Play Book Tag discussion

CONSEQUENCE: A Memoir
Eric Fair
4 stars
240 pages

I am very glad that I read this book. I know very little about what actually happened in Iraq. I know a little bit from my ex-son-in-law who was stationed there. However, Eric Fair describes how a regular guy (very religious Presbyterian) ends up becoming an interrogator in Iraq at such places as Abu-Ghraib and Fallujah.

Eric is from Bethlehem and I must say I like books that take place in areas I know (I am from Philadelphia so Bethlehem and Princeton and even Annapolis are places that I know fairly well). I studied Human Services for an advanced degree and thought I understood PTSD, but Eric's book delves deeply into this situation, and my heart just bleeds for him. It also bleeds for innocents in Iraq (citizens) who were tortured and kept in prisons for no good reason.

Eric is not a bad person. He starts out wanting to become either a police officer or a pastor. He opts for police work, but at the time it was a popular choice and it was recommended to him that he join the Army for experience and then re-apply after he returns. He enters the linquistic program and becomes fluent in Arabic, but the government sends him somewhere where he does not use this skill for two years. He then becomes a contractor for CACI, which is so poorly managed that it is unbelievable.

It is important to note that there are interesting parallels to religion and forgiveness (of one's self) that led to some deep thinking on my part about the two.

I recommend this book for everyone. It is fascinating to read about exactly what happened in the Middle East, how the contractor services there were so mismanaged, how many citizens were unfairly treated, and how veterans and contractors alike suffer from the experiences they had in the Middle East. It was a real s**t show. The bulk of the book took place in the early to mid 2000's, when most of our country had no idea what was going on there or why.

Thank you for writing this, Eric Fair. Many sentences and even entire pages are redacted toward the end of the book, but you still get the gist of what happened. Special praise should be given to Karin, Eric's wife, who lived through the ordeal with him.

This one sounds very good . . .my TBR is really taking a hit this month with so many fascinating memoirs (which I love to begin with). I am interested in the first hand experiences in the Middle East . . .