Colombian Native Highlights Compelling True Story of Former Child Soldier in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

BOCA RATON, FL, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month, the launch of the movements for independence from Spanish rule across Latin America. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.1% of the total U.S. population is Hispanic, making it the largest racial or ethnic minority in the country.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Colombian born author Paula Delgado-Kling is shedding light on the child soldier issues in countries such as her native Colombia. Delgado- Kling’s brother was kidnapped and held for six months by teen soldiers, which led her to investigate why children are choosing such roles.

In her nonfiction book, Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood, Paula finds answers to the country’s drug wars by interviewing Leonor, a former child soldier in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a once a deadly cocaine-trafficking group on the U.S. State Department’s terrorism list.

Delgado-Kling followed Leonor for nineteen years, from after she was an active FARC member forced into sexual slavery by a commander thirty-four years her senior, through her rehabilitation and struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, to more recent days, as the mom of two girls.

Delgado-Kling is currently raising funds for UNICEF to help rehabilitate child soldiers like Leonor. Her goal is to raise $2,000 USD by October 15th, the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. For any who wish to donate, the fundraiser site is HERE.

To learn more about the book and the author, please visit: PaulaDelgadoKling.com.

About the Author
Paula Delgado-Kling holds degrees in comparative literature/French civilizations, international affairs, and creative writing from Brown University, Columbia University, and The New School, respectively. Leonor, for which she received two grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts, is her first book. Excerpts of this book have appeared in Narrative, The Literary Review, Pacifica Literary Review, and Happano.org in Japan. Her work for the Mexican monthly news magazine Gatopardo was nominated for the Simon Bolivar Award, Colombia’s top journalism prize, and anthologized in Las Mejores Crónicas de Gatopardo (Random House Mondadori, 2006). Born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Toronto, Canada, Delgado-Kling now splits her time between Boca Raton, FL and New York City. To learn more, please visit PaulaDelgadoKling.com or follow her on Instagram @PaulaDelgadoKling.

About Hispanic Heritage Month
The United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched the country. It begins in the middle of September to coincide with the independence days of several Hispanic countries. During this month, Americans celebrate the diverse cultures, rich histories, and social, cultural, and economic achievements of community members of Caribbean, Central American, Mexican, South American or Spanish descent.

About the Book
Title: Leonor: The Story of a Lost Childhood
Author: Paula Delgado-Kling
Release date: January 23, 2024
Publisher: OR Books
Price: $19.95 USD (paperback)
ISBN (paperback): 978-1682194478
Pages: 250

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Catherine Kennedy
CK Publicity
+1 732-737-7334
cat@ckpublicity.com