Evita's World

Evita Perón Biography

The Defining Years 1919-1947

Eva Perón’s legacy has left her shrouded in myth. The English-speaking world has known her primarily through the distorted lens of opposition politics—-until now.

The first volume of the most in-depth biography to date, Evita’s World: The Defining Years covers 1919 to 1947. Beginning with Evita’s birth as an illegitimate child with no legal rights, it documents her childhood, her career as an actress, her marriage to Juan Perón and his election as President. In fascinating detail, it chronicles how Evita went to Europe in 1947 as Argentina’s unofficial “ambassador of peace” and how Europe changed Evita. When she returned, she obtained the right to vote for Argentina’s women.

Packed with background information about the complex political and social climate from which Peronism sprang, Evita’s World: The Defining Years chronicles the rise of an extraordinary political figure during a turbulent time in Argentina and the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dolane Larson

As a young girl growing up in Michigan, Dolane Larson found Evita Perón fascinating. Upon discovering that the biographical information available at the time didn’t convey the truth about Evita’s life, decided to go to Argentina, investigate, and write a balanced biography.

Ms. Larson obtained a scholarship to study in Buenos Aires. She taught English at a bilingual school in the Belgrano neighborhood, where she met Evita’s mother and other family members. They became friends and have remained in contact through the years.

Eventually she returned to the United States, and, after retiring as an English teacher, she began organizing the voluminous material collected on three continents in preparation for writing this book.

Why Evita's World ?

Evita’s World offers a break-away biography: it does not recycle inaccurate or untrue versions of Evita’s life.
Evita’s World makes available for the first time oral history interviews from theInstituto Nacional de Investigaciones Históricas Eva Perón (INIHEP) and other primary sources available only in Spanish.
Evita’s World quotes eye-witnesses, including family members.
Evita’s World shows how events shaped Evita and how Evita changed Argentina in a world without space travel, internet, smartphones or easy access to television.

Customer Reviews

I've read every English language book I've been able to find on the subject since 1978, and this is well worth waiting for. It goes to a depth of detail regarding Evita's background and personality that I've not seen before; the author adds useful context for the events which occurred that I've not seen before. It is serious, scholarly and page turning all at the same time. I am very eager for the next volume.

I’ve read every book about Eva Perón. This book contains the most information by far. It looks at world history as a whole and then gets more and more specific. It leads the reader to understand WHY certain events happened, not just that they did happen. And there’s also very special details about Evita that I’ve never heard before. As I was reading, I felt like I was right there with her along for the journey. This book is tremendous and a must-read for every Evita fan. Can’t wait for the next book!

Excellent, scholarly, and extensively researched book chronicling the life and times of Eva Perón - the mythic Evita. The rather in-depth analysis is not for everyone, but it is definitely useful to anyone researching the life of the rather complex Eva, her history, her politics, her legend. Do note, the book - the First Volume - details her life from birth to 1947, the year she went to Europe. I am assuming another volume, not yet released, will concentrate on her life post 1947; death and beyond.

I have read practically every book on the subject. I literally have an Eva Perón library in my house, yet I still found this book intriguing, especially the sections detailing Eva's tumultuous "Rainbow Tour", her European tour of 1947. Eva's numerous biographies written from 1952-present, do not cover in this much detail, her image defining trip overseas. Every stop; every city; every town; every encounter; every event, etc, is mentioned here, in meticulous detail, and I was able to read snippets, encounters, observations, I have never read before. The chapters show just how grueling her schedule was, and how intense her tour was; truly enlightening.

For those wanting a detailed analysis of the late first lady, this book is a treasure trove of information; although incomplete, the areas it does cover, it covers well; it is exhaustively researched. The book is soft-cover, thick, with some photographs scattered throughout, however these are not the highlight as many are small, and poorly reproduced. Get it for the wealth of information on the life, style, and history of the famed, adored, celebrated, and reviled First Lady, and Señora, La Doña Maria Eva de Perón. For the uninitiated and for those whose only introduction to her is through a famous musical, you may just come to understand what all the hype was about, and why she earned her place alongside the other colourful and celebrated icons in Latin American history. Recommended reading.

Evita Perón Historical Research Foundation

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