Here in their own words are the stories of the Desterrados, or “dispossessed” — the thousands of Colombians displaced by years of war and state-backed terrorism, funded in part through U.S. aid to the Colombian government.

These gripping stories show the human face of those who suffer the effects of the U.S. “Plan Colombia” and of a state that serves the interests of wealthy landlords instead of the poor. “The people whose stories Molano tells are not social activists. They do not provide political or structural explanations of their lives; they do not tell stories of coming to consciousness. Yet, together, their stories add up to a powerful analysis of today’s Colombia and should indeed inspire U.S. readers to challenge the U.S. policies that continue to kill, impoverish, and displace the people of Colombia.” - From the foreword by Aviva Chomsky