Consequence: A Memoir

In this fierce memoir, Fair recounts his career in the Army and the police force, as well as his experiences working as an interrogator for a private contractor in Iraq in 2004. There he participated in “enhanced interrogation” techniques in Fallujah and Abu Ghraib, and he was present during the torture, beatings, and sleep deprivation of Iraqi prisoners. He committed some of these same acts, but his conscience began to gnaw at him. Some colleagues tortured enthusiastically; others shared his discomfort. Fair is unflinching in his narration and his prose: his voice is strong, forthright, and sometimes full of rage. It is clear that he harbors deep regret about what he did in Iraq, but the emotion that comes through most clearly throughout the vocal performance is anger. He is angry with CACI (the private contractor that hired him) for its incompetence and the glib lies it told new recruits. He is angry with God, whose presence was often invoked in war but almost never experienced. And most of all, he is furious with himself, not only for participating in torture but for not quitting when he had the chance. Those listening to this stirring performance will likely have more compassion for Fair than he seems to extend to himself. [em]A Holt hardcover.(Apr.) [/em]