Confidante of 'Tyrants' : The Story of the American Woman Trusted by the US's Biggest Enemies.

Intro -- Dedication -- About the Author -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- 1. Over the brink -- Gearing up for the speech -- Enter Chávez -- Trending on Twitter -- 2. From rebel to truth-teller -- Activist education -- Rebel rhythms -- Learning from the law -- 3. How I met Hugo Chávez -- Breaking the story -- At the air base -- Second chance -- Inside the presidential plane -- Live TV, pigtails and all -- 4. Before Chávez, or how I met Venezuela -- In search of my Venezuelan heritage -- Culture shock -- Happiness - and political turmoil -- Student demonstration time -- The wonders and dangers of local food -- Venezuelan time -- My mother descends -- 5. Venezuela: a love affair -- An encounter with the National Guard -- Artistic revolt - and falling in love -- A New Mexican episode -- Crushed by love -- Singing in a band -- 6. Prelude to a coup -- A landmark constitution -- The new me -- New York and 9/11 -- 'No longer the only devil' -- 7. From coup to revolution -- Diplomatic celebration - then Chávez's liberation -- General strike -- 8. Cracking the code -- Baby face and bodyguards -- Venezuela's Sweetheart -- Mystery tour of Peru -- At large in Cuzco -- Chávez bares his teeth -- 9. Welcomed by Castro -- Return to Havana -- The Chávez Code -- The lap of luxury -- 10. Living the revolution -- Another private encounter -- Return to Cuba - under camouflage -- The Hotel Nacional - and meeting Fidel -- 11. Between the Devil and an angel -- Putting down roots in Caracas -- A nightmare journey to Cuba -- Fidel again -- Talk-show TV -- The 'devil speech' at the UN -- Calling me an angel -- 12. Upside-down world -- Hated but guarded -- Chávez on a high -- Back in the spotlight -- How I was scammed -- The break-in -- 13. A defeat for socialism (or the return of toilet paper) -- Ramping up public ownership.

Referendum on the constitution -- Toilet paper wins the argument -- A Christmas tragedy -- 14. From Caracas to New York to Moscow -- Returning to the UN -- New York - and Courtney Love -- Trumpian luxury in Moscow -- 15. Freeing Americans in Iran (a woman's work is never known) -- A night-time encounter -- Why the prisoners in Iran were released -- 16. Touring the 'Axis of Evil' -- Russia -- Belarus -- Ukraine -- Iran -- Syria -- Libya -- 17. The unraveling of a revolution -- Unexpected pregnancy -- Chávez falls ill -- A shocking revelation -- Chávez ponders the succession -- Death of Hugo Chávez -- Things fall apart -- 18. The slippery slope -- Index -- Acknowledgements.

"I had breakfast with Hugo Chavez, lunch with Bashar al Assad, cocktails with Putin and dinner with Gaddafi. Fidel Castro wooed me with flowers, perfume and cigars. Ahmadinejad told me he loved me. Chavez proclaimed me 'The Girlfriend of Venezuela'. But I am not a spy, and I am not a traitor.".

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.