Author and political activist Charles Hardy discusses his book Cowboy in Caracas: A North American Memoir of Venezuela’s Democratic Revolution on Thursday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

A former Catholic priest, Hardy has lived in Venezuela for more than 20 years. He spent eight of those years in a shack made of cardboard and tin in one of Caracas’ barrios.

In Cowboy in Caracas, Hardy offers a rarely heard perspective on the revolution and the rise of Hugo Chavez from the viewpoint of his many supporters. Elected in a landslide in 1998, Chavez promised a peaceful revolution.

Hardy says that peaceful dream was lost when Chavez’s government was overthrown in 2002. Chavez returned to power and has remained there since because his supporters see themselves as active participants in a democratic revolution, according to Hardy.

The book includes Hardy’s eyewitness account of the street battles that took place during the attempted coup against Chavez.

A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. The book will be available for sale.

Co-sponsors: Cross-Border Network, Holy Family Faith Community, American Friends Service Committee, Colombia Support Network, Peaceworks, and The Loretto Community of Kansas City.