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My Colombian War: A Journey Through the Country I Left Behind
A timely, evocative account of a reporter's reckoning with her homeland's volatile past Growing up in the coastal city of Barranquilla, Colombia, Silvana Paternostro indulged in the typical concerns of a privileged young girl: friendships and parties, school and family. But soon it became apparent that life in Colombia would not go on as usual. Strange planes appeared...more
Hardcover, 323 pages
Published
November 13th 2007
by Henry Holt and Co.
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This is a well-researched, richly detailed, insightful and approachable book about Colombia and its internal conflict - told through the personal tale of an expat Colombian journalist returning to her country and asking “what the heck is going on down there” and “how do I feel about my Colombian heritage”.
I am pretty well versed in Colombia’s situation. And I still learned from this book. She does an admirable job giving a sweeping look at the problems in Colombia: from the War of a ...more
I am pretty well versed in Colombia’s situation. And I still learned from this book. She does an admirable job giving a sweeping look at the problems in Colombia: from the War of a ...more
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I wrote something; my computer stalled as I posted it, and it never did go up as a review, so, I'll try again. My Colombian War is is an extremely informative and insightful journal about Ms. Paternostro's (former) homeland. I didn't find it disorganized at all as another reviewer commented. Paternostro's story is very personal yet examines broader complicated issues of a country rampant with terrorism and a population with the ability to function anyway. The AUC, FARC, paras, rebels, costenos...more
I really enjoyed this book. It's the true story of a woman journalist who was raised in the U.S. who goes back to her homeland of Colombia to cover the wars there. It's an interesting story of trying to find oneself while reconciling with the current situation raging in the homeland.
This is a journalist's struggle to understand herself and her country of birth. Paternostro, immigrating to the US in 1977 at the age of 15, returns to her native Colombia on assignment for the New York Times. She chronicles Colombia's violent heritage (civil war, drug wars, kidnappings...) as well as her family's.
I found the work insightfl and honest, and though I can appreciate the extensive research put into it, I felt at times there was a lack of clarity, even continuity. But st...more
I found the work insightfl and honest, and though I can appreciate the extensive research put into it, I felt at times there was a lack of clarity, even continuity. But st...more
An interesting personal story of the author's return to her homeland of Colombia. It also provides a great deal information on the country's violent past and present, and how conflicts have affected a family and the Colombian people.
It reminds me of the film "Traffic" in the way that it examines the "War on Drugs" and how it relates to international relations, class conflicts and violence.
It reminds me of the film "Traffic" in the way that it examines the "War on Drugs" and how it relates to international relations, class conflicts and violence.
A Colombian journalist living in New York revisits her homeland to try make sense of the violence. Though I found the writing about her family and her past to be self-absorbed (I guess that was the point of the book), I did actually gain some insight into the historical divisions that have led the country to where it is today.
To a Colombian who also grew up and lives abroad, Paternostro's expatriate angst rings true. That said, it's a bit over-dramatically stated, and the book as a whole is somewhat disorganized. Definitely worth a read though.
An interesting read, if slightly disorganized.
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