A journalist and eyewitness investigates the 1985 guerilla insurgency and bloody military coup that ended Colombian democracy and marked a break with the country's previous history, through interviews with dozens of key participants. National ad/promo.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Carrigan's chilling book is a reconstruction of the most spectacular magnicidio ("slaughter of great men") in Colombian history. This tragic event occurred in 1985 when guerrillas of the M-19 Revolutionary Movement invaded the Palace of Justice in Bogota and made hostages of the 300-plus civilians in the building. Carrigan recounts how Chief Justice Alfonso Reyes unsuccessfully sought rescue from President of the Republic Belasario Betancur, who cravenly turned the affair over to the military. In the Army's nightmarish counterattack, the troops killed guerrillas and civilians indiscriminately, including Reyes and 10 other justices of the country's supreme court, plus uncounted others. Carrigan's vivid description of this horror is followed by an account of a classic whitewash by the government, in which she remarks that the very concept of justice seems to have died in Colombia, as rampant violence against judges continues. A Colombian-Irish writer and filmmaker, Carrigan is the author of Salvador Witness: The Life and Calling of Jean Donovan. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
As current events in Colombia demonstrate, military solutions to social problems too often end in tragedy. A pseudo-democracy, Colombia has suffered escalating violence and military/drug-lord repression since 1948. Even a seat on the Supreme Court has been far too dangerous for anyone from the upper classes. Seizure of the high court building in November 1985 was not directed at the justices, who were generally sympathetic to the guerrillas' cause, but rather at the puppet president to force him to honor accords he had made with the disenchanted Left despite military wishes to the contrary. As in Waco, Texas, a stupid test of wills erupted; betrayal of the executive by the military assured a bloody outcome. So fearful are the survivors that the distorted official cover-up has persisted until this expose. Carrigan, an Irish/Colombian journalist and filmmaker, has written a very authoritive investigation of a difficult topic. Well worth buying.
- Louise Leonard, Univ. of Florida Libs., Gainesville
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Louise Leonard, Univ. of Florida Libs., Gainesville
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Palace of Justice: A Colombian Tragedy (Hardcover)
A very enjoyable book about a very bloody and unfortunate event in Colombia`s recent history. As a Colombian I can vouch for the accuracy of the events the author describes. I want to congratulate the author and at the same time recommend this book to everyone.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book on this elusive theme...,
By "begutierrez" (Bogotá, Colombia.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Palace of Justice: A Colombian Tragedy (Hardcover)
This book is truly the most complete investigation on those two intense and definitive days in recent Colombian history. Told with gripping narrative, it is hard to put down: it took me only three days to read. As a Colombian, for me it is also a source of profound sadness, because the book, through its tale, illustrates all the workings of colombian politics, with all its lies, manipulations, self-interests, and lack of any decent statemanship and generosity. Except for a few personalities, all the actors in this drama show an inmense human mediocrity, from the president of the nation on down. Also, it shows the brutality of an armed force that has always been distinguished by its corruption and incompetence in the field of battle. This book should be mandatory reading for anybody interested in Colombian politics, history and society.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerizing,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Palace of Justice: A Colombian Tragedy (Hardcover)
.This is an utterly brilliant book. . Ana Carrigan provides a meticulously researched and detailed account of a climactic event in the ongoing Colombian violence. The significance of this saga is not in its direct effects but the insight into the workings and priorities of the Colombian government and military revealed to us by this moment of crisis. The author gives the critical background to the saga and covers in detail the political maneuvering and subsequent Orwellian "official explanation" of what really happened. . Read this book. If it's out-of-print, harangue the publisher.
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