Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle

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Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 1,567 ratings · 361 reviews

Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith.

Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence,...more Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith.

Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In 2002, while campaigning as a candidate in the Colombian presidential elections, she was abducted by the FARC. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next. She would spend the next six and a half years in the depths of the jungle as a prisoner of the FARC. Even Silence Has an End is her deeply personal and moving account of that time. Chained day and night for much of her captivity, she never stopped dreaming of escape and, in fact, succeeded in getting away several times, always to be recaptured. In her most successful effort she and a fellow captive survived a week away, but were caught when her companion became desperately ill; she learned later that they had been mere miles from freedom.

The facts of her story are astounding, but it is Betancourt's indomitable spirit that drives this very special account, bringing life, nuance, and profundity to the narrative. Attending as intimately to the landscape of her mind as she does to the events of her capture and captivity, Even Silence Has an End is a meditation on the very stuff of life-fear and freedom, hope and what inspires it. Betancourt tracks her metamorphosis, sharing how in the routines she established for herself-listening to her mother and two children broadcast to her over the radio, daily prayer-she was able to do the unthinkable: to move through the pain of the moment and find a place of serenity.

Freed in 2008 by the Colombian army, today Betancourt is determined to draw attention to the plight of hostages and victims of terrorism throughout the world and it is that passion that motivates Even Silence Has an End. The lessons she offers here-in courage, resilience, and humanity-are gifts to treasure.

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Hardcover, 528 pages

Published September 21st 2010 by Penguin Press HC, The (first published September 1st 2010)

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Jun 04, 2012 La Petite Américaine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The very careful and sceptical

Shelves: auto-bios-etc, rants

So, let's talk about this book.

First, a little background about the story: it is the memoir of Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian senator who was running for president of that country when she was kidnapped by FARC guerrillas and held captive for 6 years. She lived through sheer hell, from infighting among her fellow hostages to swarms of biting jungle insects, marches during life-threatening illnesses through the never-ending Amazon, and sitting for months at a time with her neck chained to a tree....more So, let's talk about this book.

First, a little background about the story: it is the memoir of Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian senator who was running for president of that country when she was kidnapped by FARC guerrillas and held captive for 6 years. She lived through sheer hell, from infighting among her fellow hostages to swarms of biting jungle insects, marches during life-threatening illnesses through the never-ending Amazon, and sitting for months at a time with her neck chained to a tree. In a country where the usual m.o. of the guerrilla army is to storm the homes of politicians, kidnap and kill them, Betancourt, who knowingly wandered into FARC territory, is lucky to be alive.

Even Silence Has an End is one of the most beautiful books that you will ever read. Is it filled with poetry: "Freedom-such a precious jewel, one we were prepared to risk our lives for-would lose all its brilliance if it were to be worn in a life of regret," / "Our words echoed in the air, beneath a heavenly dome that wore the dust of diamonds sprinkled alongside the constellations of our thoughts." Betancourt reveals small glimpses of humanity that appeared in her jungle prison hell: the guerrillas dancing and singing with the prisoners, a hand grasped in the darkness at night in sheer terror, and the touching words impulsively spoken when another prisoner was on the brink of death. She will take you beyond the depths of despair to a place without hope, to times when she had given up on life, could no longer eat and could barely stand up. Betancourt is more than a gifted writer and her words will charm you, seduce you, and likely leave you holding her in great reverence.

And what about Ingrid Betancourt today? She's beautiful. She's charismatic. She's a brilliant, wealthy, multi-lingual woman with killer heels and lots of friends in high places. She is part of the European jet-set and has left two hot husbands in her wake. Let's not forget that she's also a strong woman and an incredible survivor. I want to believe her, I really do. But before we all get misty-eyed and enamored beyond the point of no return, let's have a look at reality.

Getting kidnapped was the best thing that happened to Betancourt's career. It launched her to international stardom, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the French love her more than their wine, and America is embracing her. Her book deal landed her millions on three separate continents. Two different films are being made about her ordeal. Further, for a cool $25,000, a couple of first-class airline tickets and hotel accommodations, Betancourt will come and speak at any event. She will justify why she tried to sue the very government that rescued her and explain away just why her fellow hostages (including a former close friend, Clara Rojas, who was kidnapped with her) can't stand her. If you find one Colombian who isn't disgusted with Betancourt, I'll buy you a Coke.

What is most disturbing about Betancourt's account of captivity is the fact that she's the most unreliable narrator since Humbert Humbert. (If you take Betancourt at face value, then you likely also believe that Lolita really was a 12 year-old slut who wanted the old man to give it to her like a bad girl; you can stop reading here.) She seems to suffer from delusions so strong that she actually believes them, sort of like Cartman really believing that he wrote Jimmy's joke just before saving the town of South Park from the attack of the Jew-bots. Her accounts read like hazy visions conjured up in an alarmingly high fever; even the sexual assault by nameless, faceless captors in the misty green airs of the humid jungle starts to make you wonder...and it gets worse. Betancourt describes heart to heart conversations with her female captors that sound fabricated. She tells of a chance meeting with a nameless peasant, straight out of central casting, who warned Ingrid of visions of grave danger. She describes bathing Clara Rojas's newborn; Clara, whom Ingrid has been fighting with for years, then asks Betancourt to be the child's godmother. Right. Sure she did. Especially after Ingrid verbally trashed Clara for the first quarter of the book, snidely inferring that Rojas was sinking into madness. (Clara tells a very different story in her own memoir of captivity.) At best, these things are contrived, at worst, they are blatant lies. I would never put it past a politician to lie, but Betancourt, despite multiple claims to the contrary seems convinced of their veracity. Someone needs to pass the lithium.

When not attacking her fellow hostages on every page, Betancourt slips in unnecessary petty details for an extra sting, such as Rojas leaving the bathroom an "unspeakable mess," or another captive bragging about the cost of his engagement ring. One wonders just why these things needed to be in print, other than the fact that Betancourt is clearly out for blood. Our catty hero redeems herself in other ways, however, by teaching her captors French (suuuuuureee) and protesting until prisoners' chains are removed (uh-huh). Her former companions in captivity are so charmed by her that one wants to sue her for libel, one hates her more than all other humans on earth, and one has said "Let's not make symbols and icons out of women who aren't." The only fans Betancourt has left, besides the myriad of Hollywood actors and international heads of state, are the 3 boyfriends she had while in captivity.

What we have here is a book written by a woman whose personal trauma and highly cultivated public persona are battling it out on the page. The public persona wins, of course.

Read this beautiful book. Enjoy it. Savor it.

Just try not to forget who you're really dealing with. (less)

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Nov 11, 2010 Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Saw Ingrid on Oprah. Her sadness and pain is still evident. This is a gut-wrenching account of her capture by FARC guerilla's in the jungle of Colombia during her campaign to become Colombia's president. I read it in small doses, as her accounts of escape attempts, re-capture, personal loss and humiliation are exhausting.

This was an outstanding book, well-written, and heart-wrenching. However, I did feel a little bit of the ire that her fellow captives felt about some "special" treatment and ho...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Micaela rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, hated-it, memoir

While this is a very interesting story, and one that everyone should know about, the writing is so long-winded that I could hardly finish the thing.

It is unfortunate that the story is so convoluted that I could barely keep a time line in my head. You would think it would be as simple as "I got caputred and then this stuff happened to me and then I was rescued" with maybe some flashbacks tossed in. No. She jumps from one year to another and back again unneccessarily.

It seemed, especially after I...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Maggie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished this book of over 500 pages in a 2 day sitting. From the moment I opened this book, I was absolutely riveted. Betancourt is a beautiful writer, with a beautiful spirit and strong mind. This was by far the best book I've read in a LONG time, and I found myself crying tears of joy, sadness and triumph along with her every step of the way. I don't even know what else to say that would do this book justice, but I know I will be recommending it for years to come. My only complaint abo...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Shirley Freeman added it

Ingrid Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Columbia when she was kidnapped and held hostage in the jungle for 6 1/2 years. She was unable to keep a diary so the sequence of events might be confused but the readers gets a good idea of what daily living was like under horrendous circumstances. She describes her several escape attempts and the severe consequences of same. She describes the 'camps' in which they were forced to reside for weeks and months and the weeks-long marches they endure...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Anna Refsgaard rated it 4 of 5 stars

A really catching book, and the fact that you know it's a true story makes it even more real to read. But this, knowing that it actually happened to a real person, at the same time made me feel a little bad about the fact that she at times annoyed me quite a bit, all while I never stopped cheering for her, her strength and her return to freedom. And the fact that she succeeded in making me feel sympathy for many of her kidnappers, describing them sometimes as just as much victims as herself, mad...more

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May 27, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

Story Description:

Penguin Press(HC) | September 21, 2010 | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-59420-265-0

Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith. Born in Bogota, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of...more Story Description:

Penguin Press(HC) | September 21, 2010 | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-59420-265-0

Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith. Born in Bogota, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In 2002, while campaigning as a candidate in the Colombian presidential election, she was abducted by the FARC. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next. She would spend the next six and half years in the depth of the jungle as a prisoner of the FARC. Even Silence Has an End is her deeply personal and moving account of that time. Chained day and night for much of her captivity, she never stopped dreaming of escape and in fact, succeeded in getting away several times, always to be recaptured in her most successful effort she and a fellow captive survived a week away, but were caught when her companion became desperately ill; she learned later they had been mere miles from freedom.

The facts of her story are astounding but it is Betancourt’s indomitable spirit that drives this very special account, bringing life, nuance, and profundity to the narrative. Attending as intimately to the landscape of her mind as she does to the events of her capture and captivity, Even Silence Has an End is a meditation on the very stuff of life-fear and freedom, hope and what inspires it. Betancourt tracks her metamorphosis, sharing how in the routines she established for herself-listening to her mother and two children broadcast to her over the radio, daily prayer-she was able to do the unthinkable: to move through the pain of the moment and find a place of serenity.

Freed in 2008 by the Colombian army, today Betancourt is determined to draw attention to the plight of hostages and victims of terrorism throughout the world and it is that passion that motivates Even Silence Has an End. The lessons she offers here-in courage, resilience, and humanity-are gifts to treasure.

My Review:

What a powerful and heart-wrenching story this was! Ingrid Betancourt is a true survivor who lived through the worst nightmare anyone could imagine. After being abducted by a terrorist group called FARC, Ingrid suffered immeasurable abuse, the harshest of conditions, disease, insect bites, and illness deep in the Colombian jungle. For six and half years she was a puppet, manipulated and mistreated, often starving for food and drink, being forced to use bathroom conditions that were sub-human, sleeping quarters that often left her laying soaking in the rain with a chain around neck and attached at the other end to a tree to prevent escape. Miraculously, she did manage to escape on several different occasions only to be caught and dragged back to the camp and re-chained. Her last escape netted her an entire week of freedom with a fellow prisoner but she also received the harshest treatment after that final escape attempt.

I was completely mesmerized by the story and the faith, stamina, and resilience Ingrid showed in the face of such dire adversity. An immensely strong and brave woman, Ingrid often fought her jailers and spoke up for kind treatment of her fellow prisoners, often earning herself even crueller treatment.

This is one book that I think everyone should read. You can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to live under the conditions Ingrid did for as long as she did. Just the mental exhaustion and anxiety alone would have been enough to do me in. I certainly hope and pray that Ingrid has healed well and has had a smooth transition back into her family and with her children after enduring what she did for six and a half years.

Even Silence has an End is a hugely powerful story!

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Feb 13, 2012 Jana rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a grad student, I traveled to Paris several times to do research and frequently saw posters of Ingrid Betancourt, asking for her release from Columbian kidnappers. So, when I saw this audiobook, I was excited to have the chance to hear her story.

This memoir is an account of her 6 years in the Colombian jungle after being kidnapped by the revolutionary FARC from 2002-2008. Truly, it is a difficult story to read... awful in terms of the treatment of Betancourt and her fellow prisoners, and als...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Jess Michaelides rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Very interesting book. The premise is fascinasting - a French-Columbian politician captured by guerilla terrorists in Columbia and kept captive in the jungle for 6 years. It's really hard to imagine something like that happening, it would almost seeem to much to cope with, but this author did live through it and survived to tell the story. But she doesn't come across as a shining hero. It's hard to judge someone who went through what she went through, but there is just something about her and th...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a very difficult book to read. The details of the author's years in captivity were so horrifying, sometimes I had to pretend I was reading fiction because the notion that it was a memoir was tough to accept. I thought about putting the book down many times and not finishing it, but I plowed through to the end becauase I figured I would learn valuable lessons from the reading experience. These are the insights I gained:

1)I was already against drugs before, but now that I've realized some...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a heartbreaking story...when you hear about people abducted and held captive, it seems to be a natural human inclination to think to yourself "well, there must be something about that person that makes them deserve to be help prisoner." I feel I've been guilty of this myself, despite my intense following of Amnesty International, and my attempts to educate myself. I think we do this because it is so overwhelming to think about the suffering that happens to innocent people; this book, the st...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-nonfiction

Even Silence Has an End: my 6 Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle, by Ingrid Detancourt, Narrated by Margaret Nichols, produced by Penguin Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Ingrid Detancourt, first educated in France and then returned to Colombia, was in the Colombian legislature. She decided to run for president representing an environmental party. While campaigning, she was kidnapped by the guerillas, called Farc, and was held captive for 6-1/2 years in the jungle. This is the story, i...more

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May 17, 2011 Maureen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

This was a compelling book about what must have been a horrendous experience for the author, to have been held hostage in the jungles of Columbia for 6 years. Horrible living conditions, humiliating treatment, the lack of of the most basics of modern life, including books when you had hours with nothing to do. I thought the story was slow at first and I didn't think I would finish it but as it went along I became more and more enthralled with the characters and the author's way of dealing with h...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is Ingrid Betancourt's account of her capture and six year jungle imprisonment by FARC at the time she was a presidential candidate in Columbia. The author gives a straight forward chronicle of her ordeal, and describes the humiliating, mind-numbing daily routine to which she was subjected, as well as her efforts to escape and the punishment inflicted on her when she was caught again. At times I felt my skin crawling when she detailed the 25 feet giant snakes, poisonous canga ants, jag...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book had such an effect on me that when I awoke through the night,I found that I had Ingrid on my mind, thinking about her struggles to survive her ordeal in the Colombian jungle as though she was still there and not actually free. Ingrid Betancourt,born in Colombia in 1961, raised in France and England, was campaigning for the Colombian presidency in February,2002, when she was abducted by the FARC. They are a brutal terrorist guerrilla organization and they held her hostage along with man...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Liana rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a hard one, I practically don't even know what to write for this review other than the book was, well, slow. But, of course it was slow, Ingrid spent 6 harrowing years in the jungles of the Amazon biding time by listening to the radio, lying in a hammock, hiking through hundreds of miles of never-ending forest, rivers, and oceans of pain in the absence of emotional attachment and dealing with manipulative forms of torture and humiliation. I respect the fact that Ingrid had the audacity a...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Josephine Merkle marked it as to-read

This is the Amazon review of this book. I heard an interview with the author on NPR on 9/24/10 and can't wait to read the book.

Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith.

Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violenc...more This is the Amazon review of this book. I heard an interview with the author on NPR on 9/24/10 and can't wait to read the book.

Ingrid Betancourt tells the story of her captivity in the Colombian jungle, sharing powerful teachings of resilience, resistance, and faith.

Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In 2002, while campaigning as a candidate in the Colombian presidential elections, she was abducted by the FARC. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next. She would spend the next six and a half years in the depths of the jungle as a prisoner of the FARC. Even Silence Has an End is her deeply personal and moving account of that time. Chained day and night for much of her captivity, she never stopped dreaming of escape and, in fact, succeeded in getting away several times, always to be recaptured. In her most successful effort she and a fellow captive survived a week away, but were caught when her companion became desperately ill; she learned later that they had been mere miles from freedom.

The facts of her story are astounding, but it is Betancourt's indomitable spirit that drives this very special account, bringing life, nuance, and profundity to the narrative. Attending as intimately to the landscape of her mind as she does to the events of her capture and captivity, Even Silence Has an End is a meditation on the very stuff of life-fear and freedom, hope and what inspires it. Betancourt tracks her metamorphosis, sharing how in the routines she established for herself-listening to her mother and two children broadcast to her over the radio, daily prayer-she was able to do the unthinkable: to move through the pain of the moment and find a place of serenity.

Freed in 2008 by the Colombian army, today Betancourt is determined to draw attention to the plight of hostages and victims of terrorism throughout the world and it is that passion that motivates Even Silence Has an End. The lessons she offers here-in courage, resilience, and humanity-are gifts to treasure.
About the Author
Born December 25, 1961, in Bogotá, Colombia, Ingrid Betancourt was a politician and presidential candidate celebrated for her determination to combat widespread corruption. In 2002 she was taken hostage by the FARC, a brutal terrorist guerrilla organization. For more than six and a half years, the FARC held her hostage in the Colombian jungle. She was rescued on July 2, 2008. (less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Jenni rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I really did enjoy reading this book, and it has compelled me to want to learn more. That being said, I really feel that Betancourt was overly wordy, and I was confused a few times about her timeline. It didn't always make sense. She went into such detail that I find it all a bit hard to believe for 100%... For as sick as she was at times, she sure did seem to remember a lot, down to (less than) the month. Of course, I can't judge her too much on this as I have (quite thankfully) never been thro...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Maurice Conchis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Historien om en frank/columbiansk politken, der dummer sig og bliver taget til fange af FARC.

Det meste af bogen går med at beskrive grønne grene og flytninger til nye lejre. Men også hendes gentagne mislykkede forsøg på at flygte, hvor jeg flere gange blev forundret over, hvor uigennemtænkt hendes handlinger var, hvilket aldrig rigtig gav en mulighed for sympati.

Oftest virker hun selvretfærdig- og hævdende, og det var svært ikke at blive træt af hendes plapren løs om, hvor god hun var - alt til...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

What's the story?:

From Goodreads: "Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In 2002, while campaigning as a candidate in the Colombian presidential elections, she was abducted by the FARC. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next. She would spend the n...more What's the story?:

From Goodreads: "Born in Bogotá, raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at the age of thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to become a political leader in a country that was being slowly destroyed by terrorism, violence, fear, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In 2002, while campaigning as a candidate in the Colombian presidential elections, she was abducted by the FARC. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next. She would spend the next six and a half years in the depths of the jungle as a prisoner of the FARC. Even Silence Has an End is her deeply personal and moving account of that time. Chained day and night for much of her captivity, she never stopped dreaming of escape and, in fact, succeeded in getting away several times, always to be recaptured. In her most successful effort she and a fellow captive survived a week away, but were caught when her companion became desperately ill; she learned later that they had been mere miles from freedom.

The facts of her story are astounding, but it is Betancourt's indomitable spirit that drives this very special account, bringing life, nuance, and profundity to the narrative. Attending as intimately to the landscape of her mind as she does to the events of her capture and captivity, Even Silence Has an End is a meditation on the very stuff of life-fear and freedom, hope and what inspires it. Betancourt tracks her metamorphosis, sharing how in the routines she established for herself-listening to her mother and two children broadcast to her over the radio, daily prayer-she was able to do the unthinkable: to move through the pain of the moment and find a place of serenity."

My two cents:

I can't imagine that I would do well if I were captured. I would be absolutely terrified and I could see myself losing hope quickly. You have to give Betancourt credit; she never really seems to lose hope even after all of her escape attempts. She becomes a sort-of cheerleader for the other prisoners that she is with. Their captors go back and forth between being kind and being harsh and the prisoners never really knew what to expect. Because Betancourt represented the government establishment being a presidential candidate, she is often singled out in her treatment yet she perseveres.

As a book lover, I really liked the part where the prisoners have the opportunity to share a box of books. They only have two weeks to read the books before they have to give them back. The prisoners dive into the books and the books really provide an escape from the fear, terror and even boredom that came from being in captivity.

My only criticism of the book is that sometimes the book moved a little slowly but all in all, this book is definitely an amazing account of hope and resilience.

My rating:

3 out of 5 stars(less)

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Mar 19, 2011 Josephine rated it 3 of 5 stars

You spend a little over six years in captivity in the Colombian jungle together — tortured, sick, and hopeless — and you’d think that, once you’re free, all you’d really care about is the fact that the nightmare has finally come to an end.

But, in a day and age where surviving an especially shitty chapter in your life almost requires that you write a memoir to forever document this painful period in your life, it’s really no surprise to find a book like Ingrid Betancourt’s “Even Silence Has An E...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-affairs, nonfiction, south-america, totally-unexpected

As an example of its type, the hostage memoir, this book will go down as one of the best. It is a towering achievement to have conceived and written a book like this after one's release, for as fellow captive Clara Rojas wrote in her memoir Captive, "going back isn't easy", even in one's mind, to remember and relive the period of captivity. However, the level of detail about one's daily life in the Amazon jungle is patently fascinating, even to those of us who have no intention of spending any t...more As an example of its type, the hostage memoir, this book will go down as one of the best. It is a towering achievement to have conceived and written a book like this after one's release, for as fellow captive Clara Rojas wrote in her memoir Captive, "going back isn't easy", even in one's mind, to remember and relive the period of captivity. However, the level of detail about one's daily life in the Amazon jungle is patently fascinating, even to those of us who have no intention of spending any time there. For an explorer, scientist, or government operative, this is required reading.

Think me a fool, but that a public figure (Ingrid Betancourt, long-shot presidential candidate) could write a book of such power and clarity and filled with personal observations and motivations, reminded me of the only other memoir of similar power in recent memory written by another long-shot presidential candidate, Barak Obama Dreams from my Father. Equally riveting, though entirely of a different character, Even Silence has an End tells us much about the nature of the individual who could observe dispassionately (and sometimes passionately) in the face of complications difficult to imagine: terror, sickness, pain, and boredom.

As I read I became aware of the sometimes poisonous relationships that developed among the hostages and between the hostages and their FARC captors. An earlier memoir I'd tried to read, Out of Captivity became immediately relevant, as each book references the authors of the other. As a result, I subsequently read Rojas' Captive , which reminded me of the mind-numbing boredom of my earlier attempt with Out of Captivity . The fight in Colombia between government forces and FARC rebels has always felt out of my realm, and those two books did not make make our worlds intersect in any significant way. Betancourt's book, however, brought that whole world right up close and personal, and I am there: involved, interested, engaged. Clearly Betancourt arouses strong emotions, both support and opposition, even as she did as a captive. But until the opposition can speak with such a clearly rational and obviously humane and--this is critical--a truly interesting voice, Betancourt's version of events is the one I will choose to remember.(less)

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Jun 20, 2011 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: librarybooks

‘If I could remain inaccessible. I might avoid the worst.’

Ingrid Betancourt was born in Bogota, Colombia in 1961, and was raised in France. In 1991 Ms Betancourt returned to Colombia, and held a variety of government positions before deciding, in 2001, to run for the presidency of Colombia in the election scheduled for 2002. It was during her presidential campaign, on 23 February 2002, that Ms Betancourt was captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a terrorist organization....more ‘If I could remain inaccessible. I might avoid the worst.’

Ingrid Betancourt was born in Bogota, Colombia in 1961, and was raised in France. In 1991 Ms Betancourt returned to Colombia, and held a variety of government positions before deciding, in 2001, to run for the presidency of Colombia in the election scheduled for 2002. It was during her presidential campaign, on 23 February 2002, that Ms Betancourt was captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a terrorist organization. While the FARC’s objective was to exchange Ms Betancourt and other hostages for members of their organization being held by the Colombian government, Ms Betancourt remained a prisoner until being rescued on 2 July 2008.

‘There are things that are more important than life.’

‘Even Silence Has an End’ is Ms Betancourt’s account of her captivity and survival. Ms Betancourt’s experiences, and those of the other hostages, are almost unimaginable. Ms Betancourt spent almost 6 and a half years imprisoned deep in the Colombian jungle, frequently moving from one location to another and living in filthy conditions. Ms Betancourt escaped several times, but was recaptured each time and punished. She faced malnutrition and illness, was abused by her captors and, at times, was literally kept in chains.

‘When you’re chained by the neck to a tree and deprived of everything … Well, it took me several years to realize, but you still have the most important freedom of all: that is, the freedom to choose what kind of person you want to be.’

I read this book after hearing an interview with Ingrid Betancourt in Australia recently. My knowledge of the history and politics of Colombia is comparatively limited, and I hoped to learn more as a consequence of reading Ms Betancourt’s book. On the political and historical fronts, the book raises more questions than it provides answers. As a personal account of an horrific set of experiences, it is a tribute to Ms Betancourt’s spirit and strength of character. Ms Betancourt’s is one story: there are others as well, and I will be looking to read at least some of them.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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Jan 10, 2013 Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

In February 2002, Betancourt, a senator running for president of Colombia, was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. A dual Colombian-French national, she is honored in France as a courageous activist who took great risks in the pursuit of peace but provokes controversy in Colombia.
Even Silence Has an End is Betancourt's incredible story of her survival. She fought humiliation, abuse, starvation, and lack of medical care during her captivity. Several times Betancourt...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Mebhe added it · review of another edition

Ce livre se lit comme un roman d'aventures. On oublie rapidement qu'il s'agit d'une histoire vraie, celle de l'ex-otage franco-colombienne aux mains des FARC, monnaie d'échange politique. J'ai été happée par le récit dès les premières lignes. On passe de l'autre côté du miroir avec des scènes parfois surréalistes (les FARC et les otages jouant ensemble à des jeux de société, mais aussi faisant la fête!), quelques personnages FARC attachants (eh oui!) mais aussi la dure réalité de la guerre avec...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Alisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an amazing book. I was very inspired and challenged by her experience in captivity. I so badly wanted her to be released but I did not want the book to end. I would love to meet this woman some day.
Here's one of the many great quotes from the book:
“Having lost all my freedom and, with it, everything that mattered to me – my children, my mom, my life and my dreams – with my neck chained to a tree – not able to move around, to talk, to eat and to drink, to carry out my most basic bodily n...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Jan Reynolds rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was captivated by this book. Her description of her journey from one guerrilla camp after another encompasses so much: her encounters with terrifying and deadly jungle insects,animals & climate, her personal struggle to maintain her dignity and spirit, her courage & ingenuity in undertaking several escape attempts, the isolation, animosity and occasional bonds that formed among the hostages, the personalities and lifestyle of the FARC guerrillas, many of them young woman,... and much....more

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Feb 22, 2011 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, nonfiction

This whole story is really intriguing, the American hostages as well as her campaign manager both wrote books, Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle and Captive, and a quick Google search shows that there's apparently no love lost between them. A hostage situation turns into a financial bonanza for its captives, I think that's the last outcome a Marxist group like FARC had in mind when they kidnapped everyone. As for the book, even though it probably has its fair share o...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an amazing story that particularly focuses on how captivity affects one psychologically. I found her relationships with the other hostages to be particularly intriguing, especially as the hostages become desperate. You see how even educated, well-balanced adults become petty when confined together with little resources for survival.

I am amazed by her courage as she tries to maintain her humanity and identity despite the poor conditions. Further, her strength and cunning with her variou...more

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Dec 03, 2010 Veronica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: en-français, non-fiction, best-books-2010

After everything that's been said about Ingrid Betancourt, I was curious to read this. It is a long book (it certainly could have been shorter by 100 pages or so) but I found it compelling, the kind of book I think about even when I’m not reading it. There’s so much I could say about this book and my reaction to it, so this will be a long and rambling review. If you can’t be bothered with my review, my bottom-line recommendation is read the book, and make up your own mind.

Betancourt evokes the c...more

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About Ingrid Betancourt

Former Colombian politician, mostly known for being kidnapped by the FARC.

Was voted in the Colombian congress in 1998 and was kidnapped by the FARC in 2002 during her presidential campaign until she was freed in 2008.

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Books by Ingrid Betancourt

Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia

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“I was discovering that the most precious gift someone can give us is time, because what gives time its value is death.” — 10 people liked it

“He looked at the world from above. Where I saw threatening waves, he saw tranquil water.” — 5 people liked it

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Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle

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