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Clara Rojas

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Captive: 2,147 Days of Terror in the Colombian Jungle Kindle Edition

by Clara Rojas (Author), Adriana V. Lopez (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 46 ratings

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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 miraculous, but her joy was soon cut short when the FARC took him from her when he was only eight months old. For the next three years, Clara was given no information about him, but her desire to one day see him again kept her alive. In early 2008, Clara was finally liberated and reunited with her son—to whom this book is dedicated.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 2002, Rojas, along with Colombian senator Ingrid Betancourt, was kidnapped by the guerrilla organization known as the FARC. Rojas was campaign director for Betancourt's bid for the presidency. For six years, Rojas was held along with Betancourt and other political figures, soldiers, civilians, and three Americans. The dense jungle was as much a deterrent as the FARC itself as Rojas and Betancourt made a few failed escape attempts. Their friendship deteriorated, and tensions developed as much among the captives as against the captors. During captivity, Rojas gave birth to a son by cesarean section in the jungle with the help of a guerrilla nurse who hadn't finished medical school. When he gets an infection that requires medical attention, Rojas is separated from him for two years. Her mother launched a successful international campaign to free her daughter and grandson, and there was wide speculation on a jungle romance, but Rojas declines to detail the circumstances. Rojas attributes her survival to faith and determination in an account that echoes the Ling sisters' recent book on their ordeal, Somewhere Inside. --Vanessa Bush

Review

“Early in the writing of The King's Best Highway, Eric Jaffe tells us, an advisor warned him not to make a book about a road “boring as hell.” Never has advice been more scrupulously followed: there is not a boring word in the book, which from beginning to end is consistently surprising, entertaining, and amusing. The author deftly leads us along the road from New York to Boston, taking us past the infant stagecoach lines, the first fires of Revolution, Abraham Lincoln figuring out his Presidential campaign and the armies that followed once he'd won it, the brief hegemony and slow withering of the railroad, the decidedly mixed blessing of the interstate. On the way we encounter such diverse figures as P.T. Barnum and J.P. Morgan, Robert Moses and Franklin Roosevelt and Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald. It makes for a most enjoyable party. A valuable one, too, because Jaffe sets forth a persuasive case that the old Post Road runs through us all, and his scores of lively set-pieces coalesce into the tremendous story, told at once intimately and spaciously, of the rise of American civilization.”

--Richard Snow, author of A Measureless Peril

About the Author

Clara Rojas is a lawyer and was the campaign director of Ingrid Betancourt’s presidential campaign when they were kidnapped by the FARC in 2002. She gave birth to her son Emmanuel during her captivity but he was taken from her when he was only eight months old. After six years of captivity she was finally liberated. Clara and her son currently live in Bogotá, Colombia.

Translator:

Adriana V. López is the founding editor of Críticas, Publishers Weekly's sister magazine devoted to the Spanish-language publishing world. She is the co-editor of Barcelona Noir, a short story collection for Akashic Books, as well as the editor of Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles and Other Quinceañera Stories (HarperCollins, 2007). Lopez's work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications and book anthologies. Her essays and fiction have appeared in Juicy Mangoes (Simon & Schuster, 2007), Border-Line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass & Cultural Shifting (HarperCollins, 2004), and Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism (Seal Press, 2002). López is a member of PEN America and currently divides her time between New York and Madrid.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1

Dispatched from Freedom

JULY 22, 2008

It’s been almost six months now that I have been free, and it still feels like it’s all a dream. Early each morning, I awake to the sound of birds chirping all around me. I live in Bogotá’s savanna, where the air is crisp and I can take in the mountain scenery from my window. There isn’t a morning that goes by that I don’t thank God I’m still alive. It’s the first thing I do upon opening my eyes. Yes, to thank the blessing that’s reunited me with my mother, with my son, Emmanuel, with my family and friends, and with all those who I love most. I am grateful to finally be able to leave it all behind. The kidnapping, the captivity—that’s all in the past. Now that my life is back to normal, with the affection and company of my loved ones, it’s strange to recall that not so long ago, when I was rotting away in the jungle, I could have felt so alone. So utterly forgotten.

Many have asked if I’ve changed since the kidnapping; if I’m still the same Clara that I always was. I tell them yes, that for the most part, I’m still the same person—but with a scar on my stomach now, and a profound mark made on the way I think and feel about things, which I can only hope will fade with time. Sometimes I’m assaulted by feelings of sadness, but, luckily, I have Emmanuel at my side for comfort. As is expected, I would have preferred that the Colombian guerrilla organization known as the FARC hadn’t robbed me of six years of my life. But I’m alive and here to tell the tale. Each person will recount what the war was like from his or her perspective. I’m just another soldier. And this is my story.

These words come from the depths of my heart, and I write this for many reasons. First, I’ve always dreamed of writing a book. I’ve written various academic and professional works, but this is a chance to bare my soul in the world of letters, a field that I’ve always adored. I’m also inspired to write a memoir so that it remains for my son and those of his generation. Because I long to be part of a country that prioritizes reconciliation, forgiveness, tolerance, growth, and peace. Lastly, I want to share my experience with readers and have them understand the difficulties I suffered and overcame, so that perhaps while reading this book, a seed of hope and longing will be planted in their hearts.

© 2009 PLON

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003KN3M3Q
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books (May 5, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 5, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1495 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 258 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #697,930 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #69 in Biographies & Memoirs of Hispanic & Latino
- #249 in Biographies & Memoirs of Abductions, Kidnappings & Missing Persons
- #385 in Hispanic & Latin Biographies

Customer Reviews:
3.8 46 ratings

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Lori D'Amico

Well Written

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024

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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!

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Mimi

A hammock is strung over the mother, to be near the baby

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2014

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The day went terribly wrong for the political party Oxygen, Clara Rojas the campaign director for Ingrid Betancourt are kidnapped by FARC guerrillas. They are taken as hostages to live in the Columbian jungle. They are both in emotional despair and trying to cope in a harrowing situation. They take orders from the FARC, they serve them food and allow them to bathe in the river, and they give them clothing to wear. They have flashlights they can point toward the ground.

Together the two women plan to escape. They leave during the night in the pitch black darkness, at first crawling on the ground so as not to be heard. The jungle is inhabited by all types of birds, animals, reptiles, and insects, and protection is a need at all times. It is a grueling endeavor at escaping and they are sadly recaptured. On a second attempt for escape, once again they are taken prisoners. On return to the camp, the guerrillas chain the women. This begins the first of Clara's hunger strikes, to protest being chained.

She prays everyday and has a Bible to read. The prisoners have radios to listen to. They take wiring from scouring pads to make antennas for better reception. They string them into the trees and at times receive programs from as faraway as Canada and England. There are hostage programs from Bogota, and families speak and send messages into the jungle. Praying, doing, listening are the life lines giving the hostages, hope, strength, and desire to preserve, continue, living and always hoping for freedom. Keeping their spirits high and vibrant amidst a horrific situation and much suffering.

In the second year, Clara has a pregnancy. She hopes the guerrillas will send her to a medical clinic, or at least bring in Red Cross International. The provisions are not provided, only to send guerrilla medical personnel. Complications arise during childbirth, after many hours a caesarean operation is necessary. Anesthesia is given to the patient. A generator is the source of energy to use a light bulb hanging over the patient. An incision is made, and a baby boy is delivered. The baby's arm is twisted and broken. Both the mother and son survive. Clara is very ill after the operation. A hammock is made and strung over the mother, so the baby can be near her. Two miracles in the jungle. Clara cares for Emmanuel eight months, before he is sent out for medical help. Her thoughts of seeing him again, gives her courage and helps to sustain her.

The six years of captivity, are long and trying. The prisoners are forced to march, keep moving camps to elude the army that is always searching for the hostages. One day, finally, her freedom comes. Along with another woman, it is a ten day trek, on foot and by boats to be rescued by the Red Cross, who fly in by helicopter. Clara reunites with her family in Venezuela, and a few days later her son Emmanuel.

3 people found this helpful

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J. Cole

Captive

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2010

Verified Purchase

Horribly written, just horrible. This woman has had an incredible experience - but this book does not reveal it. No dialogues from her ordeal are recreated, there is no sense of what she and the others went through, no honest discussion of what happened between her and Ingrid Betancourt. And she fails to explore the bigger issues she has confronted, choosing to simply affirm her faith in god. very disappointing this one.

24 people found this helpful

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NZ Kiwi

Half a book

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

After reading Ingrid's book I read Captive to help fill in the blanks and to get Clara's side of the story and her perspective. I enjoyed the book but felt that by her not detailing who the father was or how that relationship came about left a gaping hole in her account. The most interesting feature of Clara's story is the fact that she had a baby in the jungle as a captive under dreadful circumstances. How the baby was conceived and who the father was is half that story..... and it's missing. She left more questions than she answered. The fact that she stated she wants to tell her son in person when he is old enough is to me, a cop out. Having said that if she writes part two, I'll read it to have those questions answered.

One person found this helpful

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Sheri In Florida

A look inside living in the Colombian jungle

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2013

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I really enjoyed reading this memoir. The author has done an excellent job of writing of her experience in captivity in a way that draws a person into the overall story. She also raises a couple points that makes a person stop and consider what they are doing with their own lives, how they handle stressful and uncomfortable situations in relation to the people around them, and the impact our actions have on others to the good or the bad. I would have liked to read more detailed descriptions of the jungle, but other than that small wish, I was very pleased with the book and highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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M. W

boring, religious

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2014

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Riveting account of what HER personal ordeal was under the circumstances. I didn't want to read a gossip's account of what others went through; I got what I wanted. From the horror dawning on them when they are lead into captivity, the brutal cesarian section, to bugs and snakes to their long time awaited release…this book held me spellbound. Rojas may not have had a professional ghost writer help her, but she didn't really need one. Her daily challenges, as the days turned into years, were profound, boring, religious, dreary, any and all emotion. Loved the book.

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S. Ellis

True account of a captive

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2010

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Interesting as it's true but nothing like as good as a Public Radio account I heard from the other men captives. I'm looking for that.

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2013

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I read the other 2 books written in conjunciton with this one - when I say in conjunction I mean that several of the other captives wrote their memoirs as well. I liked reading Clara's version of the story especially since I had just delivered a baby when I picked this up and she herself got pregnant and delivered in the jungle. I don't like that the translation was poor - grammatical errors and all not befitting for an educated woman who achieved so much prior to her capture. I would recommend though.

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Jonurm

clara

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

Poor!.
ingrid betancourt much better. She seems to have been a silly bloody woman. ..................Boring, boring, tedious tedious, John urm

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