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Katherine Adams, October 26, 2008

It'd be easy to write off this book as the loving, but wrong-headed, bias of a mother -- in this case, Rhoda Berenson -- writing about her daughter Lori's imprisonment in Peru for treason. Lori was convicted by hooded Peruvian judges in 1995, where she's been imprisoned ever since.

I'd heard her name, but knew little about the case. This book, a short, concise, but well-documented view of Lori's situation, left me disturbed.

Immediately after reading it, I was compelled to "Google" more information about Lori Berenson, which left me uneasy. Elements of Lori's case in this book -- published in 2000 -- seem similar to what we've heard of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Are the people there guilty? We don't know. Is Lori guilty? I don't know.

Rhoda Berenson herself wished Lori would just give up her principles so she could return home. But she makes a strong case for her daughter -- a 14-year-old who participated in a CARE commercial; a young woman who expressed distress about poor people.

So what is the truth? Is it simply too hard for most of us to believe anyone would choose to stay in a foreign prison on principle alone?

This book is worth a read if for no other reason, it's a reminder that a fair and open judicial system is imperative, wherever people are tried -- innocent or guilty.

Whatever the case, Rhoda Berenson's descriptive view of Lori's case is thought-provoking.

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