Uruguay. The Library Journal review stated, "Well written and passionately stated, this is an intellectually honest and valuable study." Since its publication in the early 1970s, Open Veins has been taught extensively in American universities, including in geography, economics, history, and anthropology courses. In 2014, at an event in Brazil honoring the author on the 43rd anniversary of the book's publication, Galeano expressed some regrets, saying"'Open Veins’ tried to be a book of political economy, but I didn’t yet have the necessary training or preparation...I wouldn’t be capable of reading this book again; I’d keel over. For me, this prose of the traditional left is extremely leaden, and my physique can’t tolerate it."Opponents interpreted this statement as a renunciation of the book and considered it proof of the book’s inaccuracy. Carlos Alberto Montaner, exiled Cuban writer, answered with a text called: “Galeano Corrects Himself and the Idiots Lose their Bible.” Galeano described these critics as "seriously ill with bad faith." In a 2014 interview with Jorge Majfud, Galeano stated, "The book, written ages ago, is still alive and kicking. I am simply honest enough to admit that at this point in my life the old writing style seems rather stodgy, and that it’s hard for me to recognize myself in it since I now prefer to be increasingly brief and untrammeled."Open Veins has been commonly known as the “Idiot’s Bible” among its opponents and those defending free-market policies. Such a nickname stems from the publication of Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot, a 1996 bestseller written by authors Álvaro Vargas Llosa, Carlos Alberto Montaner, and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza. The book has an entire chapter on the importance of Open Veins for the “Latin American idiot”. It reads:“For the past quarter-century, the Latin American idiot has had the notable advantage of having at his disposal a kind of sacred text, a bible filled with all the nonsense that circulates in the cultural atmosphere that the Brazilians call the 'festive left.' Naturally, we refer to Open Veins of Latin America." Cultural and political significance In his analysis of the impact of Open Veins, Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies, Marc Chernik, stated that Eduardo Galeano’s worldview in the book has had transformational consequences for an entire generation of intellectuals, students, and politicians. One consequence was the rise of a new approach to marginalized communities, who were no longer