A review by ahc
Guantanamo Voices: An Anthology: True Accounts from the World's Most Infamous Prison by Sarah Mirk, Omar El Akkad

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!