Washington, Apr. 25 : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wasn''t the first to discover the book he gave to President Obama last week in an attempt to ease diplomatic tensions. College students in the U. S. have been turning its pages for years.

The 317-page "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" has been identified on the syllabi of at least 20 U. S. colleges and universities since 2003, and it''s been taught for decades on American campuses, Fox News reports.

The virulently anti-American book tells how for 500 years Europe and then the U. S. exploited Latin America, leaving it impoverished and governed by corrupt leaders.

It outlines how U. S. capitalistic forces purportedly raped the region''s natural resources and stymied Latin America''s own development, exploited trade agreements and tariffs for its own interests and victimized the people of the region in exchange for the U. S.''s industrial growth.

The left-leaning tome, reportedly ranked 54,295th on Amazon''s bestseller list before Chavez gave Obama a Spanish-language edition last week, skyrocketed to No. 2 on Sunday and has now "settled down" at No. 19.

Professors contacted by FOXNews. com praised the book - written by Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano and first published in 1971 - for having a strong, accessible narrative style backed up by solid historical evidence. (ANI)