By Ava Dela Pena
Colombian author and journalist Paula Delgado-Kling followed the life of Leonor from her days as a former child soldier to her struggles with drug rehabilitation and finally to her journey into motherhood. “Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood” is a book over two decades in the making, detailing the struggles that Leonor endured as a result of conflict in Colombia.
WRHU’s Ava Dela Pena recently interviewed Paula Delgado-Kling. Listen below:
Delgado-Kling fled Colombia as a child after a kidnapping threat. This sparked an interest in children’s rights that prompted her to investigate the lives of former child soldiers as a graduate student. She met Leonor, a former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) member, in 2001 in a rehabilitation home with other teenagers who had been part of armed militant groups. They received help from social workers and nutritional groups in order to heal from their trauma. Over 20 years later, Delgado-Kling has followed Leonor and shared her story.
Now, Delgado-Kling lives in New York City, where she received her master’s degree from Columbia University. According to the Pew Research Center, 13% of Colombian Americans lived in New York as of 2023.
Paula Delgado-Kling will do a live reading at OR Books at the Francis Kite Club, at 40 Ave. C, New York City, on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. RSVP’s to the event can be sent to events@orbooks.com. Delgado-Kling can be reached at @pauladelgadokling on Instagram.
