Scan barcode
themaddiehatter's review
5.0
“Guantanamo Voices”, by Sarah Mirk, is one of those books that I have a hard time writing my thoughts about because I am still full of feelings after having finished it. Feelings of anger, of frustration, of confusion. This is an important graphic novel, that sheds light on a topic that most people probably feel know more about than they actually do.
“Guantanamo Voices”, is a graphic novel about what happened in Guantanamo Bay since the prison opened up to present time from the perspective of nine people whose lives were connected to the prison, either by having been imprisoned there or worked in connection to the prison. The author’s trip and experience visiting Guantanamo Bay while researching this graphic novel is also documented in two chapters.. Each of the eleven chapters is illustrated by a different illustrator, so there isn’t one specific style throughout. Personally I care a lot about the art and illustrations in graphic novels, but this one was a case where I was so outraged by what I was reading that I couldn’t really focus on the aesthetics.
This is a very informative graphic novel and I believe anyone that has an interest in US and foreign policies would find it interesting. I hope a lot of people, especially from the US and the Western World, will read this. I am sure that if they do, they will find that they know very little about the topic of Guantanamo Bay, whether because information was just kept away and they never learnt about it or because they heard about it and simply looked the other way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams ComicArts for the copy in exchange for my honest review.
“Guantanamo Voices”, is a graphic novel about what happened in Guantanamo Bay since the prison opened up to present time from the perspective of nine people whose lives were connected to the prison, either by having been imprisoned there or worked in connection to the prison. The author’s trip and experience visiting Guantanamo Bay while researching this graphic novel is also documented in two chapters.. Each of the eleven chapters is illustrated by a different illustrator, so there isn’t one specific style throughout. Personally I care a lot about the art and illustrations in graphic novels, but this one was a case where I was so outraged by what I was reading that I couldn’t really focus on the aesthetics.
This is a very informative graphic novel and I believe anyone that has an interest in US and foreign policies would find it interesting. I hope a lot of people, especially from the US and the Western World, will read this. I am sure that if they do, they will find that they know very little about the topic of Guantanamo Bay, whether because information was just kept away and they never learnt about it or because they heard about it and simply looked the other way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams ComicArts for the copy in exchange for my honest review.
ahc's review
4.0
At first, I was very hesitant about reading this book simply because using comics to speak about Guantanamo seemed...trivializing. However, this book really surprised me. The comics featured stories from lawyers, two former detainees, and whistleblowers. The comics are each by a different artist. The story is less focused on the atrocities suffered by illegally held detainees and more a commentary on the repeated failure of the US "justice" system and how detainees and legal aid attempt to navigate this extrajudicial legal system. Also, reading the choices made when putting this collection together made me feel more comfortable with the format. Lots of thought went into structure, choice of color used, and formatting.
After reading this book, I think the use of comics was a great choice. Seeing the illustrations makes the reader think about a space that the US government wants us to forget about. Second, the author makes clear throughout that pictures and video of Guantanamo are never permitted. In the final chapter, the author is on a media tour and at the end, they tell her that she cannot publish any photos. Using illustrations is a way to circumvent this censorship and attempt to show the reader what life is like in Guantanamo.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!
After reading this book, I think the use of comics was a great choice. Seeing the illustrations makes the reader think about a space that the US government wants us to forget about. Second, the author makes clear throughout that pictures and video of Guantanamo are never permitted. In the final chapter, the author is on a media tour and at the end, they tell her that she cannot publish any photos. Using illustrations is a way to circumvent this censorship and attempt to show the reader what life is like in Guantanamo.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!
lou_o_donnell's review
4.0
Guantanamo Voices by Sarah Mirk is a book which I sincerely regret postponing for so long. As I imagined, the read was infuriating and devastating. However, it was also beautifully illustrated with a clear narrative.
I worried in the opening chapter that the book may prove too basic in its facts; I am familiar with the questionable “detention” of individuals at Guantanamo Bay and how it came about. As we delved further into the story, it became clear that this refresher was essential for understanding the intent and consequences of the actions taken in the wake of 9/11 and its aftermath.
Telling the story of those detained at Guantanamo, those charged with guarding them and their lawyers, among others, each vignette reveals the injustices, the anguish and the failed patriotism that surrounds the compound.
Reminiscent of Palestine by Joe Sacco, the anthology is compelling - a fact evidenced by the fact that once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
I would encourage everyone to pick this up, whether Guantanamo Bay is familiar to you or not. It’s an essential read in 2020 as we place injustices across the world under the microscope.
Please note, I did receive an advanced copy of this book for review via NetGalley. While I appreciated the preview, this did not affect my overall review of the book.
I worried in the opening chapter that the book may prove too basic in its facts; I am familiar with the questionable “detention” of individuals at Guantanamo Bay and how it came about. As we delved further into the story, it became clear that this refresher was essential for understanding the intent and consequences of the actions taken in the wake of 9/11 and its aftermath.
Telling the story of those detained at Guantanamo, those charged with guarding them and their lawyers, among others, each vignette reveals the injustices, the anguish and the failed patriotism that surrounds the compound.
Reminiscent of Palestine by Joe Sacco, the anthology is compelling - a fact evidenced by the fact that once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
I would encourage everyone to pick this up, whether Guantanamo Bay is familiar to you or not. It’s an essential read in 2020 as we place injustices across the world under the microscope.
Please note, I did receive an advanced copy of this book for review via NetGalley. While I appreciated the preview, this did not affect my overall review of the book.
readingwithkt's review
5.0
This is an absolutely phenomenal graphic novel. It tells the real-life stories of the people working and living in the prison at Guantanamo.
I learned about Guantanamo during my MA in Politics in 2012-16 and was instantly reminded of the camps that Nazi Germany operated during WWII. History repeats itself time upon time, as we watch certain religious, ethnic and racial groups profiled and their lives made a living hell. Today, Islamophobia is on the rise and it is something we each have a responsibility to squash within our communities. Guantanamo was established upon - and is maintained by - racism and Islamophobia.
When I read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei earlier this year, I was outraged about the way Japanese people living in America were treated during the Second World War. The truth is that the same, if not worse, is happening today.
The US and UK Government created a war with an ideology (the War on Terror) in order to invade countries in the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, demonise an entire religion and systematically oppress and undermine their existence in the UK, US and (latterly) European countries. It is terrifying to watch history repeat itself in this way.
Guantanamo prison serves as a constant, physical reminder of the racism inherent in the US Government's policies and practices. To place it offshore was, simply put, an easy way to avoid abiding by US constitutional law. However, it was also a way for the US to dial down anti-Guantanamo activism. Had the prison been located on US soil, I (possibly naively) think more US citizens would be closely monitoring its activities and participating in active protests against its existence. As horrifying as it is, the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" comes to mind.
Guantanamo Voices gives space for the stories of the people who lived and worked in the prison to be heard. For the prisoners who have been deeply dehumanised by US and UK media, Guantanamo Voices stands strong as a force of humanity and a rallying cry for the abolishment of the use of the base at Guantanamo as a site of imprisonment.
I hope their cry is heard and answered.
I think every American citizen should read this book. Every single one. Each individual has a duty to learn about what's going on in that offshore prison: about the way that the prisoners were captured, the US-sanctioned torture (paid for with their taxes), the illegal detainment of hundreds of people, the role of the military in upholding the prison and the continued imprisonment of people who have been deemed to pose no threat to the United States of America.
It is a deeply unsettling read, as it should be, but I have put some content warnings below. The torture scenes were extremely upsetting for me to read, as a strong human right advocate, but I'm glad that the brutality of what happens in the prison is not neglected from this narrative.
I cannot recommend Guantanamo Voices highly enough!
Content warnings: torture, nudity, war, violence, guns.
I learned about Guantanamo during my MA in Politics in 2012-16 and was instantly reminded of the camps that Nazi Germany operated during WWII. History repeats itself time upon time, as we watch certain religious, ethnic and racial groups profiled and their lives made a living hell. Today, Islamophobia is on the rise and it is something we each have a responsibility to squash within our communities. Guantanamo was established upon - and is maintained by - racism and Islamophobia.
When I read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei earlier this year, I was outraged about the way Japanese people living in America were treated during the Second World War. The truth is that the same, if not worse, is happening today.
The US and UK Government created a war with an ideology (the War on Terror) in order to invade countries in the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, demonise an entire religion and systematically oppress and undermine their existence in the UK, US and (latterly) European countries. It is terrifying to watch history repeat itself in this way.
Guantanamo prison serves as a constant, physical reminder of the racism inherent in the US Government's policies and practices. To place it offshore was, simply put, an easy way to avoid abiding by US constitutional law. However, it was also a way for the US to dial down anti-Guantanamo activism. Had the prison been located on US soil, I (possibly naively) think more US citizens would be closely monitoring its activities and participating in active protests against its existence. As horrifying as it is, the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" comes to mind.
Guantanamo Voices gives space for the stories of the people who lived and worked in the prison to be heard. For the prisoners who have been deeply dehumanised by US and UK media, Guantanamo Voices stands strong as a force of humanity and a rallying cry for the abolishment of the use of the base at Guantanamo as a site of imprisonment.
I hope their cry is heard and answered.
I think every American citizen should read this book. Every single one. Each individual has a duty to learn about what's going on in that offshore prison: about the way that the prisoners were captured, the US-sanctioned torture (paid for with their taxes), the illegal detainment of hundreds of people, the role of the military in upholding the prison and the continued imprisonment of people who have been deemed to pose no threat to the United States of America.
It is a deeply unsettling read, as it should be, but I have put some content warnings below. The torture scenes were extremely upsetting for me to read, as a strong human right advocate, but I'm glad that the brutality of what happens in the prison is not neglected from this narrative.
I cannot recommend Guantanamo Voices highly enough!
Content warnings: torture, nudity, war, violence, guns.
myfantasyreads's review
5.0
I was born in 94, so most of what I had heard about Guantanamo was when I was quite a bit younger. I have only really had a vague sense of what was going on there. I have believed it should be shut down due to illegal interrogation methods. But I was also under the impression that the prisoners there had concrete ties to terrorist groups. I mention all this to tell you that this book made me so much more informed about the topic. And I am devastated that this has been going on for so long, with so little evidence that 90% of these prisoners even had anything to do with a terrorist organization. This was a supremely difficult read, but I am glad I did it. I think it's important that others read this too. Especially in light of the camps immigrants are being held in. It's hard to hope that America will ever learn it's lesson and stop imprisoning people due to misplaced fear and extreme ignorance. I hope this book serves to educate others in the way it has me and also remind us that we always need to be fighting for the unjust treatment and imprisonment of people in our country. Especially those from marginalized communities.
Thank you to Abrams and Netgalley for providing with with a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thank you to Abrams and Netgalley for providing with with a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
More...