BOOK REVIEW

BILL McCARTHY WHILE I firmly agree that “stopping the boats” is a good thing, the side effect of hundreds of innocent immigrants being held in captivity reflects nothing but shame on Australia. I found Boochani’s account of his incarceration at Manus quite terrifying. It is a hard read, long, in an unfamiliar style and with unforgiving detail. It is amazing that the book was smuggled out as thousands of individual texts. He documents the voyage, the behaviour of other inmates and the treatment handed out by Australian guards with insight and intelligence. It is an indictment on our elected ministers, the security company managers and employers; a disgrace that no one has been held to account; and a perfect example of the use of psychological vindictiveness, gag orders and the excuse of “just following orders”. As Australians, we should be worried at how easily our elected officials can make it happen. JAN KENT THIS award-winning book is a powerful testament of the inhumanity of man, and very difficult to accept that this is part of Australia’s history. While the book is an incredible achievement just by the fact that it was written while incarcerated in Manus prison, it is not an easy read. Poetry that intersperses the narrative is imaginative and beautiful, but I found this heavy going at times. The author uses his imaginative poetry to detach himself from the degradation that surrounds the prisoners daily and the author gives us this in an insightful and expressive way.

Rereading some of the poetry, separate from the text, helped me gain a better understanding of what the author was experiencing. I found this a difficult book to get through, but worth the effort.

SUZI HIRST “DOMINATION - Five people need to leave the dining area so that five people can enter. Taking food out is against the rules.” “Humans caring for humans, not humans antagonising humans”.

“Fox prison - 400 people (men) kept in an area smaller than a football field.” “Toilet floors always in the same state – piss up to the ankles.” These are just a few quotes from this incredibly hard, brutally honest, terrible book that tells of the inhumanity on Manus Island.

The feelings of rage and disbelief at times were so powerful I had to put the book down and walk outside and relish the privilege of my freedom. It is a difficult read and at times pages and pages of the same events but, if you want to know what it was like to be held on Manus Island, this is a must read.

NO FRIEND BUT NOFRIENDBUT THE MOUNTAINS: WRITING FROM MANUS PRISON By Behrouz Boochani

This is an autobiographical account of the author’s dangerous journey to Christmas Island and his subsequent incarceration in an Australian government immigration detention facility on Manus Island. The book was written on a mobile phone and smuggled out of Manus Island as thousands of PDF files, then translated from Persian to English. Written in prose and poetry, it chronicles Boochani’s boat journey from Indonesia to Christmas Island in 2013, and his subsequent detainment on Manus Island. He describes the lives and deaths of other detainees, daily routines and other incidents while reflecting on the system that imprisons them. TONY HARRINGTON THIS true story is a literary masterpiece by this young Kurdish journalist and poet driven to seek refuge from persecution and possible death in his homeland.

His dangerous sea journey ended with being incarcerated on remote Manus Island. His time there is a bitter tale of loneliness, mental suffering and despair. He defied Australian authorities by secretly reporting the horrors of internment on this remote island and revealed to the Australian public what the government was doing to detainees.

He writes of mental torture and dehumanisation caused by being deprived of hope. It shines a glaring light on politicians seeking votes from a largely xenophobic public.

This is an incredibly moving and professionally written account. There must be a better way to deal with and process refugees. Excellent work. 9/10

JOHN KLEINSCHMIDT QUITE apart from the extraordinary circumstances of its writing, this book provides a comprehensive account of the author’s experiences as a boat refugee. Desperation, brutality and suffering observed or felt by the author is mostly believable, but not all. The author ascribes all adverse happenings at Manus to “Kyriarchy” a theoretical governance system designed for domination, oppression and submission which is highly unlikely, and in my opinion, less than objective. Various critics describe this account of Manus Prison (author’s term) as told with the wisdom of a philosopher, the resilience of a survivor and master storyteller. Certainly not my opinion.

I read a repetitive and often confusing story that gave me little satisfaction. Would not recommend to anyone. JO BOURKE THIS book is probably the most disturbing and haunting sharing of personal experiences I have ever read! I have vague recollections of media coverage of the book being written via text messages smuggled out by mobile phone. I was expecting to read how on earth it happened, how he had phone access, how long it took to get his story to his translator. Instead, it is a confronting mix of poetry, philosophy and graphic accounts of brutality and interaction between human beings deprived of the basic necessities of life.

As if the boat trip wasn’t terrifying enough, the transfer to the old naval base in PNG removed any shred of hope of being settled in Australia. As an Australian I am ashamed of the living conditions and food shortages for 1500 men in a prison meant for 500.

Reading this book urges me to put myself in the refugee’s place whose only crime was the need to leave a dangerous war-torn country. Behrouz is now living in New Zealand but the scars of his experiences will be with him for life. I hope this book might become required reading in schools.

THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE

880 Brunswick St, New Farm

ph: 0484 753 504 email: newfarm@indiebookstores.com.au www.indiebookstores.com.au

Security, Independence & Peace of Mind

Providing privacy & independence with the security of proximity to family. Glendale Granny Cabins provide comfortable, self contained accommodation for elderly relatives on the same site as the family home.

GRANNY CABIN DISPLAY NOW OPEN

• One Bedroom Cabins and Studios • Two Bedroom Cottages • Undisputed industry leader • Over 5600 satisfi ed Glendale owners • 6½ year structural warranty • Over 38 years experience