Consequence: A Memoir

In this harrowing memoir, Fair, an interrogator at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, expands on his 2007 Washington Post editorial, in which he countered the claim that detainee abuse was a rare, isolated phenomenon. Fair, U.S. Army veteran trained as an Arab linguist, yearned to rejoin the armed forces after the 9/11 terrorist attacks but was derailed by a severe heart condition. Fortunately, private contractors were not as picky, so with no physical exam he was hired at $120,000 per year and sent to Abu Ghraib. Fair details the way he conducted interrogations, emphasizing that he followed accepted procedures approved by superiors. Official guidelines do not mention torture but interrogators, mostly untrained, were urged to "get things done." Fair observed prisoners being left naked in freezing rooms, beaten, and tied in excruciating positions. He committed some of the same acts, but his conscience began to gnaw at him. Some colleagues tortured enthusiastically; others shared his discomfort. Fair began having nightmares and drinking heavily. He came home, but his drinking, nightmares, and erratic behavior worsened. His heart failed, requiring a transplant, but he gradually pulled himself together through the help of his wife and his faith. Fair is a gifted writer, and his capacity for self-examination makes this work both deeply insightful and moving. (Apr.)