From the Bookshelf: Betrayed

TITLE: Betrayed
AUTHOR: Jeanette Windle
GENRE: Christian Fiction-Political/Suspense
HERE'S MY THOUGHTS: This is the second book I've read from this author. The first one was very gripping and involved the drug trade and being in a trapped marriage within the "drug royalty" of South America (CROSSFIRE). This book centers in Guatemala - addressing the people that live in the trash dumps as well as the cloud biosphere found in few other places in the world. Within these settings, the political tension of "tree-huggers" vs. "people huggers" is everpresent- as well as those that would want to reform Guatemala into a true democracy vs. allowing the Guerrilla warfare continue that had people fearing that the Mayan peoples would eventually take over.
INSIGHTS I'VE GAINED: Needless to say, the book has had my wheels turning regarding the terrible injustices of these poor countries, why America has made the choices it has in the past in our involvement with them, and how hindsight would now tell us they weren't necessarily the right choices. As in so many third world countries, you can urge democracy, but if people aren't educated to the extent that they understand the political system and can make an educated decision on the candidates, you may end up with leaders just as corrupt and destructive as you started out with. Also, the environmental issues - particularly in regards to the rain forest regions, it's just not so easy to say, "stay out and leave it be". Throw in the drug trade and its complications and oh boy, there's a whole mess of problems.

I appreciate that Jeanette has done a good job in both books in not painting the picture in black and white. There are a lot of shades of gray when it comes to trying to determine the right course of action. She speaks from an abundance of experience as she was a missionary there for 16 years and has traveled extensively. In fact, the US Government has approached her as to who her sources are as her books apparently speak to such truthful scenarios that it would appear she's had access to classified information.

I can't say you won't see the twists in the storyline coming, or find some of the circumstances unbelievable, but if for no other reason than educating yourself on the some of the plights of those living in Central and South America - this is a great read.