- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; Reprint edition (18 Sep 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0230614418
- ISBN-13: 978-0230614413
- Product Dimensions: 22.1 x 14.5 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 650,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'The most compassionate, truthful and dignified account of the disgrace of Guantanamo that you are ever likely to read.' - John le Carré
'I thank God that Murat kept his sanity in the hell of injustice and torture of nearly 5 years in Guantanamo so he could tell his story. May it be studied in every school and college in Europe and the USA. May it help to close down all the illegal and secret prisons and camps, as well as Guantanamo, and restore the prisoners to their families. I am sure Murat's book will educate a whole generation about justice and the defense of human rights.' - Vanessa Redgrave
'Like many of the men imprisoned in Guantánamo, Murat Kurnaz was held for years without proper charge or trial. After intensive campaigning by his friends, family and Amnesty International members all over the world, he was finally released. This book is a profound and detailed account of his experiences. After suffering torture and detention without trial, it is testament to great strength of character that he is able to tell his story with such power and clarity.' - Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK
'Murat makes the horrors and inanities of Guantánamo so real; his voice is by turns young and headstrong, wry and wise. Murat's mother came to the Unites States to hear our first Guantánamo case argued before the Supreme Court back in 2004 - when I met her, I didn't know whether she would ever see her son again. Now he is home safe and has produced this riveting and moving account of his torture and abuse at the hands of the U.S. government to shine a light in a dark place and try to help all those still languishing without hope. This is a must read.' - Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights and attorney representing the Guantánamo detainees
'Kurnaz recounts his woes, and those of his fellow prisoners, with modesty and compassion...He has written a measured and readable account, which is often even humorous in a Swiftian sort of way.' - The Economist
'A vital document that should - rightly - shock and appall.' - Kirkus Reviews
'A plainspoken account, Five Years of My Life focuses on the daily humiliations and surreal texture of life at Guantanamo.' - Mother Jones
'May well represent our best hope yet of preserving the truth about this depraved chapter in American history...Kurnaz describes the varied tortures to which he was subjected for the next five years with such a level-headed lack of self-pity that they come across as neither bitter rallying cry nor unbearable litany of torment. In his gentle, understated way, Kurnaz describes the reality behind the euphemisms used to describe the 'enhanced interrogation practices' the Bush administration has openly authorized in the 'war on terror'.' - The Santa Barbara Independant
'This is a book politicians should read, and should inspire anguished soul-searching among the rest of us.' - The Washington Post
'Kurnaz…avoids sensationalism for a harrowing record of barbarities carried out in the name of democracy…[written] in stark, unadorned prose, with no scores to settle, knowing that his account is beyond most people's imagination.' - The Guardian
'Kurnaz reveals Guantanamo shorn of media spin.' - The Guardian
'Kurnaz' book is an invaluable document, a testament that juxtaposes the impossible courage of one individual against the paranoia, irrationality and cruelty that can take hold when a regime loses its moral courage.' - Cary Gee, Tribune
'I thank God that Murat kept his sanity in the hell of injustice and torture of nearly 5 years in Guantanamo so he could tell his story. May it be studied in every school and college in Europe and the USA. May it help to close down all the illegal and secret prisons and camps, as well as Guantanamo, and restore the prisoners to their families. I am sure Murat's book will educate a whole generation about justice and the defense of human rights.' - Vanessa Redgrave
'Like many of the men imprisoned in Guantánamo, Murat Kurnaz was held for years without proper charge or trial. After intensive campaigning by his friends, family and Amnesty International members all over the world, he was finally released. This book is a profound and detailed account of his experiences. After suffering torture and detention without trial, it is testament to great strength of character that he is able to tell his story with such power and clarity.' - Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK
'Murat makes the horrors and inanities of Guantánamo so real; his voice is by turns young and headstrong, wry and wise. Murat's mother came to the Unites States to hear our first Guantánamo case argued before the Supreme Court back in 2004 - when I met her, I didn't know whether she would ever see her son again. Now he is home safe and has produced this riveting and moving account of his torture and abuse at the hands of the U.S. government to shine a light in a dark place and try to help all those still languishing without hope. This is a must read.' - Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights and attorney representing the Guantánamo detainees
'Kurnaz recounts his woes, and those of his fellow prisoners, with modesty and compassion...He has written a measured and readable account, which is often even humorous in a Swiftian sort of way.' - The Economist
'A vital document that should - rightly - shock and appall.' - Kirkus Reviews
'A plainspoken account, Five Years of My Life focuses on the daily humiliations and surreal texture of life at Guantanamo.' - Mother Jones
'May well represent our best hope yet of preserving the truth about this depraved chapter in American history...Kurnaz describes the varied tortures to which he was subjected for the next five years with such a level-headed lack of self-pity that they come across as neither bitter rallying cry nor unbearable litany of torment. In his gentle, understated way, Kurnaz describes the reality behind the euphemisms used to describe the 'enhanced interrogation practices' the Bush administration has openly authorized in the 'war on terror'.' - The Santa Barbara Independant
'This is a book politicians should read, and should inspire anguished soul-searching among the rest of us.' - The Washington Post
'Kurnaz…avoids sensationalism for a harrowing record of barbarities carried out in the name of democracy…[written] in stark, unadorned prose, with no scores to settle, knowing that his account is beyond most people's imagination.' - The Guardian
'Kurnaz reveals Guantanamo shorn of media spin.' - The Guardian
'Kurnaz' book is an invaluable document, a testament that juxtaposes the impossible courage of one individual against the paranoia, irrationality and cruelty that can take hold when a regime loses its moral courage.' - Cary Gee, Tribune
Product Description
In October 2001, nineteen-year-old Murat Kurnaz traveled to Pakistan to visit a madrassa. During a security check a few weeks after his arrival, he was arrested without explanation and for a bounty of $3,000, the Pakistani police sold him to U.S. forces. He was first taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was severely mistreated, and then two months later he was flown to Guantanamo as Prisoner #61. For more than 1,600 days, he was tortured and lived through hell. He was kept in a cage and endured daily interrogations, solitary confinement, and sleep deprivation. Finally, in August 2006, Kurnaz was released, with acknowledgment of his innocence. Told with lucidity, accuracy, and wisdom, Kurnaz's story is both sobering and poignant - an important testimony about our turbulent times when innocent people get caught in the crossfire of the war on terrorism.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are not moved profoundly by this book; to think, feel and behave more humanely and pro-actively then you need a heart and brain transplant!
Cliched pics and a formulaic approach to the narrative do not change the fact that this book will be an utter classic.
Deceptively simply worded, this is a thought provoking and inspiring tale of survival that will both open a window on 21st century oppression and return feelings of the sheer resilience of the human spirit.
Enter, if you will, a world of professionally-designed torment and hate; witness the magnanimous dignity that overcame, as far as humanly possible, policies created and enacted by evil geniuses.
Ostensibly the narrative is about a young Turk from Germany: 'collateral damage' in the 'Global War on Terror', yet this book is testament to far greater issues, issues of such magnitude that to describe them as Orwellian or Kafkaesque would be to grotesquely underplay them. It reveals the realities of the proponents of Freedom and Human Rights in a disarmingly factual manner.
There is a Germanic black humour, seemingly strained with the waters of the steppes of Turkey and the Caucasus, that punctuates the narrative. The very presence of humour, while inimicable to the human spirit, is only fitting in a book such as this due to the unmistakable nature of what the reader is witnessing: The sheer intensity of will to survive, both physically and intellectually, that this young man exudes.
This book is a desperately needed testament from Kurnaz to a world ravaged by sinful propaganda built on the backs of those who did not survive to tell the tale. He credits his religious faith with helping him survive where teams of psychologists and psyhchiatrists would have him fail.
Becuase this is indeed a portrait of the crucifixation of humanity from those who teach us about human rights. If Christ, who receives mention in the text, was around today, which side of the razor-edged fence would he be on?
This book should be required reading 'American Culture', International Politics and Human Rights course everywhere.
Perhaps there is one quote that sets the focus in this true-life and on-going narrative: 'We will do to you what the Germans did to the Jews'.
We would do well to not ignore the American's remark.
Cliched pics and a formulaic approach to the narrative do not change the fact that this book will be an utter classic.
Deceptively simply worded, this is a thought provoking and inspiring tale of survival that will both open a window on 21st century oppression and return feelings of the sheer resilience of the human spirit.
Enter, if you will, a world of professionally-designed torment and hate; witness the magnanimous dignity that overcame, as far as humanly possible, policies created and enacted by evil geniuses.
Ostensibly the narrative is about a young Turk from Germany: 'collateral damage' in the 'Global War on Terror', yet this book is testament to far greater issues, issues of such magnitude that to describe them as Orwellian or Kafkaesque would be to grotesquely underplay them. It reveals the realities of the proponents of Freedom and Human Rights in a disarmingly factual manner.
There is a Germanic black humour, seemingly strained with the waters of the steppes of Turkey and the Caucasus, that punctuates the narrative. The very presence of humour, while inimicable to the human spirit, is only fitting in a book such as this due to the unmistakable nature of what the reader is witnessing: The sheer intensity of will to survive, both physically and intellectually, that this young man exudes.
This book is a desperately needed testament from Kurnaz to a world ravaged by sinful propaganda built on the backs of those who did not survive to tell the tale. He credits his religious faith with helping him survive where teams of psychologists and psyhchiatrists would have him fail.
Becuase this is indeed a portrait of the crucifixation of humanity from those who teach us about human rights. If Christ, who receives mention in the text, was around today, which side of the razor-edged fence would he be on?
This book should be required reading 'American Culture', International Politics and Human Rights course everywhere.
Perhaps there is one quote that sets the focus in this true-life and on-going narrative: 'We will do to you what the Germans did to the Jews'.
We would do well to not ignore the American's remark.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I would highly recommend anyone to read this book. It is truly an eye-opening account of the way Murat was treated and also how many others like him are still being treated in Guantanamo. This book is a must read for anyone concerned about human rights and justice.
Format:Paperback
This was a cracking read, I couldn't put it down. At the same time is what heart-wrenching. An absolute must-read for those who care about what really goes on in Gitmo.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
This book does NOT belong in the American Civil War category!
You saw the title, you see my comment; more relevant to American history or current events.
Published on 12 Sep 2009 by Mr. Maffitt
Guantanamo
One of the best biographies I have ever read (there has been 100's) Not for the light hearted, but a true testamony of human spirit
Published on 9 Sep 2008 by John Campbell
Essential reading
A simple clear account of the nasty way Guantanamo works. He talks routinely about the tortures and abuses that are everyday events. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2008 by ingram
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
