Book Review: Adriana E. Ramírez’s The Violence Chronicles Colombia’s Turbulent Decade The decade from 1948 to 1958 in Colombia, known as La Violencia, was a period of unprecedented political and social upheaval. Unlike the euphemisms used in other conflicts—such as “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland or “Years of Lead” in Italy—Colombians called it by its unflinching name: La Violencia, or “The Violence.” This term encapsulated the brutal, organized chaos that erupted after the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, a Liberal presidential candidate, in 1948. The killing triggered a violent clash between the Liberal and Conservative parties, with political allegiances determining survival. The violence was both calculated and chaotic, as described by Ramírez: “as sporadic as it was planned, as orchestrated as it was randomized.” Over time, the conflict led to a power-sharing agreement called the National Front, which alternated the presidency between the two parties until 1974. Adriana E. Ramírez’s The Violence is a historical biography that intertwines the personal story of her maternal grandmother, Esther Angarita de Rueda, with the broader narrative of Colombia’s turbulent era. The book traces the impact of La Violencia on Esther’s life, from her early years as a dairy farmer’s daughter in the mountainous Santander region to her eventual displacement due to political instability. Esther’s family, part of the Liberal faction, was forced to relocate from their rural finca to the city of Socorro and later to the Caribbean port of Barranquilla. The political unrest uprooted their lives, thrusting Esther into roles she never sought: first as a wife to a politically ambitious husband, then as a mother to seven children, and finally as a widow after her husband’s death.#colombia #adriana_e_ramirez #esther_angarita_de_rueda #pablo_escobar #pedro_marin
