Colombia is in the grip of the longest-running civil war in Latin America. Thousands are killed each year, and one-and-a-half million have already been internally displaced.

This book brings to life the stories of ten of those caught up in the war, told in their own words. It aims to go beyond the statistics, to portray the culture of violence which permeates Colombia. This violence has consistently emanated predominantly from the most powerful in society; its victims are mainly the poor.

These life stories plunge us into the personal realm, putting forward one way that change may come about: that truth and memory can reconcile both victims and perpetrators of violence to a new beginning.

Table of Contents:

1) The War Within; 2) This is the War; 3) Creating our Country