Interesting read. I found out a lot about Guantanamo Bay that I was not already aware of. I do recommend this book to anyone looking to understand what has gone on at there and how the views surrounding it. I did like how we were able to get the different viewpoints; I feel like this helped me better understand the different viewpoints surrounding the situation.

This has Multiple perspectives on the gruesome events of Guantanamo. Each feels like a different voice filling in a part of the story.

Guantanamo Voices is an important addition to the conversation surrounding the continued presence of detainees in Gitmo and overall presence of US troops in Cuba. Each chapter is harrowing and infuriating. I struggled with some of the graphics, but I believe this was more due to the nature of an ARC than overall quality. In some chapters the art didn't quite mesh with the story being told, but again, this may be addressed in the final version.

It's impossible to read on any of my devices, the pages are too small, can't zoom them in and the formatting of the first few pages is off too.

This was incredibly harrowing. It taught me so much about what these prisoners went through. You can't help but feel completely helpless and devastated by the atrocities that occurred. I feel like I learned a lot about the laws and the ways the government got around them to keep prisoners in Guantanamo. It's deeply depressing but a necessary read. The comic format makes it easily accessible/easy to understand. There is definitely a bit of a weird tonal balance because of the cutesy nature of the drawing and the terrible stories it is portraying and I didn't love that but I feel like maybe it will make the book easier for a younger audience to pick up.

3.5 stars.

Review Note: The copy provided for the review was an uncorrected proof. As a result, the resolution was not high. Because of this, I found some sections of the book difficult to read. The finished book will be in full colour.

When reviewing some books, it is difficult to separate one’s political convictions from playing a role in the way one views a book. When a book’s subject touches something as emotive as detention without trial, it can be easy to get carried away with one’s own righteous indignation. Simply put does a one enjoy a book because it confirms one’s own biases about a subject. This is something I grappled with while reading Guantanamo Voices.

This is a story we all know. Hundreds of detainees were held without trial or charges for years. It should turn the stomach of anyone. Guantanamo Voices examines how we got here, what went on, and, how or indeed if we can move on.

The publisher describes it as an anthology of illustrated narratives which is the perfect description. The format reminds me of a book like Penelope Bagieu’s Brazen. The trick here is that each one of the oral history’s featured is brought to life by a different artist. Given that I am reviewing an uncorrected proof, some changes to the artwork might be made. That said the artwork is gorgeous. Moazzam Begg story especially captured the Kafkaesque hopelessness that detainees faced. They were tortured, humiliated, and, imprisoned with little or no hope of freedom. Some of the stories read like absurd scenes from The Thick of It or Veep while others read like horror stories.

Some of the art styles while all individually brilliant do jar with one another occasionally, but this is only to be expected when you have a diverse array of creators working on one book—an almost inconsequential quibble given the quality of illustration throughout.

As compellingly told as the stories were, they were also grim. Most of the stories left me angry and exasperated. Was this just an effect of my own biases being confirmed or something else? This is recent. This is now. Mirk reminds the reader in the coda not to get carried away. The people running the centre are not evil. It would be easier to understand if they were moustache-twirling villains, but they are not. They were soldiers that were given lawful orders. These terrible things that people at the time tried to stop from happening.

Mirk does a fantastic job of reminding us how urgent the story of Guantanamo Bay still is. It is also a reminder that graphic novels have an essential part to play in journalism. Guantanamo Voices should be mandatory reading for anyone who has doubts about voting this year. Even putting aside my perceptions of Gitmo before reading the book, Guantanamo Voices is a fine non-fiction graphic novel that I would highly recommend. I’ll be buying a copy once it is released.

25/30

Reminiscent of Maus and Persepolis, Guantanamo Voices is a graphic novel that tells the stories of the prisoners from the infamous GITMO prison, sometimes through the eyes of the prisoners themselves and sometimes through the prosecutors, lawyers and defenders who tried to help these men get a trial or freedom.


The shocking truth about these ‘worst of the worst’ men is that they were innocent, or weren’t charged of a crime. Picked up from random places due to the CIA’s bad information or bounty, these people were tortured and left to rot in the prison cells indefinitely where they slowly lose their hope. Only a handful have been released and some sent to countries they have never been to before. They were the lucky ones. How a country has been allowed to build a prison in foreign soil, to detain and torture people they have no evidence on, is unbelievable! I am appalled but considering the state of affairs all around the world (including my own country) right now, I am not surprised that this place and the people who encourage these atrocities exists.


This topic was well-researched by Sarah and her team. And the twelve artists have done an excellent job in telling the story. The Kindle version was a bit difficult to read. But this is a book I will recommend to everyone. Even if you don’t generally read graphic novels, this book must be on your TBR.


Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC.

A 5 out of 5 stars!


This book will be out on September 8, 2020.
A must read!

"Guantanamo Voices" depicts non-fiction accounts of real events that took place in the U.S. government's concentration camp on Guantánamo Bay. With beautiful illustrations, the author leads the reader through the complexities rarely told and heard accounts, hidden and whitewashed in the very recent of U.S. history. I recommend this book be placed in all high school libraries.

It's unfortunate that the children I teach are too young for this, because the harrowing and highly emotionally charged tale of Guantanamo needs to be told. This is so important and the way that this was told in such an easy to read way just means that everyone needs to read this.

This reading gave me a very sad perspective, but real at the same time of Guantánamo, I really liked the way of telling each story and the art is great.

Guantanamo Voices by Sarah Mirk is a tough, but necessary read. Being born right before 9/11, I have always been aware of GITMO, but this graphic novel really opened my eyes to the horrifying reality of the prison. The different art styles were intriguing but became a bit jarring as the novel progressed. It took me out of the reading experience and made it harder to retain the information because I was constantly readjusting to the different illustrators.

Prior to reading Guantanamo Voices I knew VERY little about Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. I knew it was a sort of prison used by the US mainly for terrorists. I didn't even know that it wasn't actually in the US.
With all the legal and political aspects of the detention camp and it's prisoners a non-fiction book could end up very dry. But what Guantanamo Voices manages to do is incredible. This being a graphic novel meant that it was more of a snapshot of Guantanamo but information is presented in a very clear and interesting way. The brief perspectives of various people from prisoners to former guards to lawyers gives an overview of what is actually happening there. Reading this graphic novel left me with so many questions and things that I want to go away and read more about which is EXACTLY what a great non-fiction should do. It has taught me so much and has left me wanting more. What more could you ask for as a reader?
Reading Guantanamo Voices I was left feeling angry, frustrated, sickened, and shocked. It truly was a ride in to hell! Part of me wishes that I hadn't had the curiosity that made me read this book because then I wouldn't have discovered another example of how horrendous the human race can treat each other. I think everyone should read this but I think people also need to be very aware of how this book can affect you emotionally and mentally.

I received an eBook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of historical graphic novels, I was interested to get this artist's take on a sordid area of history which I wasn't completely familiar with. The story itself is an interesting one and decidedly moving as one would expect. The kinds of atrocities committed in the name of the war on terror is just horrifying and it is a hope that this will change for the better in the future. I felt that the author's desire to give a voice to those who were voiceless was admirable and there was a sense of her own confusion at the injustice.

As a graphic novel, it was an interesting depiction of true events. There is a degree to which the lens is partisan, but at the same time, the soft artwork and colouring creates something of a switch with the tragic backdrop. I found it interesting to read and also engaging as a result.

Overall this might not be everybody's first choice, but if you want to explore history through this medium, it's a good option.

Guantanamo Voices is a compelling graphic novel telling us the stories from the detainment camp. These stories are illustrated by several different artists , each adding to the stories. I found the whole book incredibly informative and emotional and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more.

A lot of awful things are documented here, as this is just a window into a very secretive place. The focus, however, is not just the torture, but the individual stories of those imprisoned and those who stand guard over POWs that have not been charged with any crimes. It is unjust how the law is bent and distorted to justify Guantanamo's existence.

I had to DNF this book after 40 pages, it was just getting too difficult for me to actually read this on my kindle and clearly see what the text was saying. Unfortunately it was too distorted and causing me headaches.

I did however, gather how important this graphic novel is and the story it is telling and therefore will be rating it 3 stars.

I can imagine my rating would be higher than this had I been able to finish the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this graphic novel to read and review.

First things first, this is an important read. I came in not knowing a whole lot about Guantanamo and came out a whole lot angry and the injustice that has occurred there and how the current administration undid any plans to get rid of the prison. This graphic novel tells important stories from people who have either been to or have worked with some aspect of the prison. It's not a fluffy, lighthearted read. It is graphic in language and what it talks about at times (torture, injustice, etc.), But nonetheless, it is important and informative.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Abrams ComicArts for making this ARC available for me to read and review.

The one thing that was a negative to me about reading this ARC was that the image quality was rather poor so it took a lot of effort to make out the text on each page; however, I assume that the published version will have excellent image resolution.

However, despite that issue, the information and human stories conveyed in these pages drew me in enough that I read every page. Part of what drew me to want to read this book was the fact that not too long ago the podcast RadioLab did a 6 episode series on one of the people held at Guantanamo: Abdul Latif Nasser (who is actually mentioned in this book as well).

This is by no means a comprehensive volume about people who are connected to Guantanamo for the time they have spent there - including those who only visited, worked there, as well as those held there. But, it is a topic that feels so big that it can be hard to know where to begin. And this is a great book to begin with. The illustrations do a lot to help convey more than sometimes words can do by themselves. This includes the decision to have each person's story illustrated by a different artist. Every person has their own voice and this change in artistic style from story to story helps the reader make the shift to a new voice,

Content Warning: lots of mentions of torture, though it doesn't go into very specific details

I'll admit I was nervous to read this book. Nervous that it would be too much. Nervous I would have to face uncomfortable truths. And while these ended up being true, it was all an important discomfort. The topic of Guantanamo Bay is a fraught one. Every adult should read this book and sit in their discomfort.

Firstly thank you to Abrams Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

I have always wanted to obtain some detailed information and knowledge about Guantanamo Bay, its history, formation and prisoners. And this book was just what I was looking for.

It is anthology of illustrated narratives by journalist Sarah Mirk about the prison,former prisoners, lawyers, social workers, and service members. It depicts the horror of the place and the lives that it has affected.

This book is so well written and it just invokes so much anger and sadness within you about the cruelty and injustice that the prisoners have faced. Im a believer of justice and I hope and pray these prisoners get justice because while it is important to punish the guilty, it is also equally important to protect the innocent.