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Captive: 2,147 Days of Terror in the Colombian Jungle
On a fateful day in February 2002, campaign manager Clara Rojas accompanied longtime friend and presidential hopeful Ingrid Betancourt into an area controlled by the powerful leftist guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Armed with machine guns and grenades, the FARC took them hostage and kept them in the jungle for the next six years. After more than two years of captivity deep in the Colombian jungle, surrounded by jaguars, snakes, and tarantulas, miles from any town or hospital, Clara Rojas prepared to give birth in a muddy tent surrounded by heavily armed guerrillas. Her captors promised that a doctor would be brought to the camp to help her. But when Rojas went into labor and began to suffer complications, the only person on hand was a guerrilla wielding a kitchen knife. The guerrillas drugged Rojas with anesthetic while one of them slit open her abdomen. Her son, Emmanuel, was born by amateur cesarean section in April 2004. His survival was mi
243 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
November 10, 2010
Clara tells us near the end of her book how difficult it was to write of her time as a hostage, which entails remembering details about captivity one would rather forget. I completely sympathize with the difficulties, not only of writing a book, but trying to get one's life back, and coming to terms with the lost years--all of it. But I only understand these feelings because I read Ingrid Betancourt's book before I read this one. Ingrid Betancourt's memories of her time in captivity with FARC rebels in the Amazon, called Even Silence has an End is such a perfect example of it's type that the reader becomes very involved with the day-to-day experiences of the hostages, and their captors. One begins to imagine what oneself would do under similar circumstances. Sadly, most of us, were we honest, could not manage it well, which is why we cut slack for Rojas, even as we stifle our boredom as she describes her own. The Rojas' memoir is a pallid thing, thin and unexceptional in every way. One leaves it no more aware of life in the Amazon than before and the following passage is typical of the level of detail:
It [the Amazon jungle] is home of all types of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. There are animals and insects of all colors, shapes, and sizes: from small spiders to enormous ones; brown-colored scorpions; black and reddish ones; ants of every sizem from tiny ones to those creepy crawlers capable of devouring you alive; flying cockroaches, mosquitos; daddy longlegs; bees; wasps; bumblebees--evidently, plenty of creatures to protect yourself from at all times.Frankly, Rojas sounds a little unhinged some of the time, and pointedly avoids talking about the decision which led to the most important event that happened to her while a captive: conceiving a child with a FARC rebel. Everyone knows that what is most personal is most universal, and while Clara Rojas doesn't owe us a thing after her years of captivity, I don't think we have any obligation to say she's written a decent book.
January 28, 2022
This book was incredible. The things Clara and her fellow captives went through were just awful, but it was wonderful to see how her faith in God carried her through. I’m a sucker for reunions, and the one with Clara’s mom and her son and her was stupendous and brought me to a full-on happy-tears weep.
Content: expletives, alcohol, profanity, gambling, tobacco
Content: expletives, alcohol, profanity, gambling, tobacco
January 1, 2011
A quick skim-read of this short book. It's a pedestrian affair compared to Ingrid Bétancourt's Even Silence Has an End. Clara's clumsy schoolgirl prose is not helped by a very poor translation. If a respectable publisher like Simon & Schuster can't afford to pay a professional translator, they could at least pay a competent copy-editor to tidy up the results. I groaned as soon as I read the first paragraph. Sample:
And as for "My conscious is clear" and "umbilical chord" ... well, does no-one have standards these days?
Clara got through her captivity by being hectically devotional. I couldn't help wishing Ingrid had picked up some of her religious fervour -- it certainly would have helped her cope. Clara is ready to forgive anything, is pathetically grateful for any small favour (she even praises the people who hacked her about in the jungle instead of doing the humanitarian thing and releasing her before she gave birth), and is desperate not to offend anyone, with fulsome praise for everyone she met after her release.
She skims over most events and almost never attributes actions to specific fellow hostages. Her account of their capture and the disintegration of her relationship with Bétancourt pretty much tallies with Ingrid's, although their accounts of her pregnancy and reaction to it are startlingly different. Most of the time she seems to have dealt with conflict by simply isolating herself from the other hostages.
She certainly does not go into any detail about the paternity of her child (the thing people are probably most curious about), devoting one sentence to it. While completely understandable, this makes for a pretty boring book. If you want to keep things private, don't publish a book about them :)
Yes, to thank the blessing that's reunited me with my mother, with my son, Emmanuel, with my family and friends, and with all of those who I love most...The kidnapping, the captivity -- that's all in the past.
And as for "My conscious is clear" and "umbilical chord" ... well, does no-one have standards these days?
Clara got through her captivity by being hectically devotional. I couldn't help wishing Ingrid had picked up some of her religious fervour -- it certainly would have helped her cope. Clara is ready to forgive anything, is pathetically grateful for any small favour (she even praises the people who hacked her about in the jungle instead of doing the humanitarian thing and releasing her before she gave birth), and is desperate not to offend anyone, with fulsome praise for everyone she met after her release.
She skims over most events and almost never attributes actions to specific fellow hostages. Her account of their capture and the disintegration of her relationship with Bétancourt pretty much tallies with Ingrid's, although their accounts of her pregnancy and reaction to it are startlingly different. Most of the time she seems to have dealt with conflict by simply isolating herself from the other hostages.
She certainly does not go into any detail about the paternity of her child (the thing people are probably most curious about), devoting one sentence to it. While completely understandable, this makes for a pretty boring book. If you want to keep things private, don't publish a book about them :)
July 14, 2022
No solo le faltan detalles, también le faltan ganas.
Entiendo que Clara no quiera contar muchas de las cosas que vivió en cautiverio, es respetable, pero este libro, ni aporta ni trasmite mucho.
Entiendo que Clara no quiera contar muchas de las cosas que vivió en cautiverio, es respetable, pero este libro, ni aporta ni trasmite mucho.
June 3, 2011
I read the original version of this book in spanish and was enchanted by how beutifully written it was. However, I believe that the description of this book in Goodreads is not true to the book, because it makes it seem like a terrifying story that majorly appeals to pity, when in reality, this story is a testimony of hope, courage and faith. It seems like Rojas wrote this book as a memoir for her son to read, and she does omit a lot of details regarding the context of situations that probably triggered certain reactions from her fellow captives. Regardless, I enjoyed reading this book, because I believe that she tried really hard to focus on herself, and the way in which she handled her attitude when faced with adversity. In the beginning of the book she displays herself as a person who is mostly worried about her career in politics, money, and such, but as the book develops we see her growth (as I see it, she sees it as detriment) into a strong, perseverant woman who was humbled by six years of captivity. This is not a story about facts, is not a story about the jungle, and it is deffinetly not a book about the politics behind the FARC, the Colombian government, and every thing that entails being kidnapped. I did not read this book to find out who Emmanuel's father was, because I believe that this was not, and shouldn't have been the main purpose of reading the book. I appreciate the book for what it is, a story of terrible events, conditions and mistreatment that is told under a light of positivism, endurance and tolerance. She remains neutral, most of the time, and tries to eliminate any drama-related stories, because she wants to display her side of the spectrum, how she saw things, and how her son was the main reason why she was able to endure that terrible time. Additionally, her testimony is not about judgement, or about finding people to blame, she actually tries to aleviate others from having to be held accountable for what she says about them in the book, that's why she omits names, why she is so cautious, and that's why the book is written in such a diplomatic way. I gave it three stars, because at times her descriptions are weakened by her trying to display herself as a flawless character, and it becomes unrealistic at times. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book. It is unfortunate that it seems like the English version is not very well interpreted, because there are many elements of the story that add spice and that always get lost in translation already.
July 14, 2010
I expected to find out about about the jungle, being held in captivity and read a tale of survival. This author provided me with these elements. Her storytelling skills are raw...though I imagine that writing this story couldn't have been easy.I think she should have waited to submit this for publication...until she was ready to tell the story using a stronger narrative thread.
January 17, 2013
I have to admit that I was disappointed. When I pick up a memoir, I expect honesty and truth. I don't believe that the author's whole story was given. In my opinion, she worried more about how she came across to people rather than telling what truly happened and how she hoenstly felt.
All in all, I feel like I wasted my time and found it hard to even finish the book.
All in all, I feel like I wasted my time and found it hard to even finish the book.
August 9, 2011
When I am in a bookstore I have a tendency to just wander around until a book jumps out at me. On occasion, I will go to the bookstore with the intention of purchasing a specific book, but most of the time I just like to wander and see what jumps out at me.
That's how I came across the book Captive by Clara Rojas. I was wandering around the bookstore, drinking some wonderfully pomegranate flavored tea when I came across this memoir. I kind of run hot/cold on memoirs, finding some of them to be really quite wonderful and others to be really quite self-centered, but I grabbed this book from the shelf and looked at it. At the bottom of the front cover it says "2,147 Days of Terror in the Colombian Jungle". Well, that made me flip the book to the back cover to read about this book, which I promptly added to my growing stack of books.
Captive is the story of Clara Rojas' kidnapping by the Colombian guerrilla army, FARC, and the years she spent held as their hostage. Rojas was kidnapped in 2002, along with her then friend Ingrid Betancourt, and was held until 2008, when a negotiation mediated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba resulted in the release of Clara Rojas, Consuelo Gonzales and Rojas' young son, Emmanuel (whom she conceived and delivered in the jungle while held in captivity). This book was translated from Spanish to English by Adriana V. Lopez (I don't really know if that makes any kind of difference to a reader, it certainly doesn't make a difference to me, I love reading works by authors from all over the world and I am greatly appreciative of the fact that there are people out there who can translate their works for me to enjoy). Rojas lays out the details of her captivity with clarity and, in my opinion, honesty. She is very real about how she felt during those years as a hostage of the FARC and in many ways I think this made her perseverance more amazing to me.
The book begins with what she was doing the day before she was kidnapped and then moves forward to her life after release. Unlike some memoirs, where the author takes you on a daily or even weekly trip with them, Rojas tells her story according to the theme of the chapter. Each chapter is titled, things like "The Day Before the Kidnapping" or "Doubt and Anxiety" or "Pastimes", and within that chapter the story followed the the idea presented in the title. I liked that presentation of her story, it presented her story on several layers and gave a good picture of what the hostages did at each camp they were held at.
After finishing this book on July 20, 2011, I felt a lot of things. I was glued to this story, Rojas' is a very strong woman, I think. I don't know if I'd be able to hold up as well if I were to be in that same situation. I guess you never know just how strong you are until. . . I don't know, I guess until that's all you have. Clara Rojas was strong on many levels while in captivity. I definitely believe her faith and belief in God helped see her through days that could have resulted in a weaker person taking their own life to end the pain. Hope, she had a lot of that. She hoped to one day see her mother and brother and the rest of her family. She hoped to one day be free and away from that hot jungle. I believe that faith and hope can get a person very far in this world, it's when you lose all hope and all faith, that you're soul dies. That's my own personal belief, and I think in some ways reading about Ms. Rojas' captivity, it made me look at my own beliefs in a way.
I believe she is strong, and as a strong woman she was able to survive her ordeal by remaining hopeful. There were definitely points where she fell into a depression, who wouldn't? In her case, I think those times of depression only resulted in strengthening her resolve to remain hopeful and believe that God was with her and would take care of her. That's some pretty strong belief right there. I admire that about her, actually. I admire that her faith figured so strongly for her during the 6 years she was held by the FARC. I honestly don't know if I would be able to find that strength in my own faith. My religious beliefs waiver on many occasions and at this point in time, I'm rebuilding my own beliefs and figuring out what where God is in my life and quite possibly where I am in His/Hers.
Clara Rojas' friendship with Ingrid Betancourt fell apart while they were captives, which is unfortunate, but maybe it was also for the best. I wonder if, in some ways, if this was a friendship that fits in the "reasons, seasons, lifetime" type of process. Possibly this was a friendship for a reason -- Rojas was an attorney who worked on Betancourt's political campaign and they were both from the same party? Possibly this was a friendship for a season -- political allies traveling together through FARC controlled territory to discuss party issues with allies in another Colombian city? I don't know, but I don't think this was a friendship that was meant to be a lifetime one. The way Clara describes the discussions she had with Ingrid leading up to the day they were kidnapped, it did not seem to me that these were two women who shared a sisterly type of love and friendship for one another. I could be wrong, of course. Although I think it is for the best that their friendship ended, I was saddened by the pain that Rojas felt as their friendship fell apart. It is always painful to lose a friend and I can sympathize with Rojas as she lost the only friend she had in the jungle. Overall, by the end of the ordeal, Clara shows herself to be the bigger person when it came to Ingrid.
I was curious about the fact that she gave birth to a son in the middle of the jungle and wondered for most of the book how it happened. Not so much how she got pregnant, I know all about the birds and the bees, but more wondering if there was going to be some kind of love story wrapped into this captivity story. I couldn't really imagine falling in love with someone in the middle of something so stressful as a hostage crisis, but stranger things have happened to people and since I'm not in her shoes, I can't really say I know anything about it anyway. The thing I have to say I respect and admire about this particular part of her story is that she chooses to keep it private. She does not, as she relates the story of her pregnancy and harrowing delivery, go into detail about how she came to be pregnant, she does not reveal the identity of the father, does not indicate if he was a guerrilla or a fellow hostage. What she does is say that she has decided to leave the details of her pregnancy for a time when her son, Emmanuel, approaches her and asks. I like that. It makes sense, because, honestly, it's none of my business how she came to be pregnant, what is my business is what is on the page and I respect that she is choosing not to tell me anything more. She manages to survive an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 39 in the middle of the Colombian jungle and delivers with little medical comfort -- a male nurse, a female nurse and a group of guerrillas providing light and support. Here's the kicker -- due to complications, her son is brought into this world in a hut by Cesarean section while she is heavily sedated, and a single 100 watt light bulb shining over them. I realize there are people out there who will say "women have been giving birth much longer than there's been doctors and modern medicine and hospitals" but really? No woman should have to be delivered by C-section by a nurse in the middle of a jungle while being held against her will, and yet that's what happened to Clara Rojas and it's pretty amazing that she and her son survived.
At that point in the book, I had to go online and see if I could find a picture of her and her son. I was curious to see them. On the cover of the book, there is a small picture of her, but I wanted a better one. I actually wanted to see her smiling, I thought "I bet she has one of those smiles that feels like the warmth of the sun upon your skin". I was right too. She does. There are several pictures of her alone as well as pictures of her with her son and her family (the family ones are from when she arrived in Venezuela after her release). She does have a warm smile. The birth of her son is a miracle really, given the little medical resources that were available. After his birth, she continues to push forward, wanting to live and survive for her son and her mother, because she knew one day she'd be with her mother again. Hope. Faith. Strength.
Unfortunately, young Emmanuel becomes ill and after attempting to deal with the parasitic infection he gets from a bug bite, he is taken away from Clara to be treated. He was only 8 months old when they took him away from her, and she wouldn't see him again until close to his 4th birthday. Now that's what I call heartbreaking, and she definitely was heartbroken but she still had that strength of spirit or strength of will, but she knew that she'd see him again. This is a woman that the word "pessimism" is not in the vocabulary for. Neither is "skepticism". Through the efforts of President Hugo Chavez and Senator Piedad Cordoba, the hostages discovered that Clara and Consuelo would be released to the Red Cross International, as well as Emmanuel, and they would be sent to Venezuela to be reunited with their families. Her hope and faith and strength saw her through to the day she'd been praying for, but of course it was going to take awhile for her to actually taste sweet freedom, but not once did I get the impression that she didn't realize this either. She was practical and realistic, while remaining hopeful in the knowledge that she would soon be out of that jungle and safe with her family. How can someone not lose their mind at the thought of being free? I think I would have gone crazy in the days leading up to my freedom, especially since there was no specific date set. But, she remained calm outwardly (she does admit that she rejoiced inwardly, thanking God repeatedly), and she just made sure she was prepared because at any moment the Commandante could tell her she was leaving to go home. The days leading up to freedom coincided with the Christmas and New Year's holidays and each day, as people around the world were eagerly looking forward towards opening presents and welcoming in a new year with new possibilities, she was looking forward to a day when she would see her son and mother again, and be able to taste the sweetness of freedom.
I am an emotional person and, while I was able to maintain most of my calm while reading her story, I have to admit I fought back tears as she related what it was like seeing the Red Cross International helicopters and flying out of the jungle towards the Colombian/Venezuelan border, leaving the copters and getting on a plane to be reunited with her family, scanning the crowd to find her mother as the plane taxied to a stop. All of that just made my heart leap and tears came to my eyes. I think she probably downplayed just how wonderful she felt as she landed and was able to actually touch her mother and her nieces and brother and cousins. She was surrounded by media as she was reunited with her family, but it doesn't seem like they were suffocating. Maybe that's how she chose to report it, maybe they really weren't all that suffocating, I don't know. I mean, I've seen on the news how the media can rush at someone to get comments, but I've also seen how the media maintains a respectful distance in some situations, so maybe the media did it that way, remained at a respectful distance and just snapped pictures and waited patiently for her to give a press conference. I kind of think not though. Anyway, it was the way Clara was greeted by her family that tore at my heart. She said she saw her mother who was now using a walker (she hadn't been using one the last time Clara saw her, so I'm sure it was a shock) and her mother took her face in her hands and looked at her. Oh, tug at my heartstrings, why don't you? I will admit, tears fell when I read about being reunited with her son, who thankfully had been delivered into the hands of the Colombian child welfare services organization and had been treated for his infection and was well fed and healthy by the time she saw him. This is just happy ending all around, really.
Based on how Clara Rojas ends her book, where she talks about being able to forgive those who held her and her son captive, and being able to move forward with her life and returning to a normal life, I have to say she came out of this remarkably intact. Her soul was not destroyed and she has learned something that so many of us don't always truly learn -- how to forgive those who have hurt us. It's not easy being able to forgive someone for a wrong they have done against us, and I would think that being held captive for 6 years and being separated from your own child for 4 years would qualify for an unforgivable act, yet she has forgiven her captors. She has dedicated her life to fighting for what she believes is right, working to release more hostages from the FARC, as well as working to improve child welfare and the environment. I admire her, on a lot of levels. If I could end up with a tenth of the strength this woman has, I'd consider myself pretty lucky. I am adding Ms. Rojas to my list of people I admire and who have had an impact on me. I don't think her story is one that I am going to forget, ever, but I think it will stick with me for quite some time. This is an example of strength of the human spirit, and I'm glad to have been able to learn about it.
To Ms. Clara Rojas, I am humbled by your story and wish to send my thoughts and prayers to you and your son, Emmanuel. I hope your continued efforts to release more hostages are so successful that one day you won't have to work so hard because there won't be any hostages! Bless you, Ms. Rojas! I hope one day, I may meet you and tell you in person just how remarkable I think you are.
That's how I came across the book Captive by Clara Rojas. I was wandering around the bookstore, drinking some wonderfully pomegranate flavored tea when I came across this memoir. I kind of run hot/cold on memoirs, finding some of them to be really quite wonderful and others to be really quite self-centered, but I grabbed this book from the shelf and looked at it. At the bottom of the front cover it says "2,147 Days of Terror in the Colombian Jungle". Well, that made me flip the book to the back cover to read about this book, which I promptly added to my growing stack of books.
Captive is the story of Clara Rojas' kidnapping by the Colombian guerrilla army, FARC, and the years she spent held as their hostage. Rojas was kidnapped in 2002, along with her then friend Ingrid Betancourt, and was held until 2008, when a negotiation mediated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba resulted in the release of Clara Rojas, Consuelo Gonzales and Rojas' young son, Emmanuel (whom she conceived and delivered in the jungle while held in captivity). This book was translated from Spanish to English by Adriana V. Lopez (I don't really know if that makes any kind of difference to a reader, it certainly doesn't make a difference to me, I love reading works by authors from all over the world and I am greatly appreciative of the fact that there are people out there who can translate their works for me to enjoy). Rojas lays out the details of her captivity with clarity and, in my opinion, honesty. She is very real about how she felt during those years as a hostage of the FARC and in many ways I think this made her perseverance more amazing to me.
The book begins with what she was doing the day before she was kidnapped and then moves forward to her life after release. Unlike some memoirs, where the author takes you on a daily or even weekly trip with them, Rojas tells her story according to the theme of the chapter. Each chapter is titled, things like "The Day Before the Kidnapping" or "Doubt and Anxiety" or "Pastimes", and within that chapter the story followed the the idea presented in the title. I liked that presentation of her story, it presented her story on several layers and gave a good picture of what the hostages did at each camp they were held at.
After finishing this book on July 20, 2011, I felt a lot of things. I was glued to this story, Rojas' is a very strong woman, I think. I don't know if I'd be able to hold up as well if I were to be in that same situation. I guess you never know just how strong you are until. . . I don't know, I guess until that's all you have. Clara Rojas was strong on many levels while in captivity. I definitely believe her faith and belief in God helped see her through days that could have resulted in a weaker person taking their own life to end the pain. Hope, she had a lot of that. She hoped to one day see her mother and brother and the rest of her family. She hoped to one day be free and away from that hot jungle. I believe that faith and hope can get a person very far in this world, it's when you lose all hope and all faith, that you're soul dies. That's my own personal belief, and I think in some ways reading about Ms. Rojas' captivity, it made me look at my own beliefs in a way.
I believe she is strong, and as a strong woman she was able to survive her ordeal by remaining hopeful. There were definitely points where she fell into a depression, who wouldn't? In her case, I think those times of depression only resulted in strengthening her resolve to remain hopeful and believe that God was with her and would take care of her. That's some pretty strong belief right there. I admire that about her, actually. I admire that her faith figured so strongly for her during the 6 years she was held by the FARC. I honestly don't know if I would be able to find that strength in my own faith. My religious beliefs waiver on many occasions and at this point in time, I'm rebuilding my own beliefs and figuring out what where God is in my life and quite possibly where I am in His/Hers.
Clara Rojas' friendship with Ingrid Betancourt fell apart while they were captives, which is unfortunate, but maybe it was also for the best. I wonder if, in some ways, if this was a friendship that fits in the "reasons, seasons, lifetime" type of process. Possibly this was a friendship for a reason -- Rojas was an attorney who worked on Betancourt's political campaign and they were both from the same party? Possibly this was a friendship for a season -- political allies traveling together through FARC controlled territory to discuss party issues with allies in another Colombian city? I don't know, but I don't think this was a friendship that was meant to be a lifetime one. The way Clara describes the discussions she had with Ingrid leading up to the day they were kidnapped, it did not seem to me that these were two women who shared a sisterly type of love and friendship for one another. I could be wrong, of course. Although I think it is for the best that their friendship ended, I was saddened by the pain that Rojas felt as their friendship fell apart. It is always painful to lose a friend and I can sympathize with Rojas as she lost the only friend she had in the jungle. Overall, by the end of the ordeal, Clara shows herself to be the bigger person when it came to Ingrid.
I was curious about the fact that she gave birth to a son in the middle of the jungle and wondered for most of the book how it happened. Not so much how she got pregnant, I know all about the birds and the bees, but more wondering if there was going to be some kind of love story wrapped into this captivity story. I couldn't really imagine falling in love with someone in the middle of something so stressful as a hostage crisis, but stranger things have happened to people and since I'm not in her shoes, I can't really say I know anything about it anyway. The thing I have to say I respect and admire about this particular part of her story is that she chooses to keep it private. She does not, as she relates the story of her pregnancy and harrowing delivery, go into detail about how she came to be pregnant, she does not reveal the identity of the father, does not indicate if he was a guerrilla or a fellow hostage. What she does is say that she has decided to leave the details of her pregnancy for a time when her son, Emmanuel, approaches her and asks. I like that. It makes sense, because, honestly, it's none of my business how she came to be pregnant, what is my business is what is on the page and I respect that she is choosing not to tell me anything more. She manages to survive an unexpected pregnancy at the age of 39 in the middle of the Colombian jungle and delivers with little medical comfort -- a male nurse, a female nurse and a group of guerrillas providing light and support. Here's the kicker -- due to complications, her son is brought into this world in a hut by Cesarean section while she is heavily sedated, and a single 100 watt light bulb shining over them. I realize there are people out there who will say "women have been giving birth much longer than there's been doctors and modern medicine and hospitals" but really? No woman should have to be delivered by C-section by a nurse in the middle of a jungle while being held against her will, and yet that's what happened to Clara Rojas and it's pretty amazing that she and her son survived.
At that point in the book, I had to go online and see if I could find a picture of her and her son. I was curious to see them. On the cover of the book, there is a small picture of her, but I wanted a better one. I actually wanted to see her smiling, I thought "I bet she has one of those smiles that feels like the warmth of the sun upon your skin". I was right too. She does. There are several pictures of her alone as well as pictures of her with her son and her family (the family ones are from when she arrived in Venezuela after her release). She does have a warm smile. The birth of her son is a miracle really, given the little medical resources that were available. After his birth, she continues to push forward, wanting to live and survive for her son and her mother, because she knew one day she'd be with her mother again. Hope. Faith. Strength.
Unfortunately, young Emmanuel becomes ill and after attempting to deal with the parasitic infection he gets from a bug bite, he is taken away from Clara to be treated. He was only 8 months old when they took him away from her, and she wouldn't see him again until close to his 4th birthday. Now that's what I call heartbreaking, and she definitely was heartbroken but she still had that strength of spirit or strength of will, but she knew that she'd see him again. This is a woman that the word "pessimism" is not in the vocabulary for. Neither is "skepticism". Through the efforts of President Hugo Chavez and Senator Piedad Cordoba, the hostages discovered that Clara and Consuelo would be released to the Red Cross International, as well as Emmanuel, and they would be sent to Venezuela to be reunited with their families. Her hope and faith and strength saw her through to the day she'd been praying for, but of course it was going to take awhile for her to actually taste sweet freedom, but not once did I get the impression that she didn't realize this either. She was practical and realistic, while remaining hopeful in the knowledge that she would soon be out of that jungle and safe with her family. How can someone not lose their mind at the thought of being free? I think I would have gone crazy in the days leading up to my freedom, especially since there was no specific date set. But, she remained calm outwardly (she does admit that she rejoiced inwardly, thanking God repeatedly), and she just made sure she was prepared because at any moment the Commandante could tell her she was leaving to go home. The days leading up to freedom coincided with the Christmas and New Year's holidays and each day, as people around the world were eagerly looking forward towards opening presents and welcoming in a new year with new possibilities, she was looking forward to a day when she would see her son and mother again, and be able to taste the sweetness of freedom.
I am an emotional person and, while I was able to maintain most of my calm while reading her story, I have to admit I fought back tears as she related what it was like seeing the Red Cross International helicopters and flying out of the jungle towards the Colombian/Venezuelan border, leaving the copters and getting on a plane to be reunited with her family, scanning the crowd to find her mother as the plane taxied to a stop. All of that just made my heart leap and tears came to my eyes. I think she probably downplayed just how wonderful she felt as she landed and was able to actually touch her mother and her nieces and brother and cousins. She was surrounded by media as she was reunited with her family, but it doesn't seem like they were suffocating. Maybe that's how she chose to report it, maybe they really weren't all that suffocating, I don't know. I mean, I've seen on the news how the media can rush at someone to get comments, but I've also seen how the media maintains a respectful distance in some situations, so maybe the media did it that way, remained at a respectful distance and just snapped pictures and waited patiently for her to give a press conference. I kind of think not though. Anyway, it was the way Clara was greeted by her family that tore at my heart. She said she saw her mother who was now using a walker (she hadn't been using one the last time Clara saw her, so I'm sure it was a shock) and her mother took her face in her hands and looked at her. Oh, tug at my heartstrings, why don't you? I will admit, tears fell when I read about being reunited with her son, who thankfully had been delivered into the hands of the Colombian child welfare services organization and had been treated for his infection and was well fed and healthy by the time she saw him. This is just happy ending all around, really.
Based on how Clara Rojas ends her book, where she talks about being able to forgive those who held her and her son captive, and being able to move forward with her life and returning to a normal life, I have to say she came out of this remarkably intact. Her soul was not destroyed and she has learned something that so many of us don't always truly learn -- how to forgive those who have hurt us. It's not easy being able to forgive someone for a wrong they have done against us, and I would think that being held captive for 6 years and being separated from your own child for 4 years would qualify for an unforgivable act, yet she has forgiven her captors. She has dedicated her life to fighting for what she believes is right, working to release more hostages from the FARC, as well as working to improve child welfare and the environment. I admire her, on a lot of levels. If I could end up with a tenth of the strength this woman has, I'd consider myself pretty lucky. I am adding Ms. Rojas to my list of people I admire and who have had an impact on me. I don't think her story is one that I am going to forget, ever, but I think it will stick with me for quite some time. This is an example of strength of the human spirit, and I'm glad to have been able to learn about it.
To Ms. Clara Rojas, I am humbled by your story and wish to send my thoughts and prayers to you and your son, Emmanuel. I hope your continued efforts to release more hostages are so successful that one day you won't have to work so hard because there won't be any hostages! Bless you, Ms. Rojas! I hope one day, I may meet you and tell you in person just how remarkable I think you are.
June 16, 2017
I grabbed this book because I cannot begin to fathom camping and hiking through the jungle with the heat and bugs and snakes and mud she describes. Then to be a captive for almost 6 YEARS is just unimaginable. Not being familiar with the situation in those areas or the why of her capture and imprisonment for such a long period, I just don't understand the guerilla tactics, it's not as though they were looking for a ransom. Over time, she was with various guerillas and hostages as well. The book left a lot of unanswered questions for me, especially the fact that she had a son during her captivity. She indicates she purposely doesn't go into details about that because of her son, which I can understand to a degree, but was there a romance between her and another hostage or a guerilla? Or, more likely, was she raped? Does she know who the father even is? And having an emergency C-section in the jungle? OMG. She does maintain her hopeful optimistic outlook throughout the story, trying to stay in shape by walking and running around the camp, bathing in rivers when possible, reading her Bible and so on but I have to think she was frightened and despondent much of the time - how can anyone be a Pollyanna given meager rations and everything else she went through? But I guess it's true that it's amazing what the human spirit can survive...I believe she did state she got some therapy and if ever there was a PTSD situation, this would be it!
May 1, 2024
Well Written
This is the true story of Clara Rojas kidnapping and subsequent captivity by guerilla forces in the jungle as she accompanied Ingrid Bettencourt on what was supposed to be a brief speaking engagement a quick flight from home.
It describes the kidnapping, captivity and day to day routine the hostages maintained, a few escape attempts as well as Clara's painful and crude C-section by her guerilla captors giving birth to her son Emmanuel in the jungle! I think the author would likely agree that the forced separation from her precious boy was the worst part of the entire story. She adored her baby boy and to be separated after several months with the little one ending up in a children's home was horrible. This is such a critical developmental time period for a baby and to interfere with that bonding time is to damage both mother and especially the child. God can overcome that, however and Clara is a woman of deep faith!
I recommend this book. It is an interesting story that thankfully, the author survived to share with us!
This is the true story of Clara Rojas kidnapping and subsequent captivity by guerilla forces in the jungle as she accompanied Ingrid Bettencourt on what was supposed to be a brief speaking engagement a quick flight from home.
It describes the kidnapping, captivity and day to day routine the hostages maintained, a few escape attempts as well as Clara's painful and crude C-section by her guerilla captors giving birth to her son Emmanuel in the jungle! I think the author would likely agree that the forced separation from her precious boy was the worst part of the entire story. She adored her baby boy and to be separated after several months with the little one ending up in a children's home was horrible. This is such a critical developmental time period for a baby and to interfere with that bonding time is to damage both mother and especially the child. God can overcome that, however and Clara is a woman of deep faith!
I recommend this book. It is an interesting story that thankfully, the author survived to share with us!
September 2, 2022
Una conversación en la playa con una amiga colombiana, me llevó a querer conocer más acerca de los tristemente célebres secuestros de las FARC. He leído y releído "Historia de un Secuestro" de Gabriel García Márquez, pero quería ver otros puntos de vista.
"Lejos del infierno" narra las vivencias de tres americanos, contratistas que trabajaban para el gobierno de EEUU en su lucha contra el narcotráfico. Estuvieron 1967 días secuestrados y su odisea es, desde luego, apasionante desde un punto de vista aventurero.
"Cautiva" en cambio, es un relato mucho más intimista, realizado desde la introspección y estructurado en capítulos que no tienen que ver tanto con la acción como con los distintos valores que Clara Rojas se empeñó en mantener en cautividad. Impresionante el nacimiento de su hijo.
"Lejos del infierno" narra las vivencias de tres americanos, contratistas que trabajaban para el gobierno de EEUU en su lucha contra el narcotráfico. Estuvieron 1967 días secuestrados y su odisea es, desde luego, apasionante desde un punto de vista aventurero.
"Cautiva" en cambio, es un relato mucho más intimista, realizado desde la introspección y estructurado en capítulos que no tienen que ver tanto con la acción como con los distintos valores que Clara Rojas se empeñó en mantener en cautividad. Impresionante el nacimiento de su hijo.
January 20, 2018
Pas très bien écrit avec parfois des redondances. J'avais du mal à capturer les sensations, le désarroi, la cruauté de l'emprisonnement. Je me sentais plus comme lisant une ado qui raconte une histoire poche où elle est victime, plus que les autres, un feeling de c'est pas de ma faute c'est les autres (otages). L'écriture ne m'a pas donné un sentiment d'empathie pour elle. Parfois, il me semble qu'elle méritait le traitement des autres détenus. Je sais c'est vilain de penser comme ça mais elle ne m'a pas donné l'impression d'être gentille. De plus, on dirait qu'elle croyait mériter un traitement de faveur.
Je ne sais pas.
Est ce que je recommande: non.
Je ne sais pas.
Est ce que je recommande: non.
July 25, 2021
Cabe resaltar que ella en ninguna parte del libro destaca episodios críticos de maltrato, sin negar que el hecho de estar secuestrada ya sea uno muy grande.
Ella trata de contar un historia muy empática para ambos bandos, destacando su valentía y su fe en Dios para seguir en pie de lucha en momentos complicados de su secuestro.
Habla de perdón, de fe, de paciencia, de amor... de todo lo que nos falta a los colombianos, para así ir dejando atrás una época de violencia en la que nos empeñamos seguir recordando y viviendo.
Ella trata de contar un historia muy empática para ambos bandos, destacando su valentía y su fe en Dios para seguir en pie de lucha en momentos complicados de su secuestro.
Habla de perdón, de fe, de paciencia, de amor... de todo lo que nos falta a los colombianos, para así ir dejando atrás una época de violencia en la que nos empeñamos seguir recordando y viviendo.
January 10, 2019
Clara Rojas wrote this book shortly after she was freed from captivity in the Colombian jungle. Having been kidnapped along with presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt by the FARC in 2002, she recounts her six years as a prisoner. Although this must have been a terrible experience, her story is very superficial and lacks depth and insight into the experience.
January 8, 2023
Al principio me dio ganas de leerlo pero el problema del tiempo no me dejaba. Ahorra lo termine y pues me gusto escuchar la experiencia de alguien al pasar por una etapa de dificultad en su vida. Me hizo reflexionar muchas cosas pero no de una manera que me ayudaba a mi pero a la vez intente tomar lo que si podía de el libro.
February 16, 2020
En la época de estudiante, conocí a Clara y a parte de sus amigos en Bogotá. Una loquita, como eramos casi todos en esa época, aunque ella era menor que yo. Bueno, pero hablando de su obra literaria, confieso que no me gusta mucho, o casi nada.
March 6, 2018
Casi le doy el 2.5. Se alcanzó a salvar.
Reseña pendiente.
Reseña pendiente.
June 16, 2020
What an amazing story. I have no words to truly describe it. Finished it in a single day.
January 7, 2021
Reto lector 202?, libro basado en una historia real.
Ha sido una lectura bastante interesante.
Como bien lo mencionaba Clara, el secuestro es algo con lo que cualquier colombiano está familiarizado... pero de lejos; a través de los medios, historias o memorias. La mayoría no lo hemos vivido en carne propia (y espero que eso nunca cambie).
A pesar de tratar algo tan desesperante y triste, se puede notar un rayo de esperanza a lo largo de todo el libro, cosa que me pareció maravillosa, y es esto (más el temple y la valentía de Clara) lo que destaco del libro.
Ha sido una lectura bastante interesante.
Como bien lo mencionaba Clara, el secuestro es algo con lo que cualquier colombiano está familiarizado... pero de lejos; a través de los medios, historias o memorias. La mayoría no lo hemos vivido en carne propia (y espero que eso nunca cambie).
A pesar de tratar algo tan desesperante y triste, se puede notar un rayo de esperanza a lo largo de todo el libro, cosa que me pareció maravillosa, y es esto (más el temple y la valentía de Clara) lo que destaco del libro.
January 9, 2021
Simplón, esquivo y mesurado.
Lamentable, no está bueno.
Lamentable, no está bueno.
September 18, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
March 30, 2023
La historia en cautiverio de clara rojas , 6 años en poder de la farc es interesante
March 10, 2025
Es una descripción sencilla y muy personal de una situación límite. Es de ágil lectura.
May 1, 2025
lo leí en un día!! me conmovió su testimonio ( sentí ganas de llorar varias veces durante la lectura del libro)
June 12, 2021
Being a kidnap reading addict, I enjoyed reading this book. This is an easy read and do not contain any crazy information. I read all the books of the people that were kidnaped with her and Ingrid and all books agreed in the behavior of queen Ingrid and I believed Clara, the 3 gringos and the rest. Clara kept this book light and at the same time with enough information to visualized how was her life in the jungle.
March 19, 2017
What an amazing story about an incredibly strong an intelligent woman. Kidnapped and held hostage for six years in the jungles of Columbia, she endured more than anyone could ever know or begin to understand. Her bravery continued after her release in penning this important memoir about her experiences. A quick, engaging read - I finished it in an afternoon.
December 20, 2013
CAPTIVE is definitely NOT captivating. I almost hate to say this, out of respect for the author's tremendous ordeal only, but this book is poorly written. Period.
The story jumps around, tends to be sort of generic and glosses over a lot of things, and she doesn't even give (most) her fellow hostages the courteousy of NAMING them. Furthermore, I find it ironic that her fellow hostage Ingrid Betancourt was accused (in the media) of trying to make the situation all about herself and treated her poorly, when I found CAPTIVE to be written in a pretentious "I took the high-road' tone.
While 2 people who experience the same ordeal will always interpret and react to it differently, I absolutely started this book with the idea that I would be sympathetic to Clara and see Ingrid for the snoot she was accused of being. However, when I turned the last page of the book I was (1) glad it was over (2) disappointed in the story telling and (3) completely UNsympathetic. She intimates multiple times that her response to a situation/confrontation was 'misinterpreted', but how could one hostage in a group of many not establish a meaningful relationship with anyONE of her fellow hostages???
'Even Silence Has an End' is far and away a more well written and (seemingly) honest account of life in the jungle as a hostage. It truly picks you up off your couch, throws you down in the middle of the jungle, and has you picturing yourself using the chontos (retch) and tromping through jungle for days on end...It is a haunting and gritty account that will leave you contemplating days later the horrors of living in the jungle under armed guard..... how/if you could survive... would you fight back and refuse to become a number? would you be brave enough to try and escape??
The story jumps around, tends to be sort of generic and glosses over a lot of things, and she doesn't even give (most) her fellow hostages the courteousy of NAMING them. Furthermore, I find it ironic that her fellow hostage Ingrid Betancourt was accused (in the media) of trying to make the situation all about herself and treated her poorly, when I found CAPTIVE to be written in a pretentious "I took the high-road' tone.
While 2 people who experience the same ordeal will always interpret and react to it differently, I absolutely started this book with the idea that I would be sympathetic to Clara and see Ingrid for the snoot she was accused of being. However, when I turned the last page of the book I was (1) glad it was over (2) disappointed in the story telling and (3) completely UNsympathetic. She intimates multiple times that her response to a situation/confrontation was 'misinterpreted', but how could one hostage in a group of many not establish a meaningful relationship with anyONE of her fellow hostages???
'Even Silence Has an End' is far and away a more well written and (seemingly) honest account of life in the jungle as a hostage. It truly picks you up off your couch, throws you down in the middle of the jungle, and has you picturing yourself using the chontos (retch) and tromping through jungle for days on end...It is a haunting and gritty account that will leave you contemplating days later the horrors of living in the jungle under armed guard..... how/if you could survive... would you fight back and refuse to become a number? would you be brave enough to try and escape??
September 7, 2016
I read this book as an assignment for the Spanish language course I'm taking. I had no idea I would become so engrossed in the narrative that I'd become annoyed at having to resort to a dictionary for words new to my vocabulary & to online translator for phrases. Some foods & colloquial expressions could not be found ( thank you, Profesora!). Ms. Rojas tells her story well, takes the reader along on her emotional & physical journey as a hostage in the criminal opposition of Columbia's politics in the early 2000s. Held in the forest for 6 years, moving constantly to avoid detection by low flying aircraft searching for the many captives & guerrillas guarding them, they seldom left the darkness of the forest canopy & suffered many deprivations beyond captivity. Ms. Rojas protects her own privacy, but describes the harrowing details of the birth of her son, when she was nearly 40, by C-section, at the hands of a nurse. The health issues the baby developed eventually resulted in their separation. She didn't see him until her release, about 2 years later. What a tale. Couldn't put it down. Would have given 5 stars if she had been more forthcoming about the views of other captives re presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped along with her. Many other account paint IB as haughty & simply not nice. Ms. Rojas sticks to their personal relationship, yet is willing to discuss others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2012
Well, obviously not the same depth of analysis generated by the Biography of Ingrid Betancourt, and an election not to go down the track of a detailed analysis of captivity and the politics of inter prisoner relations and relationships with the Guards. I got the impression that maybe that was because of a certain degree of co-option by the Guards after having the baby in captivity. Clara said throughout her approach was to withdraw into silence rather than engage with either her fellow prisoners or Guards. The impression is also gained that Clara had some sympathy for the class position of the Guards, and seemed to point to positive moments, where human kindness shone throuh- as opposed to the tendancy in Ingrid's book to point to the worst excesses of Guard cruelty. The book also didn't resolve for me the issue of why she and Ingrid fell out and in fact Ingrid's position is better supported as one gets the impression that Clara blamed Ingrid for "getting her into this position" in the first place. Clara admits she was not well prepared for capitivity having been treated like a princess by her family and not having been subjected to "tough" life lessons prior to subjection to captivity by FARC.
April 30, 2013
I had read the biographies of those who were held with Clara and was interested to hear her side. Clara's book was OK, not bad, not good. I think this was because her story is very restrained and she left a lot of information out that was a key part of her story. For example, Clara got pregnant and had a child in captivity and she chose not to disclose who the father was or their relationship in the book. While I understand wanting to keep this information private it left some pretty huge holes in her story which made the story awkward. The story of her child's heath issues and her fight to find the child were included in the book though.
She also really refrained from bashing Ingrid Betancourt's behavior too much (Betancourt was the presidential candidate Clara was captured with Clara and tales of her arrogance and putting the lives of others in danger for her selfish interests...for example she did not want to share a room with other captives so she lied to the guards...lies that could have had the other captives killed). Although if you read between the lines you could see that her 'friend' abandoned her for the most part during the birth of her child and her child's issues.
She also really refrained from bashing Ingrid Betancourt's behavior too much (Betancourt was the presidential candidate Clara was captured with Clara and tales of her arrogance and putting the lives of others in danger for her selfish interests...for example she did not want to share a room with other captives so she lied to the guards...lies that could have had the other captives killed). Although if you read between the lines you could see that her 'friend' abandoned her for the most part during the birth of her child and her child's issues.
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