Aiming to bring Latin American heroes 'out of the shadow cast over them outside their own region', this book features biographies of 32 notable figures in Latin American history. Included are the 23 individuals from the first edition, consisting mostly of long-dead revolutionary, political, and military figures. This second edition also includes nine new biographies of contemporary Latin American presidents, providing an updated view of the region's leadership. Readers will notice several patterns running through the individual biographies. The concept of native identity is an important aspect in the stories of Malinche, Juarez, Sandino, and Zapata - profoundly affecting the politics of modern Brazil, Mexico, and Nicaragua. One also sees a continuing compulsion to rebel against overwhelming odds in the cases of Manuela Saenz and 'Che' Guevara and, today, in that of Daniel Ortega.