151 of 177 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating & well-written, September 21, 2010
I managed to get a pre-press copy of this book and was a bit stunned by its heftiness (it's well over 500 pages). But from the moment I cracked the first page, I simply couldn't put it down - I was often so engrossed in it during my commute I'd stay on the bus longer just to finish the particular chapter I was reading! Needless to say, the book is extremely well-written and has a very different tone than Ms. Betancourt's first book. Reading Even Silence Has An End, I felt every blister on her long marches through the jungle, shuddered with cold when she describes having to put on (again and again) damp and fetid clothes, and cringed at every abuse hurled her way by her captors.
I've read numerous other "hostage memoirs" and one thing I appreciate about Ms. Betancourt's book is that she acknowledges how captivity led to behavior she resented in herself. In this way, any negative comment about her fellow hostages is countered by holding up a mirror to herself and realizing that it is the circumstances of their imprisonment, not their characters, which caused strife and bitterness among the group (I applaud her for taking the high road and not resorting to name-calling). My only (minor) criticism is that aside from a brief chapter in the early pages, little is mentioned about her post-hostage life. I would love to read more about her reflections and adjustments, which must have been enormous and challenging, but maybe that's another book in the works.
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67 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You may not always like her, but it's a remarkable tale of survival., September 27, 2010
I read this and then
Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungleto get a broader picture after seeing her on Oprah. Here's the ups and downs of this one for me:
DOWNSIDES:
Much of the time, I was frustrated and annoyed with Betancourt. Despite her being in a REALLY horrific situation, she generally comes across as incredibly arrogant, self-entitled and many times as bratty and foolish. At some points, I almost felt like the FARC would have happily given her back just to be rid of her if she hadn't been so politically important to them.
- She displays a pattern of making reckless decisions, failing to choose her battles with care, not thinking through consequences and deliberately antagonizing her captors. Ultimately, these result in probably much worse treatment for her and others dragged into her sphere.
- She neither details nor takes responsibility for any of her own selfish behaviour, justifying it as things everyone did on occasion given the circumstances. I believe this. But, then she throws Rojas, her initial captive companion, as well as others under the bus about their behaviour in petty detail.
UPSIDES:
Still, here's the thing - it's a fascinating story of survival. She's an exceptionally gifted writer. And, she's incredibly courageous even if sometimes her actions seem misguided or not well thought out.
- I can't imagine a place worse than the Amazon jungle to be held captive - forced marches of days through jungle and swamps, little decent food, bugs, diseases, chains, etc. The FARC are evil. But, she delivers some major inner strength against the challenges she faces, and her survival instincts and behaviour get honed and moderated over time.
- The fact that she is "Daddy's Little Princess" that grew up with everything handed to her on a silver plate, is used to always getting her own way, and is completely ill-equipped to be in this situation and survive it - is what in many ways make's her courage, and strength in dealing with the psychological torture of the situation so remarkable.
SIDENOTE:
I liked her better and had more insight into the situation after reading the other book by the three American prisoners in which one tries to slam her.
- Until then I didn't really piece together as well that "Lucho" was her lover, and that there were a lot of jealousies and politics being played by both guards and prisoners that were working against her as she worked to adapt to the situation. Getting three other perspectives on her and the hostage life is interesting even where they conflict.
- I also found that the one American that mostly tries to throw her under the bus in
Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle is out of line. It seems to be largely a case of "oil and water" being thrown into a really small confinement together. Strong, alpha-male, status-concsious, conservative ex-marine with no respect for strong women gets tossed in with opinionated, image conscious, socialist politician, queen bee, who obviously has some major strength. The results are immediate dislike for each other that guards and prisoners fan the flames upon. After reading both - it's pretty clear they're both strong personalities and survivors that end up taking some cheap potshots at one another.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a fascinating tale of survival. Yes, she comes across as arrogant and self-entitled many times. But, she also displays the major inner strength that allowed her to survive what can only be described as a horrific six years.
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186 of 228 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A controversial story, September 25, 2010
The story of Ingrid Betancourt is controversial. I read her book along with other books written by some of her fellow hostages and here is my recommendation: If you are looking for entertainment, this book can provide that. If you are looking for the full story, all the facts and a fair assessment, you should also read books written by the other hostages, such as "Out of Captivity" published in 2009 and a New York Times Bestseller, an excellent book written by the three Americans who were kidnapped and lived under the same conditions with Betancourt. There are other books available, written by some of the other hostages, there are also articles written in reputable news papers and journals about this subject as well.
Betancourt entered the enemy territory on her own free will after being advised against it by the Colombian government, informed of the dangers involved, and signing a release form stating that she assumed responsibility for entering the FARC territory. This would make her a victim by her own doing. All the other testimony offered by all her fellow hostages, is consistent in portraying Ingrid as an abusive and heartless human being, who was willing to endanger the lives of others to satisfy her needs. This considering that according to the hostages, Ingrid actually received special treatment while she herself treated everyone else in a ruthless manner. There are readers who would justify Ingrid's behavior due to the extreme conditions that all the hostages were subjected to. However, one would have to wonder, if all the hostages faced the same extreme conditions, why did no other hostage besides Ingrid, allegedly become vicious and abusive. And hasn't history shown us, that it is when conditions get difficult and painful that the character of a real hero or a real villain rises to the surface? To make a fair assessment, we need to read the testimony from the other hostages that were present, including other women. After the rescue, Ingrid gave validity to her stained image of being greedy and heartless, when the other hostages, including the three Americans showed gratitude to those who endangered their lives to save them, and Betancourt instead, decided to sue them, and only until it became evident that all the evidence and testimony pointed against her did she agree to drop the charges.
I conclude that it is natural for Betancourt to try to repair her image, but I can't ignore the consistency in the different story told by her fellow hostages, who portray Ingrid as a very different person than what she portrays her self to be, in her own book.
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