Tortured: When Good Soldiers Do Bad Things

by Justine Sharrock

An eye-opening exposé of America's torture regime Myths about torture Waterboarding is the worst we've done. The soldiers were hardened professionals. All Americans now believe that what we did was wrong. Torture is now a thing of the past. Journalist Justine Sharrock's reporting reveals a huge chasm between what has made headlines and what has actually happened. She traveled around the country, talking to the young, low-ranking soldiers that watched our prisoners, documenting what it feels like to torture someone and discovering how many residents of small town America think we should have done a lot more torture. Tortured goes behind the scenes of America's torture program through the personal stories of four American soldiers who were on the frontlines of the ""war on terror,"" including the Abu Ghraib whistleblower. They reveal how their orders came from the top with assurances that those orders were legal and how their experiences left them emotionally scarred and suffering a profound sense of betrayal by the very government for which they fought. If reading Tortured doesn't make you angry, nothing America does to tarnish its reputation as a beacon of fairness and freedom ever will.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Sara Jordahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super eye opening book. I cannot believe what I read. But worth the read. Have tissues if you've got a big heart.

[katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was incredibly fascinating, especially when considering the weaponization of moral injury. I found myself surprised that the response of "they were just following orders" was mentioned without any acknowledgement that Nuremberg rejected that claim of absolution. I found myself left curious at the end, wanting to know more, particularly about each of their experience with moral injury and relating to their behavior and choices.
I liked Justine's writing style and the way she tells each person's story.

[Bailey Magno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book it shows the horrendous acts that U.S soldiers do to "detainees" in international detention centers.