The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: Notes from a Conscientious Objector

by Aidan Delgado

Book Overview

A young man's transformation from Army Reserve volunteer to Buddhist conscientious objector and critic of the war in Iraq The Sutras of Abu Ghraib is the story of a soldier who refused to succumb to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807072702
• ISBN13: 9780807072707
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Beacon Press (MA)
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

touching and troubling

Couldn't put this book down. Delgado tells a touching and troubling story: I was touched by how openly he spoke about his fears and feelings. I was troubled by the reality in Iraq that he revealed. Delgado was relatively fair and honest in portraying his superiors and peers and situation in the Army--it is not easy to talk about such an important moment in your life with objectivity. It shows a great amount of maturity in such a young author. If you are for or against the war, Buddhist or not---this is a book about the moments in your life that change who you are forever. Delgado's was a beautiful and painful transformation from a confused, naive college student to a Buddhist, veteran and activist. Everyone should read this book.

Vivid

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib is a vivid description of a soldier's life in Iraq, and also of the life that led him to war and brought him back as a conscientious objector. An American Buddhist serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, Delgado stuck out among his fellow soldiers as well as among Iraqis, and his book highlights the difficulty of a lonely, disassociated soldier trying to disentangle himself from what became for him an intolerably immoral war. Even if often ridiculed for his Buddhist principles, made to feel embarrassed about his application for conscientious objector, and even called a "terrorist sympathizer", Delgado describes how some soldiers - even the ones he least expected - were honestly understanding and even sympathetic, and this was the real love and brotherhood he found in the Army. Ranging from hilarious accounts of the absurdities of life to gloomy and disheartening stories of the real face of war, The Sutras of Abu Ghraib flies the reader from sandy deserts in southern Iraq, to sunny beaches in Florida, back through the dark bowels of Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, and into the heart and soul of a naïve soldier turned peace activist. A must read for anyone interested in the realities of the war in Iraq and in the hopeful possibility for personal growth and triumph in face of the worst challenges of life.

Powerful writing

This well-written book will hold your attention from beginning to end. A true story that reads like a novel with a range of "characters" that you care about - or strongly dislike. Mr. Delgado helps one to understand the situations and attitudes that make the abuse that took place at Abu Gharib (and other places) possible. He can feel proud that he took a stand to live up to his principles.

Notes from an open heart...

I found Aidan Delgado's willingness to share both his evolving convictions as well as his weakness and doubts throughout the Iraq experience to be deeply touching. His transparent honesty is unexpected and moving. This sifting, without pretense, of the humanity out of the horror of Abu Ghraib gives us all a glimpse of our own potential...either way.

If you've heard of the Iraq war, you should read this book

However, this book is not really about the Iraq war, although you will read one person's very personal account of his year in Iraq. The story is also not about the now infamous atrocities at Abu Graib, although you will read first hand accounts about lesser known atrocities at Abu Graib. The story is also not fully about one man's growing commitment to Buddhism, which leads him eventually to apply for Conscientious Objector status. For me, Aidan Delgado's story is about the struggle to remain a moral,ethical person no matter what the circumstances. And in the Army, deployed to Iraq, the obstacles come not only from within, but from numerous forces outside. Is it worth standing up for an unarmed Iraqi civilian against your buddy holding a gun to his head? How do you hold your head high when everyone is pushing it down? Aidan does a great job describing the potential for atrocities within each one of us, building over time, starting with seemingly innocuous boredom which leads to hunting helpless animals (one of the first upsetting stories in the book, a precursor of things to come) to the mob mentality, to the dehumanization of "the enemy". But my personal favorites scenes are the flashbacks to his childhood as the son of a diplomat, meeting monks in Thailand, fishing in Senegal, growing up in Cairo, that molded the person he is becoming in this story. As a reader of this book, I was met with disdain from some people, who felt little sympathy for the author. ("He signed up for the military, let him fight the war"). Well, he does, never once trying to get out of his deployment, and he does an excellent job describing his inner conflicts and acceptance of his chosen faith. It is unlikely my review will reach naysayer's, but they are the ones who should read this book most of all.