Book Review
Patricia A. Wand
RPCV, Colombia 1963-65.Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggleto Reclaim Colombia. Ingrid Betancourt, Translated from the French by Steven Rendall, NY, HarperCollins Publishers, 2002.
For those of us passionate about Colombia and curious about the state of politics there, this book is a must-read. Ingrid Betancourt was born in 1961, the year Peace Corps began service in Colombia. Through her eyes, the reader sees the political scene in Colombia from then until the year 2000.
The daughter of a well-placed Colombian family, Betancourt spent her formative years in Paris where her father served as Colombian ambassador to UNESCO. She married a French diplomat and, with two children, was living the relatively easy life of a diplomatic family when she discovered her passion for her country of origin. Her mother was working on the campaign of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan when he was assassinated in 1989. The ramification of this event helped to thrust Betancourt into the middle of Colombian politics. Returning to Colombia to assist her politically active mother, Betancourt became politically active herself. She saw it as the only way she might contribute to the social change necessary to save her beloved country from widespread corruption and violence.
Her life as change-agent began by working with politicians to plan policy or investigate projects. In March 1994 Betancourt was elected representative to the Colombian congress and in 1998 she won a seat in the Senate, receiving the highest number of votes cast for any candidate. Her numerous courageous efforts to stop corruption and to impose a new standard of ethics on politicians attracted international attention and endeared her to the Colombian electorate. Upon the urging of many, Ingrid Betancourt became a candidate for the presidency in 2002.
But neither her presidential campaign nor her kidnapping by guerrillas in February 2002 are covered in this book. Instead, within its pages, the reader finds details on political activities of Ernesto Samper, Andres Pastrana and many others with whom Betancourt associates through the 1990s. In addition, one learns of the vicious rivalry between Pablo Escobar (Medellin drug cartel) and the Rodriguez brothers (Cali cartel) and of their numerous interactions with politicians and police. One learns about the sacrifices endured by a woman in Colombian politics: pain of divorce, anxiety of multiple threats on her life and her family, and the guilt of unfulfilled motherhood during long separations from her children.
Written like a fast-paced suspense novel, the book informs and intrigues the reader, especially one who shares the authors deep passion for Colombia. As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Colombia, if you harbor questions about your country of service, do read this book.