Our Guerrillas, Our Sidewalks: A Journey into the Violence of Colombia

By Herbert Braun

Book Overview

This remarkable book tells the story of one man's kidnapping in Colombia from the first-person perspectives of all those involved: the guerrillas, the victim, his wife, his friends, and his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870813560
• ISBN13: 9780870813566
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

colombian kidnapping

Our Guerrillas, Our Sidewalks is a fascinating book that chronicles the 1988 kidnapping of the author's brother-in-law, Jacob Gambini, by Colombia guerrillas. The book moves between Braun's narrative of the events and multiple other narratives including the kidnapee himself (represented mostly as 'Jake'), Jake's wife, and other people who were directly involved in the ordeal. There are also guerrilla quotes and newspaper articles throughout the book. The book essentially begins with the kidnapping and ends with the subsequent release of Jake Gambini. Using a variety of sources, Braun tells the story of the kidnapping while lending the reader a genuine feel of Colombian life and consciousness, and of the struggles and tension experienced by a nation founded with (and living in) violent revolution. Although Braun has a German name, he spent at least a significant part of his early life in Colombia, enough to be firmly rooted in Colombian consciousness. Braun is the brother of Jake's wife, Ulla. Braun and Ulla's mother, at the time the book was written, lived in Colombia. Previous to the kidnapping, Jake owned a successful oil company in Colombia, so although the family did not live entirely in Colombia, it had many ties to the country. Braun had written articles and published books on Colombian violence and history even before his brother-in-law was kidnapped by guerrillas, so obviously the motivation and ability for writing this book was very strong. The variety of perspectives displayed in the book creates a unique plot flow, with very effective chapter movement. Each chapter's title represents the current stage of kidnapping in the plot. The book starts with Jake being kidnapped and the initial response from the family, goes onto Jake being held captive and the family waiting for contact; however the larger portion of the book is the family negotiating with the guerrillas and Jake dealing with his captivity. The placement of news articles is done very well, at times corresponding directly to the emotions and thoughts of the author in the paragraphs preceded the articles. Overall, Braun's composition is coherent and creative. He communicates the types of political struggles taking place in Colombia between guerrillas, drug cartels, the public,and republican politicians. Throughout the book, Braun conveys an understanding of the guerrillas and their politics, mostly disagreeing with them, but at times considering their rebellious ambitions with an amount of sympathy. Braun, being back in Colombia under such emotional circumstances, relates many interesting thoughts about the city and its people. He mentions the economic changes that took place in his absence, and the effects they had on the city's appearance and people. While Jake is being held for ransom, the author spends much time in hotel rooms looking out of windows down to the streets below, watching the Colombians act and interact with each other. Also he mentions spending a fa

insight into guerrilla-ism

I am currently taking Braun's course titled 'Public Life in Latin America' at the University of Virginia, and I am in awe of this brilliant man. I have never taken a class on LatAm before, and he expresses the cultures (esp. political) clearly and intensely. This book is an example. Braun grew up in Colombia and knows from experience what it is like to be a teenage boy there and be faced with the decision to join a guerrilla group or not; when he was younger (though not now) he was a 'communist', and nearly did join them. Being older and wiser now, yet having many friends who did join, he can present this issue from many angles. In the book, he describes the guerrilla situation from his own personal viewpoint, others' viewpoints (including guerrillas themselves), and an historian's viewpoint (he's an historian); through these multiple voices he paints a fairly thorough picture of this complex socio-political phenomenon, a picture that beginners in the topic as well as seasoned veterans of Colombian public affairs can appreciate! Anyone who struggles to understand the guerrilla movements of Latin America should read this.