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The Undesirables: Inside Nauru by Mark Isaacs
'How long will we be here?' one man asked.
Nobody could answer him. Nobody knew. The intention was clear: this was the No Advantage policy. Take them to a distant island, lock them away, punish them, forget about them. Criminals were given a sentence to serve; these men were not even given that. Lost hope ebbed out of the men in uncontrollable sobs and tears.
Queue jumper, boat person, illegals. Asylum seekers are contentious front-page news but obtaining information about Australia’s regional processing centres is increasingly difficult. We learn only what the government wants us to know.
Mark Isaacs worked for the Salvation Army inside the Nauru Detention Centre soon after it re-opened in 2012. He provided humanitarian aid to the men interned in the camp. What he saw there moved him to speak out.
The Undesirables chronicles his time on Nauru detailing daily life and the stories of the men held there; the self-harm, suicide attempts, and riots; the rare moments of joy; the moments of deep despair.
Mark's eyewitness account humanises a political debate usually ruled by misleading rhetoric.
About the author
Mark Isaacs became impassioned by the asylum seeker debate after a visit to Villawood Detention Centre while writing for Oxfam. Months later, in October 2012, Mark was employed by the Salvation Army to work at the regional processing centre in Nauru. While there, Mark established the Recreations program and Oceans program for asylum seekers. He eventually resigned from the Salvation Army in June 2013 and spoke out publicly against the government's No Advantage policy.
Nobody could answer him. Nobody knew. The intention was clear: this was the No Advantage policy. Take them to a distant island, lock them away, punish them, forget about them. Criminals were given a sentence to serve; these men were not even given that. Lost hope ebbed out of the men in uncontrollable sobs and tears.
Queue jumper, boat person, illegals. Asylum seekers are contentious front-page news but obtaining information about Australia’s regional processing centres is increasingly difficult. We learn only what the government wants us to know.
Mark Isaacs worked for the Salvation Army inside the Nauru Detention Centre soon after it re-opened in 2012. He provided humanitarian aid to the men interned in the camp. What he saw there moved him to speak out.
The Undesirables chronicles his time on Nauru detailing daily life and the stories of the men held there; the self-harm, suicide attempts, and riots; the rare moments of joy; the moments of deep despair.
Mark's eyewitness account humanises a political debate usually ruled by misleading rhetoric.
About the author
Mark Isaacs became impassioned by the asylum seeker debate after a visit to Villawood Detention Centre while writing for Oxfam. Months later, in October 2012, Mark was employed by the Salvation Army to work at the regional processing centre in Nauru. While there, Mark established the Recreations program and Oceans program for asylum seekers. He eventually resigned from the Salvation Army in June 2013 and spoke out publicly against the government's No Advantage policy.
Paperback
First published March 15, 2014
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About the author
Mark Isaacs
3 books11 followersMark is a writer, an author, a researcher and a community worker.
His first book, The Undesirables: Inside Nauru (Hardie Grant, 2014), is an account of his work with asylum seekers in Nauru, one of Australia’s notorious offshore detention centres. His second book, Nauru Burning (Editia, 2016), follows up The Undesirables with an investigative report on human rights abuses on Nauru.
In 2017, Mark conducted an investigation into deportations to Afghanistan with the Edmund Rice Centre. The published report, titled 'Responsibility to Protect', paved the way for Mark's later writings in Afghanistan.
Mark’s third book, The Kabul Peace House (Hardie Grant, 2019) is about a community of peace activists in Afghanistan.
He is studying a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Technology, Sydney. His research will focus on human migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mark is president of Sydney PEN, an affiliate of PEN International, a worldwide association of writers which defends freedom of expression and campaigns on behalf of writers who have been silenced by persecution or imprisonment.
Mark works as a community worker, while he writes as a freelancer. He has published articles with The Guardian, Foreign Policy, World Policy Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, Huffington Post, VICE, New Internationalist, Mamamia, New Matilda, The Griffith Review, Pacific Standard, Overland, Conscious Magazine, The Vocal, Right Now and Roads and Kingdoms.
www.markjisaacs.com
https://twitter.com/MarkJIsaacs
https://www.facebook.com/isaacsmark1
https://instagram.com/markj_isaacs/
His first book, The Undesirables: Inside Nauru (Hardie Grant, 2014), is an account of his work with asylum seekers in Nauru, one of Australia’s notorious offshore detention centres. His second book, Nauru Burning (Editia, 2016), follows up The Undesirables with an investigative report on human rights abuses on Nauru.
In 2017, Mark conducted an investigation into deportations to Afghanistan with the Edmund Rice Centre. The published report, titled 'Responsibility to Protect', paved the way for Mark's later writings in Afghanistan.
Mark’s third book, The Kabul Peace House (Hardie Grant, 2019) is about a community of peace activists in Afghanistan.
He is studying a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Technology, Sydney. His research will focus on human migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mark is president of Sydney PEN, an affiliate of PEN International, a worldwide association of writers which defends freedom of expression and campaigns on behalf of writers who have been silenced by persecution or imprisonment.
Mark works as a community worker, while he writes as a freelancer. He has published articles with The Guardian, Foreign Policy, World Policy Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, Huffington Post, VICE, New Internationalist, Mamamia, New Matilda, The Griffith Review, Pacific Standard, Overland, Conscious Magazine, The Vocal, Right Now and Roads and Kingdoms.
www.markjisaacs.com
https://twitter.com/MarkJIsaacs
https://www.facebook.com/isaacsmark1
https://instagram.com/markj_isaacs/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 16, 2021
The projected cost to Australia of offshore processing for 2013–2017 is expected to be at least $2.3 billion. That works out to nearly $1 million for each asylum seeker held in Nauru and Manus so far.
The plight of the refugees - as told here in Isaacs’ first hand experience as a Salvation Army aid worker at the detention center in Nauru - is compelling.
Most of the refugees came by smuggler boats to Australia’s coastal waters where they were either intercepted by the Australian Navy or by allied countries. Any refugees who did not drown were then detained and sent to the island nation of Nauru in the South Pacific. This tiny independent - but poor - nation of 10,000 people had a contract with the Australian government to detain the refugees indefinitely. A small percentage of these refugees are eventually given asylum in Australia but often after years of detainment.
Most of the refugees featured in this book came from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Tamil. The Australian government’s hope was that the refugees would choose to return to their country of origin. Most did not return because they had been threatened back home due to their ethnicity or sexual identity. Some were embarrassments to their family back home. Nearly all were persona non grata. Some committed suicide which is not surprising since the living conditions at the centers did not meet basic human rights criteria set by the United Nations. Eventually the detainees sued the Australian and Nauruan governments in 2016. They lost their cases because ostensibly there is nothing in Australian or Nauru law that indicates detainees have any legal rights.
As far as the writing style - the author writes with a clear voice and clearly knows what he is talking about. So the upside was that the actions in the story were easy to follow. I was a bit disappointed in the absence of literary polish and would have liked to have seen more descriptors used to describe the conditions. This weakness was largely overcome because the plight of the refugees made me so angry. As pointed out by the author, more compassion and decency is needed by the governments in the world. In some cases the governments will approve asylum after years but put detainees through so much trauma that one cannot see the wisdom here.
In the immediate years after this book was published, the Trump administration took a page out of the Australian playbook on how to mistreat refugees. In the U.S. case the refugees of course are largely coming from Central America. Some of the cases involved children in cages and intentional separation of families.
3.5 stars
The plight of the refugees - as told here in Isaacs’ first hand experience as a Salvation Army aid worker at the detention center in Nauru - is compelling.
Most of the refugees came by smuggler boats to Australia’s coastal waters where they were either intercepted by the Australian Navy or by allied countries. Any refugees who did not drown were then detained and sent to the island nation of Nauru in the South Pacific. This tiny independent - but poor - nation of 10,000 people had a contract with the Australian government to detain the refugees indefinitely. A small percentage of these refugees are eventually given asylum in Australia but often after years of detainment.
Most of the refugees featured in this book came from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Tamil. The Australian government’s hope was that the refugees would choose to return to their country of origin. Most did not return because they had been threatened back home due to their ethnicity or sexual identity. Some were embarrassments to their family back home. Nearly all were persona non grata. Some committed suicide which is not surprising since the living conditions at the centers did not meet basic human rights criteria set by the United Nations. Eventually the detainees sued the Australian and Nauruan governments in 2016. They lost their cases because ostensibly there is nothing in Australian or Nauru law that indicates detainees have any legal rights.
As far as the writing style - the author writes with a clear voice and clearly knows what he is talking about. So the upside was that the actions in the story were easy to follow. I was a bit disappointed in the absence of literary polish and would have liked to have seen more descriptors used to describe the conditions. This weakness was largely overcome because the plight of the refugees made me so angry. As pointed out by the author, more compassion and decency is needed by the governments in the world. In some cases the governments will approve asylum after years but put detainees through so much trauma that one cannot see the wisdom here.
In the immediate years after this book was published, the Trump administration took a page out of the Australian playbook on how to mistreat refugees. In the U.S. case the refugees of course are largely coming from Central America. Some of the cases involved children in cages and intentional separation of families.
3.5 stars
April 18, 2014
One that all Australian's should read. The guy worked in Nauru, he got up close with asylum seekers. He talked with them, took them out on excursions. Watched them go through stages of psychological breakdown and eventually to attempt suicide.
He doesn't lay guilt trips. He doesn't lecture. He just tells the story of his experience and gives some well researched facts about humans rights situations in the countries where these people are coming from. It will shock you.
The Gov. shipping asylum seekers, including kids to off shore tropical hell holes , deliberately slowing down their processing time and banning the media from reporting on it. Officers in the camps refer to asylum seeker by their Ship ID number. I have heard this even applies to the children.
They need to block the media because if the public actually knew what was going on, they would stop supporting the policy.
Most Australians probably know that something isn't right. But because so many people are under the pump economically, and constantly afraid of losing out , they buy into the bullshit that is spun by the government. The linguistic manipulation by those in power is exposed in this book. The twisting of the word "illegals" even though it is not in illegal to seek Asylum at all,.
People like to be led. They want to be told what to do and be kept safe. The Government promise to "turn back the boats" the people don't give a shit how...
He doesn't lay guilt trips. He doesn't lecture. He just tells the story of his experience and gives some well researched facts about humans rights situations in the countries where these people are coming from. It will shock you.
The Gov. shipping asylum seekers, including kids to off shore tropical hell holes , deliberately slowing down their processing time and banning the media from reporting on it. Officers in the camps refer to asylum seeker by their Ship ID number. I have heard this even applies to the children.
They need to block the media because if the public actually knew what was going on, they would stop supporting the policy.
Most Australians probably know that something isn't right. But because so many people are under the pump economically, and constantly afraid of losing out , they buy into the bullshit that is spun by the government. The linguistic manipulation by those in power is exposed in this book. The twisting of the word "illegals" even though it is not in illegal to seek Asylum at all,.
People like to be led. They want to be told what to do and be kept safe. The Government promise to "turn back the boats" the people don't give a shit how...
August 17, 2014
One of the books every person in Australia should read before daring to open their mouth about the current asylum seeker debate in this country.
Not an easy book to read. Pretty damming of all sides of politics, of service providers and of the manipulation the Australian public is willingly submitting to.
I would have liked to have rated it a 4.5 but since that is not available I have settled for a 4.
Not an easy book to read. Pretty damming of all sides of politics, of service providers and of the manipulation the Australian public is willingly submitting to.
I would have liked to have rated it a 4.5 but since that is not available I have settled for a 4.
November 8, 2014
A must-read for anyone with an opinion on the Australian refugee policy
Australians are justifiably proud to be known worldwide as an easy-going, generous people – quick to laugh and eager to lend a hand in times of need.
Yet when people seeking asylum from hostility at home arrive in our waters, they get short shrift indeed. In accordance with current policy, the legendary Australian warmth is entirely absent, with asylum seekers being verbally abused and herded like criminals into fortified and guarded “processing centres”. They are then presented with the stark choice of languishing in detention for months or years while their claims are processed or returning to their homelands. But as Munjed Al Muderis writes in Walking Free, his account of his experiences as an asylum seeker in the Curtin Detention Centre:
“There was one flaw to their argument. I couldn’t go back to my homeland, Iraq. Well, not if I wanted to avoid imprisonment, torture and, probably, execution.” (Allen & Unwin, 2014)
While a great deal of soul searching about the dehumanising cruelty of this policy is needed by all Australians, it is our political leaders who must ultimately be held to account. Dramatically compounding the problem, on both sides of politics everything relating to the treatment of “boat people” has been increasingly hidden behind a media blackout glossed over with jingoistic three word slogans and underpinned by vague statements about the will of the people. But how is it possible for Australians to make informed voting choices without reliable information?
Mark Isaacs breaks the code of silence in his unflinchingly honest and detailed account of daily life in the Nauru Refugee Processing Centre. Working as a Salvation Army support worker at the centre, Mark’s account of his experiences through five “rotations” between October 2012 and June 2013 is impassioned and compassionate.
By counterposing his own impressions with both the day-to-day experiences of the detainees and their backstories, he paints a grim picture of the high personal toll on asylum seekers forced to endure the relentlessly harsh environment of Nauru’s “Topside Camp”.
It must never be forgotten that these are people who for reasons far beyond their own control can no longer live in the countries of their birth. Seeking escape from intolerable hostility, they have turned to us in their moment of greatest need. Their need is so great that the majority have risked their lives, often many times over, before arriving at our doorstep. Often severely traumatised before leaving their homelands and having suffered unimaginable hardship on their journey to our shores, their immediate needs are for safety and compassion: in a word, refuge.
But the refuge offered in Nauru is appallingly mean-spirited and harsh. Mark describes how asylum seekers are corralled into the makeshift compound of the Topside Camp. Packed into ex-army tents which amplify the heat and do not hold out the monsoonal rains, they are not even called by their names. Rather, the ever-present Wilsons guards, or “Client Service Officers”, identify them only by numbers derived from the name of the boat they arrived in. There is little to occupy their time and they are given little or no information about the status of their refugee claims. Traumatised, bored and disillusioned, they are expected to be thankful for Australia’s magnanimity and patiently await the outcome of their claims – a process that can take months or even years.
From Mark’s description, I was particularly struck by parallels between this camp and labour camps under various repressive regimes around the world – isolation, strict regimentation, lack of communication. There is, however, a telling difference. Where in those camps hard labour at least provides focus and daily structure, in Nauru there is absolutely nothing to do.
But this is its own form of torture with little to distract detainees from the misery of their personal histories compounded by the injustices of their current circumstances. The results are depression, self-harm, hunger strikes and discontent. But when discontent erupts into mass protest, the guards are quick and efficiently brutal in restoring order.
Against the harsh backdrop of the Topside Camp and its administration’s general distrust of the Salvos, Mark is increasingly caught between his compassion for the detainees and the lurking threat of compassion fatigue and eventual burnout. This ultimately leads him to an understanding of the need to contravene the secrecy provisions of his employment and publicly disclose his experiences.
For all Australians, this book is too important to avoid. By any measure it is a gruelling read. However the harshness is somewhat softened by the compassion displayed by Mark and so many of his colleagues in defying the dominant milieu of the camp.
It is often repeated that “the refugee problem” is an electoral make-or-break issue. If, as voters, we continue to endorse the current hardline approach, each an every one of us must be willing to take personal responsibility for the consequences. Anything less is an abdication of our responsibility as Australian citizens.
Above all else, The Undesirables reinforces the necessity for us to do everything in our power to hold our elected political leaders to account and demand a more humane alternative.
Australians are justifiably proud to be known worldwide as an easy-going, generous people – quick to laugh and eager to lend a hand in times of need.
Yet when people seeking asylum from hostility at home arrive in our waters, they get short shrift indeed. In accordance with current policy, the legendary Australian warmth is entirely absent, with asylum seekers being verbally abused and herded like criminals into fortified and guarded “processing centres”. They are then presented with the stark choice of languishing in detention for months or years while their claims are processed or returning to their homelands. But as Munjed Al Muderis writes in Walking Free, his account of his experiences as an asylum seeker in the Curtin Detention Centre:
“There was one flaw to their argument. I couldn’t go back to my homeland, Iraq. Well, not if I wanted to avoid imprisonment, torture and, probably, execution.” (Allen & Unwin, 2014)
While a great deal of soul searching about the dehumanising cruelty of this policy is needed by all Australians, it is our political leaders who must ultimately be held to account. Dramatically compounding the problem, on both sides of politics everything relating to the treatment of “boat people” has been increasingly hidden behind a media blackout glossed over with jingoistic three word slogans and underpinned by vague statements about the will of the people. But how is it possible for Australians to make informed voting choices without reliable information?
Mark Isaacs breaks the code of silence in his unflinchingly honest and detailed account of daily life in the Nauru Refugee Processing Centre. Working as a Salvation Army support worker at the centre, Mark’s account of his experiences through five “rotations” between October 2012 and June 2013 is impassioned and compassionate.
By counterposing his own impressions with both the day-to-day experiences of the detainees and their backstories, he paints a grim picture of the high personal toll on asylum seekers forced to endure the relentlessly harsh environment of Nauru’s “Topside Camp”.
It must never be forgotten that these are people who for reasons far beyond their own control can no longer live in the countries of their birth. Seeking escape from intolerable hostility, they have turned to us in their moment of greatest need. Their need is so great that the majority have risked their lives, often many times over, before arriving at our doorstep. Often severely traumatised before leaving their homelands and having suffered unimaginable hardship on their journey to our shores, their immediate needs are for safety and compassion: in a word, refuge.
But the refuge offered in Nauru is appallingly mean-spirited and harsh. Mark describes how asylum seekers are corralled into the makeshift compound of the Topside Camp. Packed into ex-army tents which amplify the heat and do not hold out the monsoonal rains, they are not even called by their names. Rather, the ever-present Wilsons guards, or “Client Service Officers”, identify them only by numbers derived from the name of the boat they arrived in. There is little to occupy their time and they are given little or no information about the status of their refugee claims. Traumatised, bored and disillusioned, they are expected to be thankful for Australia’s magnanimity and patiently await the outcome of their claims – a process that can take months or even years.
From Mark’s description, I was particularly struck by parallels between this camp and labour camps under various repressive regimes around the world – isolation, strict regimentation, lack of communication. There is, however, a telling difference. Where in those camps hard labour at least provides focus and daily structure, in Nauru there is absolutely nothing to do.
But this is its own form of torture with little to distract detainees from the misery of their personal histories compounded by the injustices of their current circumstances. The results are depression, self-harm, hunger strikes and discontent. But when discontent erupts into mass protest, the guards are quick and efficiently brutal in restoring order.
Against the harsh backdrop of the Topside Camp and its administration’s general distrust of the Salvos, Mark is increasingly caught between his compassion for the detainees and the lurking threat of compassion fatigue and eventual burnout. This ultimately leads him to an understanding of the need to contravene the secrecy provisions of his employment and publicly disclose his experiences.
For all Australians, this book is too important to avoid. By any measure it is a gruelling read. However the harshness is somewhat softened by the compassion displayed by Mark and so many of his colleagues in defying the dominant milieu of the camp.
It is often repeated that “the refugee problem” is an electoral make-or-break issue. If, as voters, we continue to endorse the current hardline approach, each an every one of us must be willing to take personal responsibility for the consequences. Anything less is an abdication of our responsibility as Australian citizens.
Above all else, The Undesirables reinforces the necessity for us to do everything in our power to hold our elected political leaders to account and demand a more humane alternative.
April 11, 2014
This book details the horrific and unimaginable conditions that those who are fleeing their own countries for fear of their life deal with, when Australia deems they have "jumped the queue" by arriving by boat. Isaacs worked for the Salvation Army who was stationed there to look after the men. He details the often frustrating lack of resources and support from other organisations and management as well as the rampant, overbearing bureaucracy. It provides insight into individual lives that Isaacs encounters, their personal struggles as his own to come to terms with the common perceptions that most Australians have of those seeking asylum as "illegal", "queue jumpers", "people-smugglers" and "economic refugees".
I recommend that all Australians read this book to understand the reality of what these people go through, why they make such a hazardous journey and how our own government's "deterrent policy" isn't working as it often outweighs or is not thought of when making the decision to flee their home country. Told with unflinching honesty and frankness it provides the true horror story of what we are doing to innocent people, who have a right to seek asylum and who only wish to enjoy the freedoms we take for granted, but which we deny them. This books goes a long way to exposing the darker side of Australia's past, present and future if nothing changes and the public don't take a stand against mandatory off-shore processing and detention.
I recommend that all Australians read this book to understand the reality of what these people go through, why they make such a hazardous journey and how our own government's "deterrent policy" isn't working as it often outweighs or is not thought of when making the decision to flee their home country. Told with unflinching honesty and frankness it provides the true horror story of what we are doing to innocent people, who have a right to seek asylum and who only wish to enjoy the freedoms we take for granted, but which we deny them. This books goes a long way to exposing the darker side of Australia's past, present and future if nothing changes and the public don't take a stand against mandatory off-shore processing and detention.
April 5, 2014
This book is a well written account of the horrors and dehumanising conditions of Naura Detention Camp. Issacs does a good job of staying impartial in giving the facts, but he is honest in his opinions. It is a pity we couldn't get to know a few of the men more deeply, I found it hard to follow which man was which and in a sense that made the impact less personal. For example in Katherine Boos' Behind the Beautiful Forevers she managed to convey not only the stark reality of slum life but also humanise it. I would recommend The Undesirables to all Australians, wherever you fall in this debate, we should all be aware of the true conditions of offshore processing of asylum seekers.
March 22, 2014
A well written and important book for all Australians to read.Thought provoking story of the life Asylum seekers are living on Nauru.There is no other way of knowing how these people are living apart from Mark Isaac's eloquent account of the time he spent on Nauru.
Well worth a read
Well worth a read
April 14, 2014
An incredibly important book, bringing humanity to one of most polarising issues in Australia, and around the world.
Isaacs allows readers to get to know and understand the human beings at the centre of refugee and asylum seeker policy, proving they are more than just 'boat people.'
Isaacs allows readers to get to know and understand the human beings at the centre of refugee and asylum seeker policy, proving they are more than just 'boat people.'
February 7, 2017
An absolute MUST read. This true account is profoundly sad but an important and necessary record of the consequences of Labor and Liberal policies under Howard, Gillard, Rudd, Abbott (and later Turnbull) toward refugees and asylum seekers. I highly recommend this book.
October 24, 2015
Well written. Raw. Eye opening. Important.
May 30, 2022
Even though this book is well written, it is not an easy read. It is, however, in my opinion a necessary one - for myself to process my own experiences working on Nauru, and for the Australian public (and pollies from other countries defending the Australian offshore processing approach for asylum seekers) to finally get some insight into the atrocities the Australian government has been committing behind everyone's backs.
The stories the author shares are both heartbreaking and confronting, and for me also very recognisable on many levels. I enjoyed being reminded of the places on island I grew so familiar with, like the Menen hotel and the Oden, swimming at the boat harbour, a night out at the Jules, having the island close down whenever there's a plane coming in or trying to find supplies at the only shop of any size: Capelle's.
But then there's also the truth of life at the camp. The mouldy tents between the pinnacles in the middle of nowhere, the floods in monsoon season, the desperation of the people, the many self harm incidents, the naurumours of abuse, the broken spirits of young and old and of staff trying to somehow do the best they can to help (or in the case of some be assholes and treat people as numbers). It truly is a discomfiting, weird, sometimes crazy, often horrid situation.
And then there's also the relationship with the people in the camp, at times sharing laughter over the most ridiculous things, finding joy in little moments and sharing warmth and care in human relationship. That too is life at the RPCs.
I sincerely hope that Mark's contribution in having these stories heard will continue to aid in helping people see through the ruse so long maintained by the government at any cost (lies, media manipulation, bullying, unrightful dismissal, threats, gag orders etc.) It's time this dark chapter is closed for good, that those still left behind on Nauru, Manus Island and in onshore detention like Villawood, Curtin, MITA etc. are resettled and finally given the help to heal that deserve.
The stories the author shares are both heartbreaking and confronting, and for me also very recognisable on many levels. I enjoyed being reminded of the places on island I grew so familiar with, like the Menen hotel and the Oden, swimming at the boat harbour, a night out at the Jules, having the island close down whenever there's a plane coming in or trying to find supplies at the only shop of any size: Capelle's.
But then there's also the truth of life at the camp. The mouldy tents between the pinnacles in the middle of nowhere, the floods in monsoon season, the desperation of the people, the many self harm incidents, the naurumours of abuse, the broken spirits of young and old and of staff trying to somehow do the best they can to help (or in the case of some be assholes and treat people as numbers). It truly is a discomfiting, weird, sometimes crazy, often horrid situation.
And then there's also the relationship with the people in the camp, at times sharing laughter over the most ridiculous things, finding joy in little moments and sharing warmth and care in human relationship. That too is life at the RPCs.
I sincerely hope that Mark's contribution in having these stories heard will continue to aid in helping people see through the ruse so long maintained by the government at any cost (lies, media manipulation, bullying, unrightful dismissal, threats, gag orders etc.) It's time this dark chapter is closed for good, that those still left behind on Nauru, Manus Island and in onshore detention like Villawood, Curtin, MITA etc. are resettled and finally given the help to heal that deserve.
January 2, 2019
Every single Australian NEEDS to read this book. We needed to read it when it was first released. It is impossible for us to have accurate and informed political opinions on those seeking asylum when there is a media blackout. This book shines a light on a very dark chapter that continues to this day.
December 12, 2019
The Biloela case this year spoke volumes about the inhumanity of our government and by extension our country. A family living peacefully in a rural town snatched in a dawn raid like they were hardened criminals, kept in isolation, a young girl's teeth rotting to black, reopening an island for four people, a crime against decency committed in broad daylight to the indifference of the people.
The repeal of the Medevac laws where refugees have been denied medical care speaks to how we've dehumanised the desperate people who've come here asking for help. One day we will face a reckoning in the annals of history for how brutally evil we have been, how callous and monstrous we have become.
Isaac's memoir of being on Nauru in the camps is a scream into the void, a scream that'll sadly only be heard by people that already know our refugee policy is evil on a seemingly unprecedented scale, the magnification of racist sympathies. But it is important our crimes are documented, how eager we are to strip protections from refugees, letting their lives drip from them slowly. They have been othered and thus deserve to have their future slowly fade into nothingness. Isaacs points out that we apprently already had a successful threshold of cruelty that stopped refugees, so us continuing to go above and beyond is just us being eager to tear at these poor men and women and children. All I can do is say thank you to Isaacs for capturing the lack of hope on Nauru, the torture we've subjected innocent souls to, and wonder when the righteous arc of history will bend to save the people we've ground down.
The repeal of the Medevac laws where refugees have been denied medical care speaks to how we've dehumanised the desperate people who've come here asking for help. One day we will face a reckoning in the annals of history for how brutally evil we have been, how callous and monstrous we have become.
Isaac's memoir of being on Nauru in the camps is a scream into the void, a scream that'll sadly only be heard by people that already know our refugee policy is evil on a seemingly unprecedented scale, the magnification of racist sympathies. But it is important our crimes are documented, how eager we are to strip protections from refugees, letting their lives drip from them slowly. They have been othered and thus deserve to have their future slowly fade into nothingness. Isaacs points out that we apprently already had a successful threshold of cruelty that stopped refugees, so us continuing to go above and beyond is just us being eager to tear at these poor men and women and children. All I can do is say thank you to Isaacs for capturing the lack of hope on Nauru, the torture we've subjected innocent souls to, and wonder when the righteous arc of history will bend to save the people we've ground down.
May 28, 2017
Australia’s history has been plagued by boat people. Since European Settlement we have become a nation of refugees escaping from war, poverty and hunger.
I had always thought of Australian people as a fair, just and compassionate, however after reading this man’s experience inside the Nauru’s detention centre my thoughts beg to differ. Based on the fear of the unknown these asylum seekers are viewed as a threat to our society. They are locked away and being punished simply for seeking refuge. The cruelty and the daily humiliations inside the centre have been largely ignored by the government and the Australian public. We have all heard about the detention centers where these people have caused riots and hunger strikes and suicide attempts. One man attempted to cut his throat in the shower. Another man who had only been there for 3 weeks attempted to hang himself. A simple request for a panadol is ignored, their request to leave their tent is denied. Many of their screams are a respond of their frustration and anger.
These asylum seekers are being locked up in a detention centre where you do not know of your future or your situation. Even criminals have a timeframe of their sentence. Many people can’t comprehend the point of a mental breakdown. The gravity of their situation is beyond desperate. The Australians politicians and society need to wake up and pay more attention at the way these human beings are being treated and do something about their welfare and future.
I had always thought of Australian people as a fair, just and compassionate, however after reading this man’s experience inside the Nauru’s detention centre my thoughts beg to differ. Based on the fear of the unknown these asylum seekers are viewed as a threat to our society. They are locked away and being punished simply for seeking refuge. The cruelty and the daily humiliations inside the centre have been largely ignored by the government and the Australian public. We have all heard about the detention centers where these people have caused riots and hunger strikes and suicide attempts. One man attempted to cut his throat in the shower. Another man who had only been there for 3 weeks attempted to hang himself. A simple request for a panadol is ignored, their request to leave their tent is denied. Many of their screams are a respond of their frustration and anger.
These asylum seekers are being locked up in a detention centre where you do not know of your future or your situation. Even criminals have a timeframe of their sentence. Many people can’t comprehend the point of a mental breakdown. The gravity of their situation is beyond desperate. The Australians politicians and society need to wake up and pay more attention at the way these human beings are being treated and do something about their welfare and future.
April 7, 2014
An important book
March 25, 2025
This is a painful and guilt driven read without the intent of the Author. Marc is one of a kind. He was young when it all happened could have care less about anything but new experiences and earn when he was there and yet he went million ways beyond an illogical duty.
My heart and soul goes out to asylum seekers from this book. Their whole lives were full of chaos and desperation. They needed shelter and community to start over and it could have been easily feasible, Australia is just there and yet they are restricted, isolated and left to their own demise. People who are attempting suicide to ease their pain, it’s just all too much.
What really sparked something in me was Marc’s conversation with Azad and Azad’s nihilistic view of the world based on what came out of his life. I always lean on realistic optimism, always think that the world will be better. Not drastically better but inch by inch even if majority of us won’t feel it, it will be better, life is full of happiness over sadness, but living as an Asian in a free country, I couldn’t say the same words to the asylum seekers like Azad. I won’t have any knowledge of how much pain life inflicted to the likes of him. And how much people in power even make it harder day by day. I guess really, even if i don’t agree with nihilism and it pains me alot that people are nihilistic, this book made me understand them deeply.
My heart and soul goes out to asylum seekers from this book. Their whole lives were full of chaos and desperation. They needed shelter and community to start over and it could have been easily feasible, Australia is just there and yet they are restricted, isolated and left to their own demise. People who are attempting suicide to ease their pain, it’s just all too much.
What really sparked something in me was Marc’s conversation with Azad and Azad’s nihilistic view of the world based on what came out of his life. I always lean on realistic optimism, always think that the world will be better. Not drastically better but inch by inch even if majority of us won’t feel it, it will be better, life is full of happiness over sadness, but living as an Asian in a free country, I couldn’t say the same words to the asylum seekers like Azad. I won’t have any knowledge of how much pain life inflicted to the likes of him. And how much people in power even make it harder day by day. I guess really, even if i don’t agree with nihilism and it pains me alot that people are nihilistic, this book made me understand them deeply.
January 31, 2021
Seems like the thing to say is "must read for any Australian". I don't disagree with the idea; this is as far into that very opaque place we're every likely to see. Can't fault the guy for going and working there, for befriending the men, for standing up for them to the service providers that wouldn't have had their interests at heart. It's not like I've done anything of the sort. The 'but' is, I guess I'm just not a fan of some of that superfluous language that some writers like to put in. "Little was I to know...", "It wasn't until I realised ... that I realised what I'd gotten myself into", that kind of stuff. It's a pet peeve, we all have them. Good on him, though.
January 2, 2017
A critical read on Australia's policy of indefinitely detaining refugees in inhumane conditions on the tiny island of Nauru. The book mixes tales of the oppressive nature of the Nauru camp with personal and humanizing stories of working with the men who live inside it. An indictment of the cruelty of the Australian government and politicians, but these stories should force citizens in all countries to question how their governments treat refugees and immigrants.
December 3, 2018
honestly i think i'm going to have to stop reading this one. i've been reading it in small sittings this entire year because it's too depressing ... this country needs a wake up call about what we're putting these people through.
June 14, 2017
This book should be read by everyone and most importantly every Australian.
October 13, 2017
A book every Australian should read!
Heartbreaking
Heartbreaking
Read
February 2, 2020A real page-turner, I couldn't put it down!
February 26, 2020
As many others have said, this is an essential read. It's desperately sad and a shaming indication of Australian mismanagement relating to immigration matters.
April 18, 2020
This is a must read if you care about humans.
April 17, 2021
There are so many words and yet not enough. We should be learning about this. Please read it, let’s make some change.
July 2, 2025
💔💔💔💔
July 9, 2015
A story for all humans, which will leave you wondering how you would cope in similar circumstances - both as a worker and as one of the "undesirables". I would love to get at least everyone in Australia to read this. I was hesitant to read this book for 2 reasons, none of which turned out to be relevant. First, I thought I would have difficulty reading about terrible stories of torture and mistreatment which these refugees have fled. The author barely mentions people's prior experiences, I would not say they are a feature of the book. The book is very firmly set in Nauru and the experiences of asylum seekers there (which are bad enough, but at least they don't involve chopping off of people's arms). My second worry was that, because of the emotive nature of the subject material, the author might be using hyperbole and emotive language and taking an extreme, deliberately exaggerated view - this kind of writing puts me off, even more so when I agree with the author because I feel they are not doing my cause any favours! However Mark presented his experiences rationally, and explored his own doubts and grey areas on various subjects more than once. I felt he called like it is, and made a great effort to be unbiased. He presents in a compelling way many of the different arguments you wish were on top of, without being boring. This is probably aided by the fact that life in the camp is never boring (not from Mark's point of view at least) and the narrative is not interrupted too often by politics. I also got a bit of an insight into how different cultural groups and also different individuals within these groups react very differently to indefinite detention.
January 23, 2015
Every Australian should read this. It's hard to fathom the devastating and desolate nature of 'regional processing' (detention) centres in Nauru and Manus Island. Yet Mark Isaacs bares all in a very realistic, no bullshit approach. The book provides an insight into not only the politics of the situation, but also what it's like for asylum seekers voyaging to Australia with hopes of refuge and resettlement. Individuals who put their lives on the line and risk everything for their families. Isaacs manages to dispel the argument of 'economic refugees' as it's simply illogical - why would men risk everything (including their lives) purely for financial expediency and gain? A highly complex, multi-faceted issue with no 'quick-fix', band-aid solution, despite attempts from previous and current governments. Human lives are at stake and Isaacs infuses his humanistic perspective of what really goes on in places like Nauru. I was extremely moved by the personal stories of the men in Nauru and the way Mark recognises these people as friends; names rather than ID numbers. Reading this highlighted the immediacy and urgency that Australians can no longer ignore the highly contentious issue of asylum seekers. Seeking asylum is a human right and IS NOT ILLEGAL, despite confusing terminology used by Australian law that conflicts with International Law. It's a shame that the government brands such individuals as 'queue jumpers, 'illegals', etc., using these people as pawns in their own political game.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 12, 2014
An incredible read. I'll be honest, I couldn't make it through without crying. Isaacs writes very well - I wasn't expecting to enjoy the story as much as I did, but it's a real narrative. The emphasis on the fact that this was all government supported and controlled made the message extremely chilling. Particularly for Australians, like me, who can almost tolerate these sorts of things from other countries because, well, they're not quite there yet, they're third world, things will get better as time goes on - but to think of a first world Western country like Australia acting in this way, it makes you stop and wonder where exactly you are safe.
I did find the timeline a little confusing, with jumps back and forth a little, but it is only minor.
Possibly the most frustrating part of this book is not the number of times Isaacs tries to organise recreation events for the men that are stopped by red tape, or how disrespected the asylum seekers are, or even how we cannot hope for compassion and humanity from anyone in charge, but the fact that opinion change from the general public is what's needed, and that those who really need to read this book won't give it a second glance.
That said, it's inspired me to become a bit more active on the issue, and even a small increase in support from all its readers may be what makes the difference.
I did find the timeline a little confusing, with jumps back and forth a little, but it is only minor.
Possibly the most frustrating part of this book is not the number of times Isaacs tries to organise recreation events for the men that are stopped by red tape, or how disrespected the asylum seekers are, or even how we cannot hope for compassion and humanity from anyone in charge, but the fact that opinion change from the general public is what's needed, and that those who really need to read this book won't give it a second glance.
That said, it's inspired me to become a bit more active on the issue, and even a small increase in support from all its readers may be what makes the difference.
August 11, 2016
An explosive book. Written superbly, these pages are horrific, raw and not unlike books I've read on the conditions of Nazi concentration camps. This is one that more Australians should read but sadly the people that should read this book probably won't. Mark's incredibly short and insignificant chapter allocated to Scott Morrison was a clever way to highlight the lack of empathy and significance in which the Australian government failed to uphold international laws to which our nation is a signatory to.
Mark is prodigious young writer and a human being with an incredible heart and his work is exemplary and inspires others.
Mark is prodigious young writer and a human being with an incredible heart and his work is exemplary and inspires others.
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