Melville House Books

Ingrid Betancourt greeted by Nicolas Sarkozy after her release from Colombian rebels

Three American men who were held hostage for five years in the jungles of Colombia by leftist guerillas with French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt have released a book that is critical of her behavior during their time in captivity together. According to an AP wire story by Frank Bajak, the book, by Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves, says Betancourt “dominated” the “gulag” they found themselves in. “I watched her try to take over the camp with an arrogance that was out of control,” Stansell tells The AP. “Some of the guards treated us better than she did.” Stansell, a military contractor as were his co-authors, says Betancourt even told their captors they were actually CIA agents. Betancourt has so far refused to comment.

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.