Kidnapped: A Diary of My 373 days in Captivity

by Leszli Kálli, Kristina Cordero (Translator)

"It all happened so fast that even now, a month later, I still have trouble believing it, and I have to tell myself over and over Leszli, you have been kidnapped."

On April 12, 1999, Leszli Kálli boarded a plane in Colombia to work on a kibbutz in Israel, but she never made it. The plane was hijacked by a leftist guerrilla group and forced to land on an abandoned runway in the jungle. Leszli, along with her father and the other passengers, were held hostage for 373 days. Her diary reveals her innermost thoughts, darkest fears, and visions of hope.

Leszli vividly presents this painful time in her trapped, held at gunpoint, and never knowing if she would live to see another day. Although never close before, the bond between her and her father grows as they provide one another with vital support. Alienated as the only woman in her group, she maintains her guard but finds comfort caring for animals, including a tarantula living beneath her bed. As the pages of her diary unfold, so, too, does the incredible story of one girl's fight for survival against overwhelming odds.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Leszli Kálli is a Colombian-born author who was kidnapped and held for slightly more than a year by Colombian leftist guerrillas. The diary she kept to record her experiences was published in February, 2007.

Leszli Kálli was born and raised in Bucaramanga, Colombia. On 12 April 1999, Kálli boarded a plane in Colombia to work on a kibbutz in Israel. Part-way through the trip, the plane was hijacked by a leftist guerrilla group and forced to land on an abandoned runway in the jungle . Kálli, along with her father and the other passengers, were held hostage for 373 days. During this time she kept a diary, which was made into a book, Kidnapped: A Diary of My 373 days in Captivity, that was published in February 2007. She lives in Canada under United Nations witness protection.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Mackenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf at 56%.

If I had to finish this book before reading any other book, I’d never read again.

[Abigail]

I can't. I just can't. I stumbled on this book at the library. I pulled it off the shelf, read the back and proceeded to read 13 pages while standing there. I was like "This is great!" and checked it out. Then I started reading more...

Oh. Gosh.
Why?
I understand, ok? I understand that this is a real life diary of real life Leszli Kalli. I understand that real life diary books aren't like made up diary books. There's no plot and it's the person's thoughts. I understand the girl is 18. But dear goodness. Being held hostage, you'd think she'd have something interesting to say...

Nope.

"I'm being held hostage. It's boring."
"I ate 20 crackers with mayo today, then I felt fat so I threw up."
"I'm bored."
"I read a book today."
"I hate it here."
"This isn't fair."
"I'm bored."
"I feel fat so I didn't eat today."
"I'm bored."
"I hate the guys here, they're dumb."
"I'm bored."
"I ate dinner then I felt fat so I threw up."
"This isn't fair."
"I'm bored."
"I'm going to break up with Diego when I get home."
"I'm bored."

The kicker for me is when she went on this rant about the animals the guerrillas kept. She talks about how the chickens are supposed to get scraps from people's food, but there are never scraps and so the "Poor things" have to live off bugs. Um... yeah... chickens like eating bugs.

I just kind of wanted to slap her. I'm surprised her kidnappers didn't. The crazy thing is that she was on her way to Israel to work on a Kibbutz for six months. To get away from the boredom of her life in the city. I think if she'd made it, her diary would've been the same thing.

And so, it is with a heavy heart that I admit I did not finish this book at page 147.

[Bobbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually do not read memoirs. however I read this one because,unlike so many other memoirs writers out there, this young woman actually had something significant enough happen to her to warrant writing one. However, her writing was poor. The book is not so much a story of what happened to her, but rather a summary of events, which was kind of boring. I like a story. also her attitude in this book was irritating. She'd been kidnapped for god sakes, I don't want to hear about her struggles with constipation and binge eating, or listen to her whine for several pages about how her other co captives were so mean to her. Instead of just publishing her diary, she should have worked with a ghost writer to produce something more professional.

[Pandora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this girl but just couldnt. I cannot imagine how I would turn out during a year in captivity but I would like to think I would go through phases that at least worked in being a better person at some point. She is whiny and selfish from the beginning and it never changes. I would have liked to have an epilogue 6 months later or a year to see how her life has changed once released. Not worth the read.

[Yenyok · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, period! I believed she is very open to show how her moods were in the selva while dealing with a bunch of adult men that wants to get sex from her. I was able to feel her thru all the book reading because those men should be ashamed of all what the tried to get from a 18 yr old girl. Thx G-od her father was there to keep an eye on the situation. I read many books about Colombian kidnaps and all matched saying that people show the best of their mediocre existence while in captivity. Its incredible how human can endure so much under those circumstances.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!!!!

[Astrid Bennett · Rating 1 out of 5]

No Finish date just because it's so boring I couldn't ugh