Guantánamo Diary

By: Mohamedou Ould Slahi

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

An unprecedented international publishing event: the first and only diary written by a still-imprisoned Guantánamo detainee.

Since 2002, Mohamedou Slahi has been imprisoned at the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. In all these years, the United States has never charged him with a crime. A federal judge ordered his release in March 2010, but the U.S. government fought that decision, and there is no sign that the United States plans to let him go.

Three years into his captivity Slahi began a diary, recounting his life before he disappeared into U.S. custody, "his endless world tour" of imprisonment and interrogation, and his daily life as a Guantánamo prisoner. His diary is not merely a vivid record of a miscarriage of justice, but a deeply personal memoir - terrifying, darkly humorous, and surprisingly gracious. Published now for the first time, Guantánamo Diary is a document of immense historical importance and a riveting and profoundly revealing listen.

©2015 Mohamedou Ould Slahi (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Mr. Slahi's detention for more than [fourteen] years without charge or trial embodies the most egregious abuses of Guantanamo." (ACLU)

"Once considered such a high-value detainee that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated him for 'special interrogation techniques'... Slahi had been subjected to sleep deprivation, exposed to extremes of heat and cold, moved around the base blindfolded, and at one point taken into the bay on a boat and threatened with death... Slahi faces no criminal charges." (Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald)

Absolutely amazing!

This books is amazing! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys eye opening stories.. It's dark humor is a comedic relief.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

INNOCENT OR GUILTY

It is impossible to know whether Mohamedou Ould Slahi is innocent or guilty of collaborating with Islamic terrorists from the evidence reported in his book, “Guantánamo Diary”. One may argue that Slahi is simply lying about what happened to him, and has written a book to defame America. The “Guantánamo Diary” is a bore to listen to or read. However, there is ample evidence, exclusive of the “Guantánamo Diary”, that confirms the truth of Slahi’s rendition and torture at the direction of the American government. It is worth getting past boredom because it is a story that threatens America’s way of life.

“Guantánamo Diary” is an indictment of a more virulent form of American McCarthyism. Just as Joseph McCarthy became the poster boy for ferreting communists out of government, Donald Rumsfeld became the face of terrorist’ incarceration and torture.

As horrid as deaths from terrorism are, a nation of 319 million people lives relatively free; despite one, one thousand, or one million terrorists who commit domestic and/or international massacres. If Americans wishes to remain free, it is better to let one terrorist free than let an innocent, or unproven-accused, be crucified. As noted by George Orwell, lack of freedom leads to injustice and totalitarianism.

As of June 2015, Slahi remains imprisoned at Gitmo. He has finally been remanded to a district court for further fact-finding. Slahi is either guilty or innocent, but depriving him of 15 years of freedom is an Orwellian crime.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Read the book instead

Any additional comments?

Every time the book is redacted a voice says "redacted".. for every name, date, event.. Incredibly annoying! But the book is important, so read it instead of listening!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Wow!

Crazy to think my government would do such a thing, desperate times I suppose. Sad for MOS to have been deprived his freedom. Could not get enough of this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderful portrait of a man

This is an important story and, I believe, the responsibility of all Americans (me) to read and experience.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I just tortured myself

I really thought this book might shed some light on Gitmo and provide an account that might help me decide on its purpose/effectiveness. While I understand and partially agree on the need for a place such as Gitmo, I truly believe we should either conduct military tribunals and appropriately dispense justice or release the remaining individuals. Self serving and unconvincing, this book exposes the furtive, futile nature of U.S. rendition policy years past any operational value. Very difficult to get through.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great book. If you want to know!!!!

This book for the people who want to know what the government is hiding in Guantánamo.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

A much needed window

Compelling & insightful. More light must be shed on this subject as a whole, and the morally reprehensible blind zealous fervor by which America has tried to solve everything with.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

redacted

So many redactions make it difficult to maintain what time and place the story is occurring. Regardless, it is a story that needs to be heard

Incredible!

I honestly can't believe what I just listened to. Guantánamo Diary is the actual diary of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, written during the first few years of his time at Guantánamo Bay. This diary was obtained via the freedom of information act and later edited with footnotes by the writer Larry Siems. I found the presentation of this text fascinating. I loved how the redacted text still remains so you get a feeling of scale and context. The footnotes are well written and either corroborate or provide essential details to Mohamedou's story.

Guantánamo Diary shows you the person behind these words. Whether this person committed crimes or not, this is a human like all of us. This book also shows how important our court process is. We cannot allow individuals to be tortured or indefinitely imprisoned.

This listen is important as it is fascinating. I can't recommend this one enough.