The Motorcycle Diaries is a story which revolves around 2 men who embark on a road journey on a 1939 Norton 500cc cylinder motorcycle from Buenos Aires. They are out to discover and explore South America. This book had been written 8 years prior to the Cuban Revolution. The person who wrote the memoirs of this journey was one of those 2 bikers, Ernesto Guevara. He focused on the injustices that were prevalent at that time in South America.

These 2 men explored the lengths of Venezuela, Chile, Argentina and Peru being the observers of the discrimination and exploitation. A man who was so carefree, his only concerns in life being; finding a drink, bed and love, is totally transformed after this journey into a person who is ready to give up on his life for the discriminated in Latin America.

This is a book that is totally based on observations of the 2 bikers that they undergo during the journey and how it transforms them. The readers may find it a bit tough to relate to the middle-class guy Guevara and the spiritual transformation and evolution that he goes through. These are basically diary entries of Guevara, which are raw in nature.

Che Guevara is just a 23-year-old medical student but ends up being a transformed man who has become very serious and concerned for the exploited people in South America. The story is a mix of personal experiences and political background.

At times, Che becomes a fireman, at others, he is a football coach. Sometimes, he falls in love and at others falls off even his bike. So, it’s kind of a roller-coaster ride for him.

This book has been a New York Times bestseller on several occasions. A film tie-in edition of the book got published in 2007. It is currently available in Paperback form.