and Venezuela is remarkable, adding dimension to the president's routine portrayal in the U.S. press. The view from the Miraflores Palace, Chávez's government headquarters, contrasts sharply with the hovels of poverty-stricken Venezuelans, most of whom still support Chávez and his reforms—he was reelected in October 2012. Carroll predicts a Venezuelan future possessed of a dim economy from oil dependency, price controls, and corruption.