This is a tough political novel – just the kind I need to avoid right now. But, from the beginning a journalist is interviewing the never-identified Jose Mujica of Uruguay, known as the world's poorest president. The reader therefore knows that Mujica survived imprisonment and torture, and unexpectedly, rose to the presidency.

This foreknowledge, as well as the conversations with the cynical frog, lighten the mood as Mujica reflects on his experiences. The humor made it possible for me to read his experiences and know that, he not only endured, he became a singular leader because of them.

I knew nothing about the history of Uruguay. Now I won’t forget this story.

I found this well-written, entertaining and thought-provoking. ( )

A young woman comes to interview a man who had been President of his country. He had also been in his earlier life a guerilla, fighting for the soul of his country, fighting for the freedom of the people. He had spent twelve years in solitary confinement, four of those years in a hole in the ground, a place where he came close to losing his mind. It is a frog, a simple frog, who would be his salvation. A talking frog at that, a frog that would make him relive his past, help him to stay grounded, to not give up. Was the frog real? The mind can play tricks in dire situations, yet real or not, it saved his sanity.

There are no names given for this humble man, who from this hole, would years later become President and unite his people. Restore democracy. Although his name is not given, in the afterward, the author acknowledges that this book is inspired by the former president of Uruguay, Jose Monica aka Pepe. There are warnings here, warnings of how easily democracy can be subverted. The United States, Norway, other countries caught in the wave of populism, a wave that can destroy a fragile democracy if it is not fought against.

Like all her books, this author's fiction contains horrors, of past, present and what could come without due diligence.

"Presidents should not pretend they're kings."

"The only refuge left is what we give each other." ( )

Definitely a political book from a leftist perspective wrapped around a plot regarding an elderly former president of a South American country. The book flips between the ex-president (the poorest president on the earth) and a Norwegian reporter who is interviewing him and the time the president spent in a dungeon talking with a live frog who eventually gave him the will to live on.

There is a lot of leftist philosophy (not that I disagree, but it's right out there) all men are equal, political systems should be different, etc. But as the unnamed president states, ruling in a manner to give equality to all is not possible - he was a former rebel who later serves as president. The bottom line - we all need each other and everything is dependent on something or someone else. Not a bad read, not particularly engaging either at times. Lots of references to the "election up north" which terrifies the president as well as the reporter. ( )

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The President and the Frog by Carolina De Robertis is a political fiction story examining justice, leadership, and how we remember things. Ms. De Robertis is a published author who wrote several international bestsellers.

The ex-President of an unnamed Latin American country is being interviewed by a European journalist. While discussing his legacy, as well as the status of democracy around the globe, the President reminisces. He especially remembers his past as a revolutionary, a prisoner, and a guerilla.

The President, remembers a strange event he had in jail, but does not want to share it. While held in solitary confinement for a long time, the only creature ever to talk back to him was… a frog.

Previously, I have enjoyed reading the works of Carolina De Robertis very much, and am always on the lookout for one of her books. I was happy to receive a copy of the book, all in all, it did not disappoint.

The President and the Frog is a short book, a novella if you will, though it has a lot to say. The interviewer in this book seem to ask questions she cares about, certainly different from other reporters. The ex-President realizes that and surprisingly wonders if he should share his deepest secret – a talking frog

The symbolism is deep in the book, Europe, Trump’s America, Latin America and post WWII Asia are all present. This is a hopeful book, even though the themes of war and suffering is at the forefront.

Ms. De Robertis takes on several political ideologies. The novel itself does not mention names, or places. The author, however, does admit that she modeled the ex-President after Jose Mujica, Uruguay’s former President.

I did appreciate that the author managed to hit several hot-button topics without preaching. In an indirect way, Ms. De Robertis sends a message without hitting the reader over the head with it. Additionally, I wondered if the choice of a magical frog was due to the politicized internet meme of Pepe the Frog, appropriated by white supremacists, or was simply a coincidence.

I enjoyed the writing very much, it’s strong and delicate at the same time. Latin America’s literary device of magical realism, which the author used in Perla as well, shows its power in storytelling. ( )

Carolina De Roberts latest book is inspired by the life of Jose Mujica, the former President of Uruguay. In this story, the unnamed 82-year-old President of an unnamed country reflects on his life. He has been called the “Poorest President in the World” choosing to live in a small, unassuming farmhouse with his wife, his garden, and his dogs. The narrative moves back and forth from the present to the time the president was imprisoned as a guerrilla and a revolutionary. During that time, a frog would visit him in his dark cell and help him understand his purpose. Its filled with brutality and justice and hope. This book will have as much importance if read twenty years from now as it deals with survival and justice. ( )