South America

Professor James Dunkerley at Queen Mary's, University of London, says that ‘Latin America’ is a term that only dates from the 1830s. He chooses five books that illuminate the cultural and political history of the continent.

Journalist and author Chris Moss recommends books to help us understand the Argentine people and their mindset.

Marshalling one of the first ever televised coups, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's legacy is fraught. While some apologists try to justify the dictatorship on economic grounds, his time in office saw innumerable human rights abuses. Alan Angell, Emeritus Fellow in Latin American Politics at the University of Oxford, considers the regime of "a very cruel man."

The respected author and prominent Hispanist examines the history and people of The Andes. Selects and reviews five great reads, including classics from Isherwood and Hemming