Santillana Launches Ingrid Betancourt's New Book 'No hay silencio que no termine'
MIAMI, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ --
"When you are subject to extreme cruelty and violence, you are confronted with a choice: you can allow you inner beast to take control of you, or you can seek love and humility instead. In captivity, making that decision on a day to day basis was the only freedom I had left. I came to understand that this was what kept me alive." —Ingrid Betancourt
The story of Ingrid Betancourt's abduction by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and years of captivity in Colombia made headlines around the globe; in 2008, the world watched as she was reunited with her family after her dramatic rescue by the Colombian army. Now, in "NO HAY SILENCIO QUE NO TERMINE", Betancourt for the first time gives the full account of her capture and imprisonment, sharing the incredible and deeply personal story of her struggle to hold on to her humanity and compassion through years of hardship, isolation, and fear in the Amazon jungle.
Born in Bogota and raised in France, Ingrid Betancourt at age thirty-two gave up a life of comfort and safety to return to Colombia to fight against political corruption. Abducted while campaigning as a Presidential candidate in 2002, for the next six and a half years Betancourt was held prisoner in the depths of the jungle. Along with her fellow captives, she was subjected to hunger, physical exhaustion from forced marches, lack of medical care, and the constant threat of violence and execution, as well as being chained at the neck night and day. Betancourt, with an almost photographic memory, movingly describes how one's sense of being human can slowly fade away.
Rarely described so eloquently or in such detail, "NO HAY SILENCIO QUE NO TERMINE" recreates a world filled with torment, petty jealousies and paranoia. Refusing to give in to the dehumanizing effects of her circumstances, she finds an inner strength that is able to sustain her: she devotes herself to daily prayer, to the study of a treasured dictionary that becomes her "university in a box," to the life-affirming radio dispatches sent by her mother and two children. She devises meticulous plans for escape. Steeling herself for survival in the dense, unforgiving Amazon wild, again and again Betancourt risks the relative safety of imprisonment for a chance at freedom.
"NO HAY SILENCIO QUE NO TERMINE" brings together not only a vivid picture of life in captivity, but also something more precious and rare – a portrait of the spiritual transformation that allowed Betancourt to move through the pain of the moment and find a place of serenity.
Ingrid Betancourt, born December 25, 1961, in Bogota, Colombia, was a politician and presidential candidate celebrated for her determination to combat widespread corruption. In 2002 she was taken hostage by the FARC, a brutal terrorist guerilla organization. For more than six and a half years, the FARC held her hostage in the Colombian jungle. She was rescued on July 2, 2008.
The book, published by Santillana under the editorial imprint Aguilar, will be available in bookstores nationwide on September 21st, 2010.
SANTILLANA AUTHORIZES THE TOTAL OR PARTIAL REPRODUCTION OF THIS ARTICLE FOR PURPOSES OF ADVERTISING THE ABOVEMENTIONED WORK.
SOURCE Santillana USA Publishing
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