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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Rating: 4.2/5
Started: 9 April 2022
Finished: 9 April 2022
Summary:
Guantanamo Bay--a prison, a detainment center, a safety net for the US, a torture cell.
A series of graphic novel artists illustrate the stories of different people involved with GITMO, from lawyers to journalists to prisoners, all making the same point: the system in place is unconstitutional, unfair, and a human rights violation. The book, in a sunset-like wash of color, details the atrocities committed and the innocent people tortured. It brings attention to a piece of history that the US has glossed over, and to the 40 people still imprisoned there, who want to go home.
Thoughts:
I'm a little speechless. Going into this book, I had vague ideas that Guantanamo Bay was used to detain terrorists in a way that bypassed their right to a lawyer. I'm pretty sure that my only information on the topic came from watching NCIS. When I first read the intro, which made clear the author's strongly anti-GITMO stance, I took a moment to ask myself if they were right, if this information was true, and then resolved to read the stories in the graphic novel with an open mind but without letting it dictate my opinions. I'm not sure I succeeded.
But I'm also not sure I needed to succeed. The book wasn't a rant about the evilness of the place: it was a collection of very true, very real stories from people who have witnessed the atrocities committed there. There were statistics, showing how many unreleased, untried, and innocent prisoners were kept there. There were stories of men taken from their homes, confused, and tortured into giving false confessions in the prison. There were stories of lawyers and military members who tried to help those detained. On top of that, many of the facts used were taken from reputable sources like the New York Times or directly from Military reports.
I had no idea how horrific GITMO is. I thought the idea of using more severe techniques on terrorists in order to protect the American people was vaguely logical. But there's a reason we have a democracy, and laws granting a trial to everyone. It's far too easy for people with power to abuse it.
I don't think I've ever felt this passionate about a rights infraction before, but I am angry that there are still innocent people, being tortured and suffering, with no logical process to be found guilty or innocent. Despite how heavy and upsetting this subject was, I am endlessly glad that I've read this book. It was a really humanizing way to approach such a disturbing topic, and allowed me to explore ideas by looking at real people, which reminds me to be sympathetic. I think this would be a valuable book for a lot of people to read, especially those who support GITMO still. If Sarah Mirk had compiled more books like this one, I would be super excited, so I suppose here's to hoping that she creates more in the future.