THROWING STONES AT THE MOON
Narratives from Colombians Discplaced by Violence
Compiled and Edited by Sibylla Brodzinsky and Max Schoening
Foreword by Ingrid Betancourt
For more than five decades, Colombia was embroiled in internal armed conflict among guerrilla groups, paramilitary militias, and the country’s own military. Civilians in Colombia face a range of abuses from all sides, including killings, disappearances and rape--and more than four million have been forced to flee their homes. The oral histories in Throwing Stones at the Moon describe the most widespread of Colombia’s human rights crises: forced displacement. Speakers recount life before displacement, the reasons for their flight, and their struggle to rebuild their lives.
"Here are the real and unforgettable voices of Colombia’s long nightmare. I read these tales with a knot in my stomach, frightened and moved, and finally amazed by this lesson: when people find the strength to tell us what has happened to them, no matter how horrendous, a terrible yet universal beauty somehow emerges, always casting light on the mystery of being human.”
—Francisco Goldman, author of Say Her Name
"The truth about the endless violence that has driven four million Colombians from their homes is, beyond doubt, one of the greatest untold stories of our generation. We are indebted to Throwing Stones at the Moon for recording the courageous stories of survivors across this beautiful and deeply troubled country."
—Jan Egeland, Former UN Under Secretary General and Envoy to Colombia
In the US you can order directly from McSweeney's, from Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Powell's Books, or ask for it at your favorite bookstore. In Bogota, you can find it at Authors Bookstore, Tornamesa and Libreria Nacional.
We were honored to have participated in the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts in Medellin and Cartagena in 2013. You can listen here to a podcast of the talk with Maria Teresa Ronderos. See the video of our talk with Patricia Lara about the book in Medellin here.
Read in GRANTA about MARÍA VICTORIA, a hospital union leader whose fight against corruption led to a brutal attempt on her life.
Read in McSweeney's about ALFREDO ROMERO, a peasant displaced once by FARC rebels, another time by rightwing paramilitaries and then by guerrillas of the ELN after being shot and left for dead.
See in UTNE Reader an excerpt from the introduction.
See a Q&A with Sibylla and Max by Stephen Ferry, photographer and author of Violentology, a Manual of the Colombian Conflict.
Listen to an interview about the book in Spanish with UN Radio in Colombia.
We were honored to have participated in the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts in Medellin and Cartagena in 2013. You can listen here to a podcast of the talk with Maria Teresa Ronderos. See the video of our talk with Patricia Lara about the book in Medellin here.
Read in GRANTA about MARÍA VICTORIA, a hospital union leader whose fight against corruption led to a brutal attempt on her life.
Read in McSweeney's about ALFREDO ROMERO, a peasant displaced once by FARC rebels, another time by rightwing paramilitaries and then by guerrillas of the ELN after being shot and left for dead.
See in UTNE Reader an excerpt from the introduction.
See a Q&A with Sibylla and Max by Stephen Ferry, photographer and author of Violentology, a Manual of the Colombian Conflict.
Listen to an interview about the book in Spanish with UN Radio in Colombia.
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