The FARC Revolutionist

About the Book

The FARC (Revolutionary Forces of Colombia) is one of the oldest Marxist guerrilla forces in the Western Hemisphere. The United States, the European Union and Canada list FARC as a terrorist group guilty of kidnapping, drug trafficking, and committing acts of violence against civilians and global citizens. However, the FARC organization maintains that they are an army of the people, a belligerent force fighting the Colombian oligarchy to bring about social and economic changes and that its struggle requires conventional warfare tactics. This exhilarating story set in the early 1980s, depicts the human side of FARC fighters and their kidnap victims and revolves around three vivid characters: Carlos, a well-educated FARC guerrilla commander who comes to the United States on a covert assignment to purchase arms; Anne, a Washington lawyer with whom Carlos has a passionate love affair; and Alberto, the author’s uncle, a wealthy Colombian rancher who becomes a FARC kidnap victim. The story gives an explicit insight into the lives and minds of elusive insurgents, their interaction with ruthless drug traffickers, international weapon dealers, and global intelligence agencies.

About the Author

Ms. Vanegas was born in Germany where she received her liberal arts education. She coauthored Hitler’s Prisoners: Seven Cell Mates Tell Their Stories (Brassey’s) and evaluated and edited A Mind in Prison by Dr. Bruno Manz (Brassey’s). She also wrote and produced Dances from the Ancient Cradle of Civilization, a history of Middle Eastern dances, and Refugees from Silesia, a European history segment focusing on German refugees, for Fairfax Public Television. Ms. Vanegas and her husband Germán live near Washington DC in northern Virginia.