Hoping to overcome the everyday pettiness of academic life, young professor Andy Friedman entertains megalomaniac ideas of success. Perhaps he will become a charismatic figure like President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, leading the anti-imperialist charge against Washington and George Bush. Or, failing that, Andy might simply settle for a greater sense of purpose and a settled community as he moves back to Manhattan from graduate school. Will the larger than life characters in Andy's life, including a dynamic therapist named Bob --- who bears an uncanny resemblance to Wolf Blitzer --- and an off the wall Tibetan lama named Norbu, foot the bill? Will Andy gain solace from Ninotchka, a snowy white and irrepressible canine companion descended from the sturdiest Arctic stock? Friedman's going to need all the help he can get as his classroom becomes increasingly chaotic and his adventures within the various subcultures of the East Village get more and more surreal.

In the past few years, South America has witnessed the rise of leftist governments coming into power on the heels of dramatic social and political unrest. From Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to Evo Morales, the indigenous head of state of Bolivia, and Michelle Bachelet, the first woman president in Chile, the faces of South American politics are changing rapidly and radically. In this timely and insightful analysis, acclaimed journalist and Latin American authority, Nikolas Kozloff explores the continent's new path and its affect on the U.S. New initiatives, such as Telesur, the satellite network with links to Al Jazeera, an oil-exporting consortium, and a regional currency, are coalescing South America into an emerging global player. With access to top political brass and a lively reportage style, Kozloff shows how we can secure and protect our ties with our close neighbors.

Audacious, provocative, and bombastic, few world politicians are as colorful as Hugo Chavez, now making international news for his plans to nationalize U.S. owned businesses and his bold opposition to Washington's economic and trade policies. As Venezuela gains importance as the fifth largest oil exporter in the world, this firebrand leader is quickly moving to the public spotlight by uniting much of South America against the Bush administration and wielding oil as a "geopolitical weapon." To create this rich and objective portrait, Nikolas Kozloff--one of the few American journalists who has spent years in the Andean region--has profiled Chavez's top advisors, leaders of his movement, and other key figures in both Venezuela and the U.S. The result is a timely, exhaustive analysis of Chavez as a political leader, and a nuanced examination of the president moving to the center of the global stage. Includes a new afterword by the author, with insights into Chavez's reelection in relation to wider hemispheric politics.