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The Violence: My Family's Colombian War
A powerful chronicle of Colombia’s descent into decades of civil war through the lens of an intimate, multi-generational tale of upheaval and betrayal.
When presumed president-elect Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, champion of the working class and harbinger of a new era of progressive social change, is assassinated on the eve of Colombia’s 1948 presidential election, the capital is plunged into bloodshed. So begins a singularly brutal period of Colombia’s history known simply as la violencia—a bloody civil war that spawned decades of turmoil and splintered the country into ever-shifting factions.
The Violence is an intimate history of this conflict—told not from the political center of the war but from the mountainous finca that Adriana E. Ramírez’s family tended to for generations, and through the eyes of her formidable grandmother, Esther. With startling lyricism, Ramírez illuminates the specter of violence—from guerilla warfare to the brutalities found so often in romantic relationships to the spontaneous and senseless violence steeped into everyday Colombian life during this period—and the threat that it poses to a country, and a family, that is trying to stay whole. Gracefully braiding together macrohistory, family history, and personal narrative, Adriana E. Ramírez traces these parallel stories of upheaval in a sweeping portrait of a country and family in flux.
When presumed president-elect Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, champion of the working class and harbinger of a new era of progressive social change, is assassinated on the eve of Colombia’s 1948 presidential election, the capital is plunged into bloodshed. So begins a singularly brutal period of Colombia’s history known simply as la violencia—a bloody civil war that spawned decades of turmoil and splintered the country into ever-shifting factions.
The Violence is an intimate history of this conflict—told not from the political center of the war but from the mountainous finca that Adriana E. Ramírez’s family tended to for generations, and through the eyes of her formidable grandmother, Esther. With startling lyricism, Ramírez illuminates the specter of violence—from guerilla warfare to the brutalities found so often in romantic relationships to the spontaneous and senseless violence steeped into everyday Colombian life during this period—and the threat that it poses to a country, and a family, that is trying to stay whole. Gracefully braiding together macrohistory, family history, and personal narrative, Adriana E. Ramírez traces these parallel stories of upheaval in a sweeping portrait of a country and family in flux.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2026
About the author
Adriana E. Ramírez
6 books41 followersAdriana E. Ramírez is an author, critic, and poet based in Pittsburgh. She won the inaugural PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize in 2015 for her novella-length work of nonfiction, Dead Boys (Little A, 2016). Her reviews, essays, and poems have also appeared in The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, ESPN’s The Undefeated, Los Angeles Review of Books, Guernica/PEN America, and Literary Hub among others. She once reviewed books for People Magazine. She and novelist Angie Cruz founded Aster(ix) Journal, a literary journal giving voice to the censored and the marginalized. Her debut full-length work of nonfiction, The Violence, is forthcoming from Scribner. She writes twice a week, edits InReview, and is a member editorial board for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She once lost terribly on Jeopardy!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 31, 2026
This is a remarkable biography on the author’s grandmother (Esther) and her life in a very beleaguered Colombia. When this book was published, she was still a spirited and opinionated elderly woman of 98 years of age. She would reveal her turbulent life history in layers—with some remaining hidden in her memory. Given her life in a war-torn country and coping with a large family, this was inevitable. And admittedly some of the events described are not easy to broadcast out loud. They are just too personal, too hurtful, too brutal.
The book envelops you in the saga of both Esther and her country. It is forceful but also lyrically written. At times, I felt there was too much poetic license; for example, how would the author know how her grandmother was feeling when braiding her hair?
The book has many beautiful and stirring passages.
Page 242 my edition
And we dance to the same songs our country always has—the rhythms ingrained in our steps. Our love songs and ballads of vengeance and cumbias of loneliness guide our feet as they always have. The one about the love-scorned drunk. The one about the man who collapsed in his mistress’s arms. The one about murder in the countryside over something petty. The boy caught by a stray bullet intended for someone else. The woman raising a child that looks nothing like his father. The justice of a revolver. The smile of indiscretion. The heat of the day like a madness.
And as per the title, there are acts of extreme violence in this troubled land.
The book envelops you in the saga of both Esther and her country. It is forceful but also lyrically written. At times, I felt there was too much poetic license; for example, how would the author know how her grandmother was feeling when braiding her hair?
The book has many beautiful and stirring passages.
Page 242 my edition
And we dance to the same songs our country always has—the rhythms ingrained in our steps. Our love songs and ballads of vengeance and cumbias of loneliness guide our feet as they always have. The one about the love-scorned drunk. The one about the man who collapsed in his mistress’s arms. The one about murder in the countryside over something petty. The boy caught by a stray bullet intended for someone else. The woman raising a child that looks nothing like his father. The justice of a revolver. The smile of indiscretion. The heat of the day like a madness.
And as per the title, there are acts of extreme violence in this troubled land.
May 9, 2026
I’ll add my accolades to the extant many. Would that all history books were written like this! The author says Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath inspired its structure and it blessedly reads like a novel. The whole country, especially its rural regions, play their parts in this recounting of what can be compared to Ireland’s The Troubles. But at the center is an unforgettable portrait of her tough, enduring grandmother, who remains alive to this day. What a debut for this author! “Debut” is a bit misleading, as she previously won the Pen/Faulkner award for her novella- length Dead Boys, and has a high quality book of poetry, Swallows. But this is a giant step forward, a book that will be read and re-read for many years to come.
July 30, 2026
There are some books that teach you history, and then there are books that make history feel like it belongs to someone you love.
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War immediately pulled me in because it reminded me of sitting with my own grandparents, listening to stories about their childhood. As a kid, I remember hanging onto every word, fascinated by how different their lives were from mine. Those conversations become priceless as you get older, and this book captured that feeling beautifully.
Adriana E. Ramírez doesn’t simply recount historical events. She preserves the memories passed down through her family and transforms them into something deeply personal. Through the lens of her grandmother Esther, history becomes intimate, emotional, and profoundly human. The writing is lyrical without sacrificing the weight of what these generations endured.
What stood out to me most was the reminder that behind every historical event are ordinary families trying to survive, love, and hold onto hope. That perspective made Colombia’s history feel far more accessible than any textbook ever could.
If you enjoy memoirs that blend family history with larger historical events, this is one worth picking up. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully written reminder to ask our grandparents and our parents of their stories while we still can.
4.5⭐️
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War immediately pulled me in because it reminded me of sitting with my own grandparents, listening to stories about their childhood. As a kid, I remember hanging onto every word, fascinated by how different their lives were from mine. Those conversations become priceless as you get older, and this book captured that feeling beautifully.
Adriana E. Ramírez doesn’t simply recount historical events. She preserves the memories passed down through her family and transforms them into something deeply personal. Through the lens of her grandmother Esther, history becomes intimate, emotional, and profoundly human. The writing is lyrical without sacrificing the weight of what these generations endured.
What stood out to me most was the reminder that behind every historical event are ordinary families trying to survive, love, and hold onto hope. That perspective made Colombia’s history feel far more accessible than any textbook ever could.
If you enjoy memoirs that blend family history with larger historical events, this is one worth picking up. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully written reminder to ask our grandparents and our parents of their stories while we still can.
4.5⭐️
April 17, 2026
An exceptional story about Colombian history told by a granddaughter whose grandparents lived through the violent times. This story makes you feel you are viewing the events yourself.A combination of history, family, romance and warring factions within Columbia. A great read which I enjoyed immensely.
July 14, 2026
I absolutely loved this book, especially its structure. The author intersperses a multi-decade narrative of her Colombian family (centered on its brilliant, tough abuela) with the bigger-picture history of Colombia from La Violencia in the late 1940's through the extortion and violence of the paramilitaries and narcotraficantes into the 1990's. As someone who knew few details about the country's history, those portions were really informative for me, while the personal story of Esther and the larger family was incredibly engaging.
As this is a book about very violent times, there are some descriptions that can be hard to read, but they are really confined to a pair of chapters that you could skip if needed. Torture/mutilation during La Violencia was described in detail in the chapter "The Cut (A Sonata in Rose Red)" and a horrific Pablo Escobar murder was described in the chapter "The Hacienda (A Swim in Burlap)."
As this is a book about very violent times, there are some descriptions that can be hard to read, but they are really confined to a pair of chapters that you could skip if needed. Torture/mutilation during La Violencia was described in detail in the chapter "The Cut (A Sonata in Rose Red)" and a horrific Pablo Escobar murder was described in the chapter "The Hacienda (A Swim in Burlap)."
May 30, 2026
American writer and poet Adriana E. Ramirez traces her family’s Colombian history, covering the years from the late 1940s to current times. The main focus centers on her maternal grandmother, Esther Angarita Samiento. This was also the beginning of what Columbians call “la violencia”, a decades long stretch of civil war, followed later on by the rise of the powerful drug cartels. How Esther and her family survived on their small farm, after endless upheavals is the heart of this story. Ramirez is a wonderful writer, seamlessly laying down her family’s history with lyricism and the right amount of edginess. She also does a fantastic job with the audiobook narration so keep that in mind. Highly recommended.
May 19, 2026
I will forever be grateful for the two years I was fortunate enough to live in Colombia. I have a tremendous appreciation for the Colombian people and their beautiful country, and I was thrilled to learn of this recent book release. I really enjoyed the way Ramírez shares her family’s story while also weaving in historical and political context. The story of Ramírez’s grandmother, Esther, helped me forge an even deeper admiration and affection for the Colombian people, many of whom have shown tremendous resilience amid unimaginable hardship.
May 13, 2026
I can’t even explain how important this book was to me. This history alongside the author’s personal family history eerily mirrors my own grandmother’s childhood giving me new appreciation for a story I don’t know.
I never familiarized myself with the guerrillas and the cartel’s rise to power but this book did an incredible job providing a detailed account of Colombian history.
I cried too many times reading about the strength of the Colombian people and through it all their dedication to their land and families. This is truly a story I will take with me 💛💙❤️
Also! Dua Lipa rec👏🏽
I never familiarized myself with the guerrillas and the cartel’s rise to power but this book did an incredible job providing a detailed account of Colombian history.
I cried too many times reading about the strength of the Colombian people and through it all their dedication to their land and families. This is truly a story I will take with me 💛💙❤️
Also! Dua Lipa rec👏🏽
May 10, 2026
This book delicately captures Colombia’s beauty and pain in an invaluable way for a daughter of Colombian immigrants like myself. Thank you, Adriana, for teaching me about my parent’s homeland through such a beautifully written book 🥹🇨🇴
May 16, 2026
A granddaughter writes her grandmother’s life story….this is a memoir that reads like a novel and teaches as we read. Esther Angarita Samiento, I will not forget your story, Thank you!
September 6, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ a memoir about Colombia's violent history and a family that lived through it, told by the grand daughter, Adriana Ramirez's, point of view. Based on her extensive research, interviews, and the stories that were passed down and shared with Adriana. I learned so much from this book-- thank you for sharing your story.
September 28, 2026
Engrossing, heartbreaking, illuminating, and beautifully written. Hugely recommend; phenomenal
August 8, 2026
Some books recite history, while others breathe life back into it. This book was the later. The history of “The Violence” that shook Colombia for decades told side by side of the life of the author’s grandmother. The book perfectly balances the two and provides so much context and emotion while maintaining the hard facts of this era in Colombias history.
July 18, 2026
Okay, so this book kind of wrecked me in the best way. Ramírez tells her family’s story against the backdrop of La Violencia — Colombia’s decades-long civil war — through her grandmother Esther, and what got me is how she handles Pablo Escobar. None of the people in her family narrative actually interacted with him, yet the hurricane he was often the eye of swept everybody in its wake.  That’s such a real way to describe growing up in the shadow of someone that big — you don’t have to meet the man to feel what he did to your country.
Reading this right after my own trip to Colombia made it hit different. I was in Cartagena, walking those same colorful streets tourists photograph without a second thought, and then later in Barranquilla, and I kept thinking about how much history is sitting underneath the version of Colombia I got to enjoy as a visitor. Ramírez isn’t writing about the coastal Colombia I saw — her family’s story is inland, mountainous, harder — but that contrast is exactly what made me sit with it longer. The Colombia I experienced and the Colombia her grandmother survived are the same country wearing two completely different faces.
If you’ve ever traveled somewhere beautiful and felt the weight of everything that beauty is standing on top of, this book puts words to that feeling.
Cheers!
Reading this right after my own trip to Colombia made it hit different. I was in Cartagena, walking those same colorful streets tourists photograph without a second thought, and then later in Barranquilla, and I kept thinking about how much history is sitting underneath the version of Colombia I got to enjoy as a visitor. Ramírez isn’t writing about the coastal Colombia I saw — her family’s story is inland, mountainous, harder — but that contrast is exactly what made me sit with it longer. The Colombia I experienced and the Colombia her grandmother survived are the same country wearing two completely different faces.
If you’ve ever traveled somewhere beautiful and felt the weight of everything that beauty is standing on top of, this book puts words to that feeling.
Cheers!
April 14, 2026
Real Rating: 4.8* of five (no perfect fives for the descendant of vandals!)
The Publisher Says: A powerful chronicle of Colombia’s descent into decades of civil war through the lens of an intimate, multi-generational tale of upheaval and betrayal.
When presumed president-elect Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, champion of the working class and harbinger of a new era of progressive social change, is assassinated on the eve of Colombia’s 1948 presidential election, the capital is plunged into bloodshed. So begins a singularly brutal period of Colombia’s history known simply as la violencia—a bloody civil war that spawned decades of turmoil and splintered the country into ever-shifting factions.
The Violence is an intimate history of this conflict—told not from the political center of the war but from the mountainous finca that Adriana E. Ramírez’s family tended to for generations, and through the eyes of her formidable grandmother, Esther. With startling lyricism, Ramírez illuminates the specter of violence—from guerilla warfare to the brutalities found so often in romantic relationships to the spontaneous and senseless violence steeped into everyday Colombian life during this period—and the threat that it poses to a country, and a family, that is trying to stay whole. Gracefully braiding together macrohistory, family history, and personal narrative, Adriana E. Ramírez traces these parallel stories of upheaval in a sweeping portrait of a country and family in flux.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: First, read this:
Nothing stands when nothing is anchored, tied down, held in place. Change feels like chaos to those who like the status quo, and no one human likes chaos. Even the ones who cause it do so to achieve a goal, then they try to impose an order they like better than the one they destroyed.
Author Ramírez, whose father-in-law I proudly claim friendship with, tells the violent, chaotic story of the Colombian civil war of (more or less) 1948 to 1954 using the lens of her own family's participation (avoidance is also participation) in the events of the time. It is a dark, terrible one, this story; no one comes out of civil war without a smudge on their personal or familial reputation. I refer to an act of heinous vandalism on the corpus of History that Author Ramírez's family perpetrated...my inner historian was so wounded by it I was forced to lie down for an hour with a cool compress over my eyes. Murder, rape, torture...well, that's war isn't it...but burning records?!? *shudder* Unforgivable.
Fortunately my forgiveness is neither requested nor required. The family survived, the deeds done made the existence of this book possible. Its publication today, the fourteenth of April 2026, launches a writing career into a new literary orbit. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has, until now, been Author Ramírez's writing home so this memoir of history and family is her mark on the book-reading world. It is a story only she could tell, told with clarity and a great deal of honesty. If I'd discovered my family had burned records I would not admit it out loud, still less commit it to the permanent record of publishing it! Kudos for bravery, and may the Terminators of the history department that clearly must exist in some weird corner of spacetime choose not to expunge the bloodline.
I think I fell asleep watching a movie....
What made this a good read for me was the voice Author Ramírez chose to convey this blend of history and family memoir in. It is a book-length chat with a good raconteuse, a lovely, long chat after dinnner with an interesting friend. It is, as mentioned, dark of subject but not grim or gross of recounting. I do not think anyone's expectations of an involving, emotionally resonant read will be disappointed. I'm very glad I was introduced to the political complexities surrounding La Violencia in such a personal way. Reading about politicians and diplomats and US imperialism is definitely something I enjoy doing; I prefer to approach history with a flexible set of expectations, however, so seek out what more intimate and reflective storytelling I can find to enliven the public facts.
Author Ramírez has received warm reviews in multiple venues, most excitingly to me Time Magazine with its many millions of readers. The praise early readers like Idra Novey and Angie Cruz is praise she earned by careful and attentive wordsmithing. I've known since I began reading her journalism several years ago that Author Ramírez was both talented and skilled at the craft of writing. I am excited for us, the commmunity of readers, that she is also able and confident enough to listen to the muses' whispered inspiration and then to give us deep life-giving drafts of storytelling water.
The Publisher Says: A powerful chronicle of Colombia’s descent into decades of civil war through the lens of an intimate, multi-generational tale of upheaval and betrayal.
When presumed president-elect Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, champion of the working class and harbinger of a new era of progressive social change, is assassinated on the eve of Colombia’s 1948 presidential election, the capital is plunged into bloodshed. So begins a singularly brutal period of Colombia’s history known simply as la violencia—a bloody civil war that spawned decades of turmoil and splintered the country into ever-shifting factions.
The Violence is an intimate history of this conflict—told not from the political center of the war but from the mountainous finca that Adriana E. Ramírez’s family tended to for generations, and through the eyes of her formidable grandmother, Esther. With startling lyricism, Ramírez illuminates the specter of violence—from guerilla warfare to the brutalities found so often in romantic relationships to the spontaneous and senseless violence steeped into everyday Colombian life during this period—and the threat that it poses to a country, and a family, that is trying to stay whole. Gracefully braiding together macrohistory, family history, and personal narrative, Adriana E. Ramírez traces these parallel stories of upheaval in a sweeping portrait of a country and family in flux.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: First, read this:
A Colombian aphorism says that to understand tomorrow, you need to make sense of yesterday. Like a long line of dominoes, one moment in time topples another, which topples another, until soon nothing stands.
Nothing stands when nothing is anchored, tied down, held in place. Change feels like chaos to those who like the status quo, and no one human likes chaos. Even the ones who cause it do so to achieve a goal, then they try to impose an order they like better than the one they destroyed.
Author Ramírez, whose father-in-law I proudly claim friendship with, tells the violent, chaotic story of the Colombian civil war of (more or less) 1948 to 1954 using the lens of her own family's participation (avoidance is also participation) in the events of the time. It is a dark, terrible one, this story; no one comes out of civil war without a smudge on their personal or familial reputation. I refer to an act of heinous vandalism on the corpus of History that Author Ramírez's family perpetrated...my inner historian was so wounded by it I was forced to lie down for an hour with a cool compress over my eyes. Murder, rape, torture...well, that's war isn't it...but burning records?!? *shudder* Unforgivable.
Fortunately my forgiveness is neither requested nor required. The family survived, the deeds done made the existence of this book possible. Its publication today, the fourteenth of April 2026, launches a writing career into a new literary orbit. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has, until now, been Author Ramírez's writing home so this memoir of history and family is her mark on the book-reading world. It is a story only she could tell, told with clarity and a great deal of honesty. If I'd discovered my family had burned records I would not admit it out loud, still less commit it to the permanent record of publishing it! Kudos for bravery, and may the Terminators of the history department that clearly must exist in some weird corner of spacetime choose not to expunge the bloodline.
I think I fell asleep watching a movie....
What made this a good read for me was the voice Author Ramírez chose to convey this blend of history and family memoir in. It is a book-length chat with a good raconteuse, a lovely, long chat after dinnner with an interesting friend. It is, as mentioned, dark of subject but not grim or gross of recounting. I do not think anyone's expectations of an involving, emotionally resonant read will be disappointed. I'm very glad I was introduced to the political complexities surrounding La Violencia in such a personal way. Reading about politicians and diplomats and US imperialism is definitely something I enjoy doing; I prefer to approach history with a flexible set of expectations, however, so seek out what more intimate and reflective storytelling I can find to enliven the public facts.
Author Ramírez has received warm reviews in multiple venues, most excitingly to me Time Magazine with its many millions of readers. The praise early readers like Idra Novey and Angie Cruz is praise she earned by careful and attentive wordsmithing. I've known since I began reading her journalism several years ago that Author Ramírez was both talented and skilled at the craft of writing. I am excited for us, the commmunity of readers, that she is also able and confident enough to listen to the muses' whispered inspiration and then to give us deep life-giving drafts of storytelling water.
September 19, 2026
How do you review a masterpiece? Nothing I have to say will come even close to explaining how good this book is.
Before going into this book, I knew almost nothing about Colombian history. I had heard of Pablo Escobar and the hippos. That was pretty much it. Coming out of this book, not only do I know so much more, but I feel like I actually felt this history in my bones.
I felt like I was transported back in time, following Esther from that very first day when the violence began all the way to the final chapters of the book. One of the things this book made me think about is how history is not only made by revolutions and politicians. It is made through the lives of ordinary people. Those are the people who have to live with the consequences of every political decision, every conflict, every act of violence. That is how we understand history, and hopefully how we learn not to repeat the same mistakes.
The book mentions several times that to understand tomorrow, you have to make sense of yesterday, and I think it does this phenomenally well. It shows how all these small decisions, political changes and individual actions eventually led to the larger events of Colombian history.
The descriptions of the violence were horrific. I genuinely could not understand how someone could decide to kill for an idea. To turn against your own neighbour. To inflict such gruesome violence because you believe some people should not be alive. What kind of politics leads people there? And what disturbed me even more is that this kind of thinking is not just something that belongs to the past. Maybe people do not always resort to violence, but so many small decisions and attitudes show how easily the same patterns can start appearing again. It made me think a lot about how little the world seems to learn from its own history.
I need to talk about Esther for a moment because what a glorious woman.
I admired her pride and strength throughout this entire book. She survived every horrible hand she was dealt and worked so hard to build a better life for herself, her family and the people who worked for her. She gave up her own dreams for her husband, only to find out that he had cheated on her throughout their marriage and fathered eight children outside of it. To find that out on the day he was buried, without ever having the chance to confront him or let out all the anger and hatred she must have felt. To then have her own children blame her for his cheating. She still remained strong. She never spoke badly about him to her children. She found her way back to her own dreams, took care of the finca he left behind still finding joy in her life.
I have never admired a woman this much. Well, except for my own grandma.
And maybe that is why I felt so connected to Esther. I have never seen my grandma cry. She has received every piece of tragic news with so much strength. She would never call anything that happened to her trauma. She has always remained stoic in the face of the worst things life could give her. In so many ways, Esther reminded me of her.
My grandma is the woman I love and admire most in the world. If I can be half the woman she is, I will know I have made it in life.
I also really enjoyed seeing how the guerrillas, communism, Pablo Escobar, the cartels and all the changes happening in the country affected Esther. How people fought to survive and how they still managed to build something for themselves even in circumstances that seemed completely hopeless.
I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
The writing was wonderful, especially the way the story of Esther’s life is woven together with the history of Colombia. I never felt like I was being given a history lesson. I was following one woman’s life and, through her, watching an entire country change around her.
I couldn’t stop reading.
5 stars. I knew it from the moment Grandma spoke in this book.
Before going into this book, I knew almost nothing about Colombian history. I had heard of Pablo Escobar and the hippos. That was pretty much it. Coming out of this book, not only do I know so much more, but I feel like I actually felt this history in my bones.
I felt like I was transported back in time, following Esther from that very first day when the violence began all the way to the final chapters of the book. One of the things this book made me think about is how history is not only made by revolutions and politicians. It is made through the lives of ordinary people. Those are the people who have to live with the consequences of every political decision, every conflict, every act of violence. That is how we understand history, and hopefully how we learn not to repeat the same mistakes.
The book mentions several times that to understand tomorrow, you have to make sense of yesterday, and I think it does this phenomenally well. It shows how all these small decisions, political changes and individual actions eventually led to the larger events of Colombian history.
The descriptions of the violence were horrific. I genuinely could not understand how someone could decide to kill for an idea. To turn against your own neighbour. To inflict such gruesome violence because you believe some people should not be alive. What kind of politics leads people there? And what disturbed me even more is that this kind of thinking is not just something that belongs to the past. Maybe people do not always resort to violence, but so many small decisions and attitudes show how easily the same patterns can start appearing again. It made me think a lot about how little the world seems to learn from its own history.
I need to talk about Esther for a moment because what a glorious woman.
I admired her pride and strength throughout this entire book. She survived every horrible hand she was dealt and worked so hard to build a better life for herself, her family and the people who worked for her. She gave up her own dreams for her husband, only to find out that he had cheated on her throughout their marriage and fathered eight children outside of it. To find that out on the day he was buried, without ever having the chance to confront him or let out all the anger and hatred she must have felt. To then have her own children blame her for his cheating. She still remained strong. She never spoke badly about him to her children. She found her way back to her own dreams, took care of the finca he left behind still finding joy in her life.
I have never admired a woman this much. Well, except for my own grandma.
And maybe that is why I felt so connected to Esther. I have never seen my grandma cry. She has received every piece of tragic news with so much strength. She would never call anything that happened to her trauma. She has always remained stoic in the face of the worst things life could give her. In so many ways, Esther reminded me of her.
My grandma is the woman I love and admire most in the world. If I can be half the woman she is, I will know I have made it in life.
I also really enjoyed seeing how the guerrillas, communism, Pablo Escobar, the cartels and all the changes happening in the country affected Esther. How people fought to survive and how they still managed to build something for themselves even in circumstances that seemed completely hopeless.
I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
The writing was wonderful, especially the way the story of Esther’s life is woven together with the history of Colombia. I never felt like I was being given a history lesson. I was following one woman’s life and, through her, watching an entire country change around her.
I couldn’t stop reading.
5 stars. I knew it from the moment Grandma spoke in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War by Adriana E. Ramírez is an account of Colombia’s history beginning with the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948, which started La Violencia, a period of brutal conflict and oppression of rural and working-class people. At the center of the book is Ramírez’s grandmother, Esther, a powerful woman who navigated political violence, spiritual, emotional violence as she tried to keep her integrity and her family’s land and assets in the face of increasing political turmoil and guerilla warfare.
Woven through Esther’s story are moments that stress the importance of understanding the past: “A Colombian aphorism says that to understand tomorrow, you need to make sense of yesterday. Like a long line of dominoes, one moment in time topples another, which topples another, until soon nothing stands.” As Ramírez writes to make sense of her family’s yesterdays and grapples with the impact of her grandparents’ choices, readers will see parallels to the issues we are all facing today, both personal and political, as well as the burden placed on those who recognize history’s patterns: “And we students of history, we men of God and revolution, saw it all coming but we were called radicals and expelled from our pulpits.”
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War operates on two levels. One is the story of Colombia and the other is a story of a family and community. Both are torn apart by various forms of violence and are still grappling with how to heal and how (or even whether) to forgive. At the center is Ramírez’s grandmother, Esther, who finds ways to maintain her strength and dignity while surrounded by political conflict and personal betrayal.
I found this book engaging and thought provoking. I saw so many parallels between both Esther’s personal conflicts and Colombia’s political conflicts with what we see in the world today. I highly recommend this book!
Woven through Esther’s story are moments that stress the importance of understanding the past: “A Colombian aphorism says that to understand tomorrow, you need to make sense of yesterday. Like a long line of dominoes, one moment in time topples another, which topples another, until soon nothing stands.” As Ramírez writes to make sense of her family’s yesterdays and grapples with the impact of her grandparents’ choices, readers will see parallels to the issues we are all facing today, both personal and political, as well as the burden placed on those who recognize history’s patterns: “And we students of history, we men of God and revolution, saw it all coming but we were called radicals and expelled from our pulpits.”
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War operates on two levels. One is the story of Colombia and the other is a story of a family and community. Both are torn apart by various forms of violence and are still grappling with how to heal and how (or even whether) to forgive. At the center is Ramírez’s grandmother, Esther, who finds ways to maintain her strength and dignity while surrounded by political conflict and personal betrayal.
I found this book engaging and thought provoking. I saw so many parallels between both Esther’s personal conflicts and Colombia’s political conflicts with what we see in the world today. I highly recommend this book!
April 21, 2026
I know next to nothing about Colombia’s civil war, the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, etc. so I was very curious to read about it. Am unfamiliar with the author, so I had no idea what I was getting into. Weaving in between the greater backdrop of La Violencia and her own family's turmoil, author Ramírez shows us how the upheaval and violence affected her family and the consequences of it.
Ramírez tells us of how her family participated (or didn't) plus bits and pieces of the greater historical events going around them. As the book moves forward, occasionally taking leaps in years ahead, we also see how this impacts her family from the political, social, economic, etc. impacts. And through it all, it is the story of a family, particularly of her grandmother, Esther.
Overall I found this to be a mixed bag. I thought this would be more of the history of La Violencia but do admit to getting lost admits the names, events, etc. I was also a little disappointed at how much the book shifted to her own family memoir as I had personally hoped this would be a wider history of the conflict. But Ramírez is a compelling writer and I was definitely hooked on seeing how Esther survived the conflict, an unfaithful husband, family drama (not everyone in the family wanted this story to be told, according to Ramírez's afterword), etc.
I do overall recommend it overall. It is interesting and having family histories like this are often lost in greater conflicts. Just keep in mind that it is more of a memoir about her family during this period of time rather than a look at the larger events happening around them. And keep in mind that there is obviously quite a bit of violence given the history she's covering, although not gruesome or overly detailed. 3.5 stars but bumping it up to 4.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
Ramírez tells us of how her family participated (or didn't) plus bits and pieces of the greater historical events going around them. As the book moves forward, occasionally taking leaps in years ahead, we also see how this impacts her family from the political, social, economic, etc. impacts. And through it all, it is the story of a family, particularly of her grandmother, Esther.
Overall I found this to be a mixed bag. I thought this would be more of the history of La Violencia but do admit to getting lost admits the names, events, etc. I was also a little disappointed at how much the book shifted to her own family memoir as I had personally hoped this would be a wider history of the conflict. But Ramírez is a compelling writer and I was definitely hooked on seeing how Esther survived the conflict, an unfaithful husband, family drama (not everyone in the family wanted this story to be told, according to Ramírez's afterword), etc.
I do overall recommend it overall. It is interesting and having family histories like this are often lost in greater conflicts. Just keep in mind that it is more of a memoir about her family during this period of time rather than a look at the larger events happening around them. And keep in mind that there is obviously quite a bit of violence given the history she's covering, although not gruesome or overly detailed. 3.5 stars but bumping it up to 4.
Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.
July 28, 2026
As someone who does not identify as a history buff (I rarely read nonfiction and when I do, it is biographies), I am so in love with what I learned about Columbian history while reading The Violence AS I was simultaneously enthralled by a real family of characters whose personalities and foibles were central to the story — Adriana's family.
Adriana's gift for retelling the dramas, devotions and betrayals of her grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncles, carries the weight of The Violence as she unfolds the decades of feud between liberals and conservatives — and then the guerillas — all as a backdrop for her family's saga. It's brilliant and terribly compelling.
Like other reviews have mentioned, this unique blend of story-telling (fiction) and well-researched facts/history provides a pleasing and engaging reading experience. You feel like you KNOW her family intimately and resonate with their struggles and triumphs all the while absorbing what it meant to live in a country where your town might get burned down overnight and drug cartels become central to survival. Land ownership and agricultural foundations are key.
Adriana's own authenticity also rings true throughout. Her recollections of times with her grandmother (who is still alive), quotes from her grandfather, explanations of Spanish phrases, etc., let you know that a Columbian native is at the helm.
I absolutely loved this memoir — the way it is told and what is said. Congrats to Ramirez for a stunning "labor of love."
Did I mention brilliant?
Adriana's gift for retelling the dramas, devotions and betrayals of her grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncles, carries the weight of The Violence as she unfolds the decades of feud between liberals and conservatives — and then the guerillas — all as a backdrop for her family's saga. It's brilliant and terribly compelling.
Like other reviews have mentioned, this unique blend of story-telling (fiction) and well-researched facts/history provides a pleasing and engaging reading experience. You feel like you KNOW her family intimately and resonate with their struggles and triumphs all the while absorbing what it meant to live in a country where your town might get burned down overnight and drug cartels become central to survival. Land ownership and agricultural foundations are key.
Adriana's own authenticity also rings true throughout. Her recollections of times with her grandmother (who is still alive), quotes from her grandfather, explanations of Spanish phrases, etc., let you know that a Columbian native is at the helm.
I absolutely loved this memoir — the way it is told and what is said. Congrats to Ramirez for a stunning "labor of love."
Did I mention brilliant?
April 17, 2026
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War
Adriana E. Ramírez
Ramírez enveloped me with the perspective of someone eager to tell many versions of the truth. History is funny in the way that everyone has a slightly different recollection of it. Told from the memories of people in her family and from people like her family that were deeply invested in the political and social sphere of Colombia.
Like many nations filled with the have and have nots, tensions remain high. Whenever it appears that someone has the best intentions, it fails in the pursuit to bring a nation together. With so much bloodshed between neighbors, could there ever be true peace? It’s a shame how America’s involvement is never used to justify our impact.
By way of cataloging her grandmothers life, it’s a window to the limitations she faced as a woman, daughter, wife, mother and landowner. She really didn’t have the privilege to aspire to be someone outside of what was expected of her. She preserved the inheritance of her children and grandchildren. They had opportunities that she was not afforded. She was dutiful in every aspect of her life.
The inclusion of accounts of people outside of Ramírez’s familial reach, created a more robust understanding of life, loss and evolution.
#scribner #simonschuster #adrianaeramirez #readandtellwithshantel #ARC
*I did purchase the audiobook. It proved useful for me to have the author read her own words.
Adriana E. Ramírez
Ramírez enveloped me with the perspective of someone eager to tell many versions of the truth. History is funny in the way that everyone has a slightly different recollection of it. Told from the memories of people in her family and from people like her family that were deeply invested in the political and social sphere of Colombia.
Like many nations filled with the have and have nots, tensions remain high. Whenever it appears that someone has the best intentions, it fails in the pursuit to bring a nation together. With so much bloodshed between neighbors, could there ever be true peace? It’s a shame how America’s involvement is never used to justify our impact.
By way of cataloging her grandmothers life, it’s a window to the limitations she faced as a woman, daughter, wife, mother and landowner. She really didn’t have the privilege to aspire to be someone outside of what was expected of her. She preserved the inheritance of her children and grandchildren. They had opportunities that she was not afforded. She was dutiful in every aspect of her life.
The inclusion of accounts of people outside of Ramírez’s familial reach, created a more robust understanding of life, loss and evolution.
#scribner #simonschuster #adrianaeramirez #readandtellwithshantel #ARC
*I did purchase the audiobook. It proved useful for me to have the author read her own words.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a powerful, haunting memoir of a family experiencing the disruptions of civil war, drug cartels and US infringement into her family’s country, Columba. It’s also a gruesome read so be prepared for murders, rapes and other dark events.
The book begins in 1948 and ends in 2024. We see Columbia at the beginning of its civil war due to the assassination of the liberal Jorge Gaitán. The civil raged to around 1954. Esther Angarita Sarmiento, the author’s grandmother is 20 and her life changes immeasurably. Additionally we see how in this Catholic country, women sacrifice their personal identities for wife/motherhood. The book moves on the highlight the effect of American intrusion in Columbia during the Johnson Administration when it sold weapons to Columbia instead civil strife because of Communism all based on the fear of godlessness, as if Christianity shows a better way.
This is also a familial memoir. We see how the they strive to stay alive, fit in, secure their property during these tumultuous times. It must have been harrowing and exhausting. I was also struck by how the family itself had church records burnt in an attempt to erase their presence.
The author writes “Columbia is a land of many truths.” Her family’s story is one of these. Like all stories in life, endurance and resilience is at the heart-bed of survival. And indeed this family survived. Though this was an emotional read, I learned a lot about Columbia and its people and history. I am grateful for that.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read this ARC
The book begins in 1948 and ends in 2024. We see Columbia at the beginning of its civil war due to the assassination of the liberal Jorge Gaitán. The civil raged to around 1954. Esther Angarita Sarmiento, the author’s grandmother is 20 and her life changes immeasurably. Additionally we see how in this Catholic country, women sacrifice their personal identities for wife/motherhood. The book moves on the highlight the effect of American intrusion in Columbia during the Johnson Administration when it sold weapons to Columbia instead civil strife because of Communism all based on the fear of godlessness, as if Christianity shows a better way.
This is also a familial memoir. We see how the they strive to stay alive, fit in, secure their property during these tumultuous times. It must have been harrowing and exhausting. I was also struck by how the family itself had church records burnt in an attempt to erase their presence.
The author writes “Columbia is a land of many truths.” Her family’s story is one of these. Like all stories in life, endurance and resilience is at the heart-bed of survival. And indeed this family survived. Though this was an emotional read, I learned a lot about Columbia and its people and history. I am grateful for that.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read this ARC
May 4, 2026
Gutting. Adriana Ramírez weaves Colombia's decades of civil war with her family's own personal history of growing up inland. In doing so, she paints a picture of a whole country in upheaval and makes it feel intimate and personal. Nonfiction books that center around war or violence can feel distant in their depiction, whereas The Violence depicts the destruction not in death toll, but in terms of immeasurable grief and trauma. History and politics are personal; none of the people in Adriana's family narrative have personally interacted with Pablo Escobar, yet the hurricane in which he was often the eye swept everybody in their wake of destruction.
Where the book really shines are the moments where Adriana uses her grandmother's story as a lens for examining the human toll of the violence, not in terms of casualties but how real people suffered under the merciless pall of violence, either directly or indirectly. She storytells in a way that is captivating and makes you feel the heaviness of carrying grief (both that of Esther and the country as a collective). Like grief, The Violence grips you when you least expect.
Where the book really shines are the moments where Adriana uses her grandmother's story as a lens for examining the human toll of the violence, not in terms of casualties but how real people suffered under the merciless pall of violence, either directly or indirectly. She storytells in a way that is captivating and makes you feel the heaviness of carrying grief (both that of Esther and the country as a collective). Like grief, The Violence grips you when you least expect.
August 27, 2026
The Violence is part history, part memoir, and the author, Adriana Ramirez, penned an absorbing account. In 1948, the presumed-president elect of Colombia, a progressive, is assassinated, and from there, tumult and turmoil leads to civil war.
Much of the story is centered on Ramirez’s formidable grandmother, Esther, and her family’s finca in the mountains. My goodness what this family went through, and to imagine all the families affected.
In the acknowledgements, the author mentions her inspiration from The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. Indeed, The Violence is as captivating as any novel. I loved this book and its deeply grounded personal narrative well-positioned with an approachable review of the history of this beautiful country. I once worked with a fellow educator originally from Colombia, and he had an everlasting pride for his home. I could feel that same sense through this author’s writing about Colombia. I read the physical + listened to the audio narrated by the author.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Much of the story is centered on Ramirez’s formidable grandmother, Esther, and her family’s finca in the mountains. My goodness what this family went through, and to imagine all the families affected.
In the acknowledgements, the author mentions her inspiration from The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. Indeed, The Violence is as captivating as any novel. I loved this book and its deeply grounded personal narrative well-positioned with an approachable review of the history of this beautiful country. I once worked with a fellow educator originally from Colombia, and he had an everlasting pride for his home. I could feel that same sense through this author’s writing about Colombia. I read the physical + listened to the audio narrated by the author.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
May 4, 2026
A rich, lyrical family chronicle woven with 20th century Colombian history. The author begins (rather smartly in my opinion) with a caveat about the nature of truth in historical and personal accounts, a line that I believe all historical nonfiction walks to some degree, but often with less care and consideration than here. With that done, we enter a wonderfully rendered landscape peopled with all sorts of interesting characters. The storytelling is evocative and charming, and you grow to care for many of these people. I particularly liked the intermingling of historic events and personal narratives unrelated to main family thread in all but the most basic of ways. It expands the scope of the book to be not just one family's personal and political saga, but a tale of a particular time in Colombian history more broadly. This is a genuine, honest, open, loving account that manages to never steer into sentimentality or overt bias beyond what the subjects believed. 4.75 stars rounded up to 5.
May 6, 2026
The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War is a powerful and deeply personal account of the devastating effects of political conflict and violence in Colombia. Through the lens of family history, the author provides readers with an emotional and eye-opening perspective on how war, fear, and instability shape generations of people. The memoir is both historical and intimate, blending real events with personal memories in a way that makes the story feel authentic and compelling. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to humanize a complex political conflict by focusing on the experiences of ordinary individuals caught in extraordinary circumstances. The writing is vivid and emotional, allowing readers to feel the tension, grief, and resilience of the family throughout the narrative. At the same time, the book offers important cultural and historical insight into Colombia’s turbulent past. Overall, this memoir is heartbreaking, informative, and memorable, making it an impactful read for anyone interested in history, family stories, or political conflict.
May 15, 2026
The author mixes telling her family’s own life history in Colombia while also mixing in the politics of the time. It is told through her Grandmother Esther’s point of view and covers the second half of the 20th century in Colombia. She provides great context of La Violencia, the civil war between liberals and conservatives in Colombia from 1948-58, and how it impacted her grandmother and the rest of her family. She also goes into the beginning of the guerrillas and narcos, and how their growth created more violence and instability for many everyday citizens. She does a really fantastic job at interweaving her own family’s life at the time and explaining her family’s decisions and milestones in the context of the political climate. I really enjoyed reading this book and could not put it down, her Grandmother’s story puts a personal touch on narrating the political conflict, war, migration, and economic state of the country at the time. I learned a lot about Colombia from this book, and can appreciate the constant adaptation to the political climate that Esther faced her entire life.
April 25, 2026
The Violence: My Family's Colombian War is a powerful and deeply personal blend of memoir and historical narrative that examines Colombia’s long descent into civil conflict.
Adriana E. Ramírez grounds the broader history of la violencia in the lived experience of her family, offering a perspective that is both intimate and historically expansive. The aftermath of the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán assassination serves as a pivotal starting point, shaping the political and social instability that follows.
The book’s strength lies in its ability to weave macrohistory with personal memory, particularly through the figure of Esther and the family’s rural finca. This structure allows the reader to experience political violence not as abstraction, but as a sustained presence in everyday life.
Lyrical, rigorous, and emotionally resonant, The Violence is a standout work of narrative nonfiction that will appeal to readers of history, memoir, and political storytelling rooted in lived experience.
Adriana E. Ramírez grounds the broader history of la violencia in the lived experience of her family, offering a perspective that is both intimate and historically expansive. The aftermath of the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán assassination serves as a pivotal starting point, shaping the political and social instability that follows.
The book’s strength lies in its ability to weave macrohistory with personal memory, particularly through the figure of Esther and the family’s rural finca. This structure allows the reader to experience political violence not as abstraction, but as a sustained presence in everyday life.
Lyrical, rigorous, and emotionally resonant, The Violence is a standout work of narrative nonfiction that will appeal to readers of history, memoir, and political storytelling rooted in lived experience.
August 3, 2026
I learned soooooo much about my own Colombian family by reading this. My grandmother was the same age as the author’sc grandmother at the same time and in the same area, though not as wealthy.
All I knew from my grandmother was that La Violencia was really bad and they burned her family home down. I know so much more detail about what she probably witnessed now and I feel like I understand her so much better, even though she’s now dead.
My grandparents got married almost the same year Esther got married and my aunt and mother were born in the midst of that chaos. I wept at times, realizing the horror my own family has experienced and how that’s all part of who I am and where I come from.
Adriana Ramirez, I know it took you many years to write this. I can only imagine the emotional mine fields you navigated and how difficult this must have been. I’m so grateful for the work you put into this. I needed to read this. Thank you.
All I knew from my grandmother was that La Violencia was really bad and they burned her family home down. I know so much more detail about what she probably witnessed now and I feel like I understand her so much better, even though she’s now dead.
My grandparents got married almost the same year Esther got married and my aunt and mother were born in the midst of that chaos. I wept at times, realizing the horror my own family has experienced and how that’s all part of who I am and where I come from.
Adriana Ramirez, I know it took you many years to write this. I can only imagine the emotional mine fields you navigated and how difficult this must have been. I’m so grateful for the work you put into this. I needed to read this. Thank you.
August 24, 2026
I’ll add my accolades to the extant many. Would that all history books were written like this! The author says Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath inspired its structure and it blessedly reads like a novel. The whole country, especially its rural regions, play their parts in this recounting of what can be compared to Ireland’s The Troubles. But at the center is an unforgettable portrait of her tough, enduring grandmother, who remains alive to this day. What a debut for this author! “Debut” is a bit misleading, as she previously won the Pen/Faulkner award for her novella- length Dead Boys, and has a high quality book of poetry, Swallows. But this is a giant step forward, a book that will be read and re-read for many years to come.
September 20, 2026
4.5 stars 🌟
Look I know we are meant to focus on the history aspects of this book but I felt the real violence was the violence and anguish I felt after that fucking betrayal.
Why are men???
And to have her family blame HER for HIS infidelity. FUCK YOU ALL.
Is it all men? It seems like it is all men.
Okay okay now that I have calmed down (jokes on you, I never calm down), it was interesting being taken through the political history of Colombia from 1948 to Pablo Escobar in the 1980’s. All through the eyes of one family. As an American who spent one half of my life there and the other half in Australia, I didn’t know much history of Colombia except the obvious.
Esther is the real hero of this. She should have married that doctor instead.
Look I know we are meant to focus on the history aspects of this book but I felt the real violence was the violence and anguish I felt after that fucking betrayal.
Why are men???
And to have her family blame HER for HIS infidelity. FUCK YOU ALL.
Is it all men? It seems like it is all men.
Okay okay now that I have calmed down (jokes on you, I never calm down), it was interesting being taken through the political history of Colombia from 1948 to Pablo Escobar in the 1980’s. All through the eyes of one family. As an American who spent one half of my life there and the other half in Australia, I didn’t know much history of Colombia except the obvious.
Esther is the real hero of this. She should have married that doctor instead.
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