Fractured Utopias: A Personal Odyssey with History

Provocative, sad, sexual and compelling—Fractured Utopias is Roger Burbach’s parting gift to the left movements of the Americas and the causes he served for over a half-century. Beginning with his farm upbringing in Wisconsin in the 1950s, Roger portrays his personal encounters with romance, revolution and war in North and South America. Detailed recollections of his time as a Peace Corp volunteer in the Peruvian Andes in the 60s, his first hand reporting of the coup that overthrew Salvador Allende in Chile, and his insider knowledge of the Sandinista Revolution provide vivid testimony on the victories and defeats of Latin American struggles for social justice.In this revealing memoir, Roger brings the unflinching honesty he applied to his political work to bear on his personal passions and paradoxes as a husband, father and amorist. An award-winning author and editor of many books on Latin American social movements, US imperialism, 21st century socialism and globalization, Roger finished this manuscript just weeks before his death in March of 2015.“Roger was truly a remarkable man who never let adversity get in this way. He will perhaps be best remembered for his writings and research, but he was above all an activist dedicated to the fight for a better world and a passionate supporter of the struggles of the people of Latin America. His writings and example provide a powerful beacon for us all.” — Federico Fuentes, Editor of Bolivia Rising, and co-author with Roger Burbach and Michael Fox of Latin America’s Turbulent Transitions; The Future of Twenty-First Century Socialism“Roger faced his disability in the same way he faced the challenges of doing hands-on research and reporting from Latin America: with determination, honesty and a great deal of courage. His physical determination was a reflection of his professional and political determination to honestly analyze and report on the struggles for sovereignty and social justice in the Americas — and on the contradictions that some of those struggles fell into.” — Fred Rosen, Former director and contributing editor of the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA)