A few days ago I wrote that I had just started My Guantanamo Diary by Mahvish Rukhsana Khan, and would let you know how it went.
I was interrupted with Other Stuff(tm) so it took me longer than it might have to finish. I do recommend it.
Khan's goal is not to expose Gitmo, or the US, or to go undercover to shine a light on dark secrets of torture and terrorists. It's much simpler than all that: she wants us to see the detainees as human beings.
In this book we get to know a small handful of detainees, at least two of whom were cleared, then detained for several more months before their release. One of her clients was a pediatrician who left Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power. When the Taliban fell, the doctor returned to Afghanistan to open a clinic - and was arrested shortly thereafter. Another of her clients is an 80-year-old man, barely able to walk. Because of his age, he is able to give her a hug and hold her while he prays for her success - not with his case, but with her life as a lawyer, her future marriage and family.
Another prisoner, a journalist, began writing poetry during his incarceration. At first, pen and pencil were not allowed so he wrote his poems on styrofoam cups with his fingernail. Before he left Gitmo he had written 25,000 lines of poetry - almost none of which he was allowed to take with him when he was freed.
Khan says that while she is sure there are terrorists and serious bad guys (my phrase) imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, most of the people for whom she translated appeared to be there because someone sold them to the Americans for bounty money. There was one client who raised questions for her but even he did not seem to fit the definition of wild-eyed terrorist.
There are enough hints about the darker side of Gitmo to make your skin crawl. There is certainly enough detail to make you angry. But mostly there are descriptions of people who are caught up in politics, war, and economics, and who want very much to go home. It's a character study.
Not sure I'd recommend springing for the hardcopy but definitely worth borrowing from the library.
