Ratings2
Average rating4.5
An anthology of illustrated narratives about the prison and the lives it changed forever. In January 2002, the United States sent a group of Muslim men they suspected of terrorism to a prison in Guantánamo Bay. They were the first of roughly 780 prisoners who would be held there—and forty inmates still remain. Eighteen years later, very few of them have been ever charged with a crime. In Guantánamo Voices, journalist Sarah Mirk and her team of diverse, talented graphic novel artists tell the stories of ten people whose lives have been shaped and affected by the prison, including former prisoners, lawyers, social workers, and service members. This collection of illustrated interviews explores the history of Guantánamo and the world post-9/11, presenting this complicated partisan issue through a new lens. “These stories are shocking, essential, haunting, thought-provoking. This book should be required reading for all earthlings.” —The Iowa Review “This anthology disturbs and illuminates in equal measure.” —Publishers Weekly “Editor Mirk presents an extraordinary chronicle of the notorious prison, featuring first-person accounts by prisoners, guards, and other constituents that demonstrate the facility’s cruel reputation. . . . An eye-opening, damning indictment of one of America’s worst trespasses that continues to this day.” —Kirkus Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
This is a really compelling and powerful book about a really fucked-up place. It's wild to have it laid out like this, how blatantly awful it is to be holding all these people who have never been, and at this point likely never will be, charged with a crime?? The interviews–with US soldiers who've worked at the prison (who aren't allowed to call it a prison because their inmates haven't been charged with a crime or sentenced to prison time), the inmates, the lawyers and others desperately working to get people out... oof. But at the same time the lovely artwork (from a variety of artists) and the conversational tone (literally, since the dialogue is adapted from transcribed interviews) make this an engaging read (rather than just a long slog of cruelty which like...it easily could have been).