Description
Shadow Lives reveals the unseen side of the '9/11 wars': their impact on the wives and families of men incarcerated in Guantanamo, or in prison or under house arrest in Britain and the US. Victoria Brittain shows how these families have been made socially invisible and a convenient scapegoat for the state in order to exercise arbitrary powers under the cover of the 'War on Terror'.
A disturbing expose of the perilous state of freedom and democracy in our society, the book reveals how a culture of intolerance and cruelty has left individuals at the mercy of the security services' unverifiable accusations and punitive punishments.
Both a j'accuse and a testament to the strength and humanity of the families, Shadow Lives shows the methods of incarceration and social control being used by the British state and gives a voice to the families whose lives have been turned upside down. In doing so it raises urgent questions about civil liberties which no one can afford to ignore.
About the Author
Victoria Brittain is a respected journalist who tirelessly fought the US government on Guantanamo Bay in articles and books. Her work on women and children in conflict has transformed war reporting; subverting tired militaristic narratives. She has been a consultant to the UN on The Impact of Conflict on Women. She is a trustee of Prisoners of Conscience and the author of The Meaning of Waiting (Oberon, 2010), Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013) and co-author of Moazzam Begg's Enemy Combatant (2007). John Berger was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel G. (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972) won the Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism, Ways of Seeing (Penguin, 1972), is understood to be a classic of art history. He contributed the foreword to Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013). Marina Warner is an award-winning writer of fiction, criticism and history; her works include novels and short stories as well as studies of art, myths, symbols, and fairytales. She contributed an introduction to Memoirs of an Early Arab Feminist (Pluto, 2013) and the afterword to Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013).
Reviews
'A searching, sensitive, and wrenching account of the ordeal of the women left behind, their torment, their endurance and courage, their triumphs over the cruel 'extension of prison to home'' -- Noam Chomsky
'A window into an invisible world ... a reminder that abandoning normal legal standards has serious consequences for the Rule of Law' -- Helena Kennedy QC
'A uniquely powerful and moving account of the tragic consequences of policies which flout fundamental rights and the rule of law. It adds a new and deeply disturbing dimension to the story of the response to 9/11' -- Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC
'The author's extraordinary empathy gives a voice to women who have courageously endured unimaginable indignity from indefensible laws' -- Louise Christian, solicitor for several Guantanamo prisoners and their families
'This is a book to make you gasp, weep, shout, but above all a book to admire: the lovely writing, the complexities made clear, the everyday heroism of survivors. It is a terrible story, beautifully told' -- Beatrix Campbell
'A landmark work that takes over your heart and head. In drawing together lives scattered and devastated and made heroic by the 'war on terror', Victoria Brittain, one of the greatest reporters, tells us the truth about these dangerous times' -- John Pilger
Book Information
ISBN 9780745333267
Author Victoria Brittain
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Pluto Press
Publisher Pluto Press
Weight(grams) 235g
A disturbing expose of the perilous state of freedom and democracy in our society, the book reveals how a culture of intolerance and cruelty has left individuals at the mercy of the security services' unverifiable accusations and punitive punishments.
Both a j'accuse and a testament to the strength and humanity of the families, Shadow Lives shows the methods of incarceration and social control being used by the British state and gives a voice to the families whose lives have been turned upside down. In doing so it raises urgent questions about civil liberties which no one can afford to ignore.
About the Author
Victoria Brittain is a respected journalist who tirelessly fought the US government on Guantanamo Bay in articles and books. Her work on women and children in conflict has transformed war reporting; subverting tired militaristic narratives. She has been a consultant to the UN on The Impact of Conflict on Women. She is a trustee of Prisoners of Conscience and the author of The Meaning of Waiting (Oberon, 2010), Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013) and co-author of Moazzam Begg's Enemy Combatant (2007). John Berger was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel G. (Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1972) won the Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism, Ways of Seeing (Penguin, 1972), is understood to be a classic of art history. He contributed the foreword to Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013). Marina Warner is an award-winning writer of fiction, criticism and history; her works include novels and short stories as well as studies of art, myths, symbols, and fairytales. She contributed an introduction to Memoirs of an Early Arab Feminist (Pluto, 2013) and the afterword to Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013).
Reviews
'A searching, sensitive, and wrenching account of the ordeal of the women left behind, their torment, their endurance and courage, their triumphs over the cruel 'extension of prison to home'' -- Noam Chomsky
'A window into an invisible world ... a reminder that abandoning normal legal standards has serious consequences for the Rule of Law' -- Helena Kennedy QC
'A uniquely powerful and moving account of the tragic consequences of policies which flout fundamental rights and the rule of law. It adds a new and deeply disturbing dimension to the story of the response to 9/11' -- Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC
'The author's extraordinary empathy gives a voice to women who have courageously endured unimaginable indignity from indefensible laws' -- Louise Christian, solicitor for several Guantanamo prisoners and their families
'This is a book to make you gasp, weep, shout, but above all a book to admire: the lovely writing, the complexities made clear, the everyday heroism of survivors. It is a terrible story, beautifully told' -- Beatrix Campbell
'A landmark work that takes over your heart and head. In drawing together lives scattered and devastated and made heroic by the 'war on terror', Victoria Brittain, one of the greatest reporters, tells us the truth about these dangerous times' -- John Pilger
Book Information
ISBN 9780745333267
Author Victoria Brittain
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Pluto Press
Publisher Pluto Press
Weight(grams) 235g
