Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself

vladimiro says on Oct 6, 2007, 10:19:

I liked "Las Historias de las guerras" by Rafael Pardo. Pardo is a senator, and former Minister of Defense.

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NataliaV says on Oct 6, 2007, 11:59:

I enjoyed reading Ingrid Betancourt's book "My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia". Thats the english version. I'm not sure what the spanish version is titled.

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cali373 says on Oct 6, 2007, 15:15:

Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself" is a good book

Smile if you are a thinker!

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goin_south says on Oct 6, 2007, 22:47:

I'm going to read this one.

'what does it mean, when one of you (colombians) tell another: YOU WERE NOT/ARE NOT. 'COLOMBIAN ENOUGH'?? jejeje..a mixture, I think, of stupidity mixed with a false sense of arrogance.. How 'colombian' do you have to be? to be 'colombian enough

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juancegomez says on Oct 7, 2007, 11:40:

Bushnell's book is fine, an easy read and a good overview.

I also second Mr. Pardo's (although who knows if there isn't a ghostwriter or two involved) "La Historia de las Guerras". It's mostly the military and political side of the different conflicts throughout Colombian history, presented in a generally readable form.

If you want a somewhat more academic perspective, there's also "Colombia. Fragmented Land, Divided Society" by Safford and Palacios. The earlier chapters are more "relaxed" than the rest, but it's all still fairly understandable.

If you're not hostile to politics, and are not afraid of dealing with the war or other touchy and even outright depressing subjects, I recommend "Walking Ghosts" by Steven Dudley. It handles a lot of complex subjects beyond the scope of what one initially expects, without falling into easy stereotypes if read carefully.

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LA_MONA says on Oct 7, 2007, 14:00:

DP gracias por recomendarnos este libro, la verdad es que con las respuestas tambien hay bastante para leer y para uno actualizarse! Ya que va llegando el invierno aqui, nada mejor que un libro interesante ;-)

Para volar, es preciso tener resistencia. -M.Lin

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poco says on Oct 7, 2007, 17:03:

4 or 5 years ago I had a link to some material about the History of Colombia, actually this is the subject of a complete book.

http://minmaster.com/ select colombian history,, not hard because it is the only link.

The source has similar studies for what seems to be every country in the world.

http://countrystudies.us/

Looks like some might be old, maybe 1988 but what the heck,, we're talking HISTORY.

"Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov

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de pronto says on Oct 8, 2007, 06:48:

Hi,

Thank you all for your recommendations, do you think I'll be able to find those books in Bogotá?. One question, did you get them in Colombia or in the States?

Yes Mona, we have plenty of books still to read. Gabo told me that you are married to a colombian, hope you find my recommendation useful =)

Seems like I'll be busy reading "a little" about colombian history.

Regards

... y viaje a Macondo todo pagado

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webmanco says on Oct 8, 2007, 07:42:

Una Colombia Posible
Historias de resistencia civil frente a la guerra.

Mady Samper.

Entre otros capitulos

Un amanecer en el Piedemonte Llanero
La otra Barrancabermeja


Tengo el libro pero para ser sincero solamente lo he hojeado.

(I really hate it when women get their panties all bunched up their butt, they can get so cranky!) Poor butt happy

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Oct 8, 2007, 09:05:

If you're looking for books in English, the ones by David Bushnell and Steven Dudley are easy to find in the U.S. Also recommended:

Palace of Justice, The: A Colombian Tragedy. Carrigan, Ana. Hardcover, 1993

News of a Kidnapping. García Márquez, Gabriel. Hardcover, 1997, first US edition

More Terrible Than Death: Violence, Drugs, and America's War in Colombia. Kirk, Robin. Softcover, 2003

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw. Bowden, Mark. Hardcover, 2001

No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado del Ruiz. Bruce, Victoria. Hardcover, 2001, first edition, 231 pages

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de pronto says on Oct 8, 2007, 10:16:

Webmanco y Tinto gracias por sus recomendaciones por lo que veo también son diferentes sucesos históricos.

Vaya, tengo mucho qué leer. Tengo un pequeño libro que me regaló el papá de mi amiga, si la memoria no me falla es: La masacre de Bananeras, ustedes disculpen si no es el título, pero honestamente me parece un poco complicado para leer porque no tengo como referencia algunos nombres y lugares; pero en un futuro no lejano pienso volver a leerlo y esta vez no quiero que se me escapen algunos detalles que por ignorancia mía pueden ser muy interesantes.


Saludos

... y viaje a Macondo todo pagado

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