The other night I walked down to Prairie Lights to hear Marc Falkoff talk about one of the latest books from the UIPress, Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak. Not the least bit interested in politics (I know, shame on me, right?), I'd never even heard of what had been happening at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. What he had to say was quite interesting to me. I fully understand the concept of detaining men who're potential terrorists/a threat to our nation, but I just can't imagine putting someone through the horrors America is inflicting on these men. It's gruesome, cruel, and inhumane.
But back to the book. The book features a collection of poems Marc, as well as other lawyers have compiled from some of the prisoners (yes, I said prisoners not detainees). Some of these poems were inscribed on paper, some written with toothpaste that were later transcribed, and some even used pebbles to carve their words into the styrofoam cups they drank out of. The poems are full of despair, references to suffering, and ultimately the desire to die. It's rather heartbreaking to hear/read some of them.
I recommend checking it out next time you're by one of the various bookstores around campus.
Lauren
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