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Travel Literature
Most recent literature on Colombia consists of journalists' accounts of the Drug War, its causes and effects. One of the most controversial books on the subject, America's Other War: Terrorizing Colombia (2005) by Doug Stokes, is a critical account of US policy in Colombia that gets its message across by using declassified documents. The reading is a little dry and academic, and the tone is unmistakably anti-American (which may appeal to some travelers in this day and age).
Along similar lines, but with a more personal angle, is More Terrible Than Death: Violence, Drugs and America's War in Colombia (2003) by Robin Kirk. Kirk spent a dozen years in Colombia working for Human Rights Watch and recounts some of the most brutal incidents of terror she witnessed during her field work. She does well in summarizing Colombia's woes over the past 50 years and the role that the USA has played in propagating the violence.
A less-biased account can be found in Steven Dudley's book Walking Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia (2004). Dudley, a reporter for National Public Radio in the USA weaves many personal stories into the larger theme of death and war. It's well-written and one of the most up-to-date accounts of the war with FARC.
Although Colombians appear to be less than interested in reading about FARC, Pablo Escobar is still a very popular topic and Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2002), by Mark Bowden is a hot seller.
For a more light-hearted account of traveling in Colombia, try Charles Nicholl's book The Fruit Palace (1998), a very funny diary of his wanderings through the country in the 1980s. It's dated, but the personal stories are as relevant today as when they were written.
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