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Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib
This is the story of Abu Ghraib that you haven't heard, told by the soldier sent by the Army to restore order and ensure that the abuses that took place there never happen again. In April 2004, the world was shocked by the brutal pictures of beatings, dog attacks, sex acts, and the torture of prisoners held at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. As the story broke, and the world began to learn about the extent of the horrors that occurred there, the U.S. Army dispatched Colonel Larry James to Abu Ghraib with an overwhelming to dissect this catastrophe, fix it, and prevent it from being repeated. A veteran of deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a nationally well-known and respected Army psychologist, Colonel James's expertise made him the one individual capable of taking on this enormous task. Through Colonel James's own experience on the ground, readers will see the tightrope military personnel must walk while fighting in the still new battlefield of the war on terror, the challenge of serving as both a doctor/healer and combatant soldier, and what can-and must-be done to ensure that interrogations are safe, moral, and effective. At the same time, Colonel James also debunks many of the false stories and media myths surrounding the actions of American soldiers at both Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and he reveals shining examples of our men and women in uniform striving to serve with honor and integrity in the face of extreme hardship and danger. An intense and insightful personal narrative, Fixing Hell shows us an essential perspective on Abu Ghraib that we've never seen before.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 8, 2019
It's ok. It reads as an uncritical justification of Col. James' activities at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, upon which I don't have the background to be able to comment. The wording is fairly simple, but the history is interesting. It gets slow towards the end, once he's back in the states and dealing with PTSD.
I would have preferred something written at a higher level and with a bit more academic strength.
I would have preferred something written at a higher level and with a bit more academic strength.
January 3, 2009
I really liked this book. Okay, after the first 100 pages where he set up the story it was really good. This man has had some very interesting experiences. I liked his conclusions about running a prison that can be applied to any institution or organizations, including your family.
April 21, 2018
I write this review as someone who holds a PsyD.
I really liked this book. I don't think that everyone would. This is because the book is about the author's reforms as a long-serving military psychologist of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
It is not just anyone who could transform organizational culture to create reform from the inside in the way that he could or that takes the opportunity to lead by example in the way that he did. Aside from what he states that he did, the positive way that this book is written, the way that he searches his soul, and the minute actions he states that he took are a testament to that power. The systemic and organizational thinking that he undertook to do this is something that is not often recognized in psychology these days but is very important.
One problem that psychology has suffered from is getting sidelined by every other profession, and Dr. James most certainly worked to make mental health a priority in the military. That is something that psychologists should applaud.
I really liked this book. I don't think that everyone would. This is because the book is about the author's reforms as a long-serving military psychologist of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
It is not just anyone who could transform organizational culture to create reform from the inside in the way that he could or that takes the opportunity to lead by example in the way that he did. Aside from what he states that he did, the positive way that this book is written, the way that he searches his soul, and the minute actions he states that he took are a testament to that power. The systemic and organizational thinking that he undertook to do this is something that is not often recognized in psychology these days but is very important.
One problem that psychology has suffered from is getting sidelined by every other profession, and Dr. James most certainly worked to make mental health a priority in the military. That is something that psychologists should applaud.
November 15, 2017
Admired this gentleman for not only his scholarship but his willingness to name names and really challenge the structure of the military. He is an honorable man who knows which way is up. Lead by example and really affected a great change in the culture. He has significant struggles and his own bout with PTSD so he really walked the walk and talked the talk. Excellent book.
August 5, 2021
Larry James is what every psychologist should be.
December 19, 2008
Fixing Hell by Col. (Ret.) Dr. Larry C. James, Ph.D. is a nonfiction book about how one army psychologist takes on the task of cleaning up after public relations nightmares at detention centers in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib, Iraq.
Dr. James is sent to reform these prison/detention centers after scandals break out regarding the treatment of prisoners and detainees. After conducting research and reviewing the Stanford Prison Experiment, which details how otherwise "good" people can commit atrocities in a prison system, Dr. James heads to Cuba.
He outlines some ground rules before he gets to Guantanamo Bay. One of the main rules he sets forth is that leaders must be seen and present. James walks throughout the complex at different hours of the day, even at 2 a.m. He finds that some of the guards on duty in the wee hours are asleep at their posts, while others claim to have never seen a colonel or other military leaders.
Dr. James leaves Guantanamo only to be sent shortly thereafter to Abu Ghraib following the highly public denigration of Iraqi prisoners at the detention center. Soldiers at the prison disrobed prisoners, posed them naked in a human pyramid, and shot photos of the incidents, which were later plastered all over the news. As a psychologist, Dr. James was sent to the detention center to clean up the facility and establish protocols to prevent further incidents.
The audio of this book was well read and engaging. It certainly kept our attention during our early morning commutes, and it was intriguing to get an insider's look at the military's psychology department and protocols. My husband enjoyed the details about how Dr. James remedied the problems at Abu Ghraib and the insight those details provided about the actual facts of the situation.
However, the last chapters of the book slowed down the flow of the book for us. Dr. James offers a great deal of explanation about how the media played up the Abu Ghraib incidents and printed misinformation that maligned the reputations of fellow psychologists and himself. While we understood his need to set the record straight, the information was unnecessary given the timeline he issued throughout the book. Any reports placing him or his colleagues at the detention centers during the scandalous incidents could easily be dismissed.
With that being said, anyone interested in military or war history will enjoy this insider's look at the Iraq War, Abu Ghraib, and the military's psychology unit.
Dr. James is sent to reform these prison/detention centers after scandals break out regarding the treatment of prisoners and detainees. After conducting research and reviewing the Stanford Prison Experiment, which details how otherwise "good" people can commit atrocities in a prison system, Dr. James heads to Cuba.
He outlines some ground rules before he gets to Guantanamo Bay. One of the main rules he sets forth is that leaders must be seen and present. James walks throughout the complex at different hours of the day, even at 2 a.m. He finds that some of the guards on duty in the wee hours are asleep at their posts, while others claim to have never seen a colonel or other military leaders.
Dr. James leaves Guantanamo only to be sent shortly thereafter to Abu Ghraib following the highly public denigration of Iraqi prisoners at the detention center. Soldiers at the prison disrobed prisoners, posed them naked in a human pyramid, and shot photos of the incidents, which were later plastered all over the news. As a psychologist, Dr. James was sent to the detention center to clean up the facility and establish protocols to prevent further incidents.
The audio of this book was well read and engaging. It certainly kept our attention during our early morning commutes, and it was intriguing to get an insider's look at the military's psychology department and protocols. My husband enjoyed the details about how Dr. James remedied the problems at Abu Ghraib and the insight those details provided about the actual facts of the situation.
However, the last chapters of the book slowed down the flow of the book for us. Dr. James offers a great deal of explanation about how the media played up the Abu Ghraib incidents and printed misinformation that maligned the reputations of fellow psychologists and himself. While we understood his need to set the record straight, the information was unnecessary given the timeline he issued throughout the book. Any reports placing him or his colleagues at the detention centers during the scandalous incidents could easily be dismissed.
With that being said, anyone interested in military or war history will enjoy this insider's look at the Iraq War, Abu Ghraib, and the military's psychology unit.
April 12, 2012
This book... well, it's not happy. It's actually pretty depressing. It's an interesting book, primarily about how bureaucracy, even in the military, needs more than just general rules to work. This was a gift, and I had difficulty putting it down. Afterwards, though, I'm hesitant to recommend a book that I didn't particularly enjoy reading; the material is a bit too heavy (and a bit too close to home) for me.
May 21, 2013
I got what I came for, a more thorough understanding of what went down. Unfortunately, the author sullied it with self congratulatory writing. It very much seems like he said "nailed it" to himself...
December 27, 2008
Interesting material, writing is poor. In the end it wasn't really worth reading.
May 10, 2012
Interesting topic, but way too much profanity for me.
January 3, 2012
Revealing, tragic, frightening in its implications
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews