An interesting read

I recently finished reading 'Even Silence Has An End' by Ingrid Betancourt.   It was one of those books that I just happened to pick up on the clearance table at Barnes and Noble for no real reason other than it was half-price.  I took it into the cafe and was hooked from the first chapter.   WOW!   I even had a little bit of $$ left on a gift card so it didn't cost me a penny to buy it but it's one of the best books I've read in awhile. 

The book is her story of what life was like being held captive by FARC, the revolutionary armed forces of Columbia, for 6 1/2 years.  SIX AND A HALF YEARS!!!   That's so hard to imagine, isn't it?   

At the time of her kidnapping, Ms. Betancourt was a presidential candidate in Columbia running with the Green Party.  Born in Bogota, but raised in France, she had the pleasure of being comfortable in both countries.  Having been married and had two children and also a career in politics, it seemed her life was interesting and full.   And then in a few hours of one day that life was forever changed.   While off on what was supposed to be a day of campaigning, she was taken prisoner by armed guerrillas and forced deep into the Columbian jungle.

The initial horror of being taken captive would have probably scared me to death right then and there.  But she survived those first few hours and those hours turned into days and then weeks and when it got to be months.... how do you even keep going.  And then to find that years have gone by.  I just kept thinking, OH NO I would never make it.  I guess it's the hope that the conflict will be resolved and since there is nothing else to do, you try to wait it out.  And maybe make a plan to escape.  She did try a few times, but each attempt failed and she was recaptured.  

There were others held against their will by FARC when she was taken.  Some were political prisoners, others were captured military personnel.  They all shared in the horror of their situation.  For days and weeks at a time, they would be forced to relocate to different parts of the jungle so that the camps were not discovered by anyone trying to make a rescue attempt.  The jungle itself, while very beautiful in some ways, was really quite brutal, especially for those who have no experience with it.  Lack of good sunlight, heat and humidity during the day and near freezing at night, an abundance of scary wildlife.  And add to that being chained by the neck at times and having armed guards ready and willing to kill you at a moment's notice.  This book was hard to read.  But yet very intriguing as well.   She doesn't write it out of hatred.   Parts were almost poetic in some ways. 

A few of the people detained with Ingrid also wrote books after their release.   I didn't buy those but did read a good bit of them while at B&N and their stories are also very intense.  At times they were in agreement with things that Ingrid talked about,  but they had conflicting views about other things.   It's hard to imagine how you would act in such a horrendous situation, but I think you'de hope that the prisoners would all be caring, understanding,  and tolerant of each other because they are all going thru it together.  But that wasn't always the case.  If one prisoner seemed to get better treatment than another one that might be cause for certain people to distance themselves from each other.  If one took a little more food out of the pot than another one did, there is another reason for anger to arise.   At times, they would be allowed certain items like a radio or books but there was occasional bickering about those things too.  If someone didn't share something or took too long washing, etc., etc.   Personality clashes happen everywhere I guess.  Also, some of the issues might have been occasionally nstigated by FARC to keep them all at a distance from each other. 

I don't know how many people are currently being held in the jungle there.  I read that there is another hostage release planned for next week and 5 will be released.   One of them has been held for 8 years.  And there are others who have been there even longer than that.  A man who was released last year had been a prisoner for over 12 years.   He was only 18 when he was captured so now he's a grown man.  But age and time doesn't matter to FARC as there are soldiers who are mere teenagers when they are recruited into the organization.  Some of the prisoners talked of what a shame that was to see and one said in an interview after his release that there are military and amnesty groups who do try to get those young guerrillas to leave.  It's not easy, because many of them have no real family or are not educated to anything but that way of life, but some do manage to get out.    

I know that as long as there are political conflicts and war there will be hostage situations but it just boggles my mind how people are able to survive in those conditions for as long as they do.  Yes, some die, because of health problems or because they are murdered but so many can only try and cope with what has happened and find some way of living through it.  One of the American hostages being held with Ingrid widdled chess pieces out of wood and used cardboard as the playing board.  Some of them were taught by FARC how to weave belts and at times they got basic sewing supplies for mending clothes.  And of course, some clung to their spiritual or religious beliefs to get thru the long days. 

Reading this book got me thinking about assorted things....

Even though the FARC was originally started as a revolutionary group, they are now involved in kidnapping, cocaine trafficking, etc. and are viewed by many as terrorists. Should organizations like that be dealt with harshly... as in zero tolerance and no negotiations or should governments work with them to free hostages by giving in to some of their demands, such as money or the freeing of their own people who we have imprisoned? 

If you were a hostage and allowed to request a few basic personal items, what would they be?