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4.77 AVERAGE
4.77 AVERAGE
Mansoor Adayfi tells his goals for writing this book: to present the story from the inside, from those who experienced it; to convey moments of bonding among detainees; to tell of resistance; to tell of surprising moments of beauty and joy among the horrors. And he accomplishes his goal.
Every American should read this book and then demand the closure of Guantanamo and legislation to prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again.
Every American should read this book and then demand the closure of Guantanamo and legislation to prevent such an atrocity from ever happening again.
One of the best book I've ever read! Mansoor is an inspiration to us all.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Kidnapping
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Disclaimer: I listened to this as an audiobook on Libro.fm. Maybe thats the cause of the 3 star rating. I tend to enjoy audiobooks less than reading, something about my own voice vs that of the narrator. I don't know.
Don't Forget Us Here is a harrowing story of what happens inside a place I hope to never go. At times it seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt any of what was written. It's hard to imagine a place like this exists.
The book itself was well written, entertaining, gut-wrenching, emotional, and, at times, hopeful. I would recommend it as a print book, however, as some of the narration in the audiobook took away from the reading experience. At least for me personally.
Don't Forget Us Here is a harrowing story of what happens inside a place I hope to never go. At times it seems unbelievable, but I don't doubt any of what was written. It's hard to imagine a place like this exists.
The book itself was well written, entertaining, gut-wrenching, emotional, and, at times, hopeful. I would recommend it as a print book, however, as some of the narration in the audiobook took away from the reading experience. At least for me personally.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Thoughts
"Can an eighteen-year-old Yemeni, with a Yemeni accent, who speaks a specific tribal dialect and doesn't speak English, really be an English-speaking middle-aged Egyptian general who's also the leader of an experienced Arab army? They tried for years to hammer a square into a circle, but they couldn't. Here was my own puzzle: How could this have been so complicated?"
This is hands down one of the best memoirs I have ever read. It may very well be the best. It is right there with Chanel Miller's Know My Name. It will hurt you. It isn't an easy read. But the glimpses of human resilience will have tears in your eyes. The simple happiness that comes from being able to learn and create art after years and years of torture, will warm your soul.
"I thought about all the moments we had experienced in this place that no one knew about. But I didn't want the world to just know about all the bad things that had happened to us. I wanted them to see who we were and how we had survived through friendship and brotherhood."
The torture that Adayfi and the others experienced at Guantanamo is unfathomable. People need to read this to make sure it stops and never happens again.
"I didn't want to die, but I also didn't want to spend the rest of my life in this place for something I didn't do. There were no easy choices, but I chose my path. We all did."
Pick up this book. It is a must-read. One of my top books of the year.
"Can an eighteen-year-old Yemeni, with a Yemeni accent, who speaks a specific tribal dialect and doesn't speak English, really be an English-speaking middle-aged Egyptian general who's also the leader of an experienced Arab army? They tried for years to hammer a square into a circle, but they couldn't. Here was my own puzzle: How could this have been so complicated?"
This is hands down one of the best memoirs I have ever read. It may very well be the best. It is right there with Chanel Miller's Know My Name. It will hurt you. It isn't an easy read. But the glimpses of human resilience will have tears in your eyes. The simple happiness that comes from being able to learn and create art after years and years of torture, will warm your soul.
"I thought about all the moments we had experienced in this place that no one knew about. But I didn't want the world to just know about all the bad things that had happened to us. I wanted them to see who we were and how we had survived through friendship and brotherhood."
The torture that Adayfi and the others experienced at Guantanamo is unfathomable. People need to read this to make sure it stops and never happens again.
"I didn't want to die, but I also didn't want to spend the rest of my life in this place for something I didn't do. There were no easy choices, but I chose my path. We all did."
Pick up this book. It is a must-read. One of my top books of the year.