This is an interesting book. It is not exactly a true story, but it is based on true stories of people who fought in the Colombian Civil War on the guerilla side. It gives a good view of why people did what they did.

The story is heavy and sometimes hard to read. But it also was compelling and the characters were passionate and realistic. I did get the feeling that I understand a bit better what went on in Colombia and why some really young people fought as guerillas.

But aside from the context of the book, it is a great story about a boy wanting revenge for his father's death and his adventures on the way of getting that revenge. I grieved and cheered, was sad and laughed and sometimes I was stunned. A great read. ( )

This was a much more in depth read than I anticipated, having not really read the blurb, I thought it was going to be more like a YA book with a lot of action and guns.

It was so much more.

It was the carefully detailed account of a young boy as he becomes a man, amidst the unimaginable trials and difficulties presented to him by corruption, drugs warfare and murder, told over the span of several years. He grows both physically as a man, and emotionally as a person, makes friends and navigates the difficulties of a multitude of agendas held by people who could genuinely kill him.

It was also the story of his friends and relationships with them, his family and where they fit into the complex puzzle, and the way the political situation amplified the normal elements of mid to late teenaged years.

It was the sort of book I wanted to come back to at every opportunity, but that I had to devote time where I was not distracted so I could really absorb all aspects of the story.

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This book has a little bit of everything. Coming of age, war, love, betrayal, forgiveness and lots of action. But it is also a difficult book to read because of the subject matter, child soldiers. Pedro is a young boy living on his family farm with very little cares in the world until his father is brutally murdered in front of him by Guerrlla soldiers. He vows revenge and takes the first steps to kill his fathers murderers by joining the Autodefensas, an illegal paramilitary group, and learning how to fight. The training is brutal and not all boys survive it. But Pedro is driven by hatred and the need to seek vengeance.

I rooted for Pedro throughout the book, he's just a kid in a terrible situation. But he does make some decisions that make things worse for him. He trusts some of the wrong people and he lets hatred control him. What I especially liked was that he came through all the violence and terror a better person and in the end chose to let the anger go and move on with his life as a happier and healed person.

I feel the author did meticulous research for this novel and all of the scenarios Pedro experienced were based of real events. Highly recommended. ( )

Colombiano by Rusty Young is a story you will not soon forget. This is a work of fiction though the horrors of the Colombian civil war and its aftermath are part of history. The author worked in Colombia with the Anti-Kidnapping Program in a country that averaged eight kidnappings per day. While in-country, he interviewed the child soldiers on both sides of the war and these are the basis of this novel. Pedro, a fifteen-year-old boy, witnessed the execution of his father, by guerillas. He was executed for allegedly providing drinking water to their enemies. They then banned Pedro and his mother from their farm. The boy vowed to avenge his father’s death and joined and was trained by the paramilitaries. Brutality became part of his daily existence. This is a story of revenge and a story of children fighting a war. I admit that I skipped some passages due to the graphic violence but this is a book that needed to be written and needs to be read. Thank you to Havelock & Baker Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Raw and gritty are just some of the words to describe this book. Experienced through young children's eyes, this story takes you into the heart of the Colombian war where corruption is part of everyday life. With poverty the main ingredient to fuel it even further, people simply didn't care or just turned a blind eye to the evil in their streets. In the back grownups pulled the strings and law and order stayed hidden.
Written in the first person you experienced life through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old boy. Pedro grew up fairly normal amidst all this turmoil, shielded by loving parents, but when his father is killed he changed from a teenager to a young man, overnight. Suddenly he was the grownup that had to act when the rest of the community stayed indoors. With no help to be found he is forced to make decisions that would change him forever.
From the moment he stepped into the Autodefensa's grounds you experienced his pain, turmoil, and hatred for the men who killed his father. That hatred fueled him to take risks no ordinary teenager should make. As a brilliant student, he had a future but as a soldier, he carried a world on his shoulders he wasn't old enough to comprehend. Yet, he managed to do the right thing, knowing the consequences his mother would face.
This determination carried him forward until his town and region were saved from the greedy grownups.
The story is heartwarming and brutal at the same time. The brutality these young soldiers endured is unfathomable if you haven't lived it yourself, but it is part of the story which made it true. Without it, you would not be able to really comprehend the horrors they faced. This boy-soldier became a force not to be underestimated.
The author's writing is clear and simple, the book's length filled with rhymic words which made it easy to read. The narrative is simplistic in its deliverance which keeps you connected while always drawing you in.
Alongside Pedro, you learned about his friends, Papito, Nono, Camilla, Alpha 1 and many more. People that shared his new life through hardships, deceit, and anguish while fighting the dark forces of cocaine and greed. Their supporting roles either positive or negative had a huge impact on his life. What really stood out for me about Pedro was his devotion to his parents, and how to fix their lives the only way he knew how. His Papa the one constant throughout his life.
This is a wonderful story I really can recommend. Devotion, patriotism, friendship, religion, and a small dose of romance made this a remarkable book. The author's knowledge and sensitivity to this topic left you emphatic about this country and the turmoil they face. ( )