Recommended Media «
Books
The Blindfold’s Eyes: My Journey from Torture to Truth, Dianna Ortiz, 2002: Ortiz writes about the torture she experienced while working as a nun in Guatemala, and the emotions she encountered as she rebuilt her shattered life.
Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, 2000: A beautiful book that features the compelling testimonies of international human rights defenders. SURVIVORS receives half of the proceeds if you order the book on our site.
Truth, Torture, and the American Way: The History and Consequences of U.S. Involvement in Torture, Jennifer Harbury, 2005: Harbury explores American involvement in torture and compares government-sponsored activities around the world.
Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People, John Conroy, 2001: An investigation of torture in the Western world, the rationalizations societies adopt to justify torture, and means by which ordinary people can become torturers.
Oath Betrayed, Dr. Steven Miles, 2006: Dr. Miles presents his evidence of physicians’ participation in modern American torture.
Searching for Everardo: A Story of Love, War and the CIA in Guatemala, Jennifer K. Harbury, 1997: A heartbreaking memoir of Jennifer K. Harbury’s search for her husbands body after he has tortured and killed by the Guatemalan army.
American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, Mark Dow, 2004: Prisoners, jailers, and federal officials describe the reality inside prisons run by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
American Torture, Michael Otterman, 2007: This book takes a detailed look at the history of torture in American policy.
Writing Out of The Darkness: An Anthology of Poetry by Refugees in Transition: The authors of the poems are the Owl & Panther writing group. Owl and Panther is a collection of refugee children who write about their lives in their home countries and here in the U.S.
Films
Chasing Freedom, 2004: About a lawyer (Juliette Lewis) who takes on the pro bono asylum case of a woman (Layla Alizada) who is seeking safety in the United States after fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Available at Amazon.
Well-Founded Fear, 2000: A documentary that examines the American political asylum system. The film was featured at the Sundance Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. Available from the Epidavros Project.
The Torture Question, 2005: A captivating documentary by PBS Frontline about American interrogation policies in the post 9/11 political landscape. Available from PBS.
Taxi to the Dark Side, 2007: This academy award winning documentary examines the Bush administration’s use of torture when dealing with political prisoners, with a particular focus on those captured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rotten Tomatoes Review.
Ghost of Abu Ghraib, 2007: A documentary by Rory Kennedy which investigates the psychological and political context in which torture can thrive. Ghost of Abu Ghraib: A Campaign to Stop Torture
The Visitor, 2008: An award winning film takes a poignant look at how current immigration policy affected real individuals lives. The official movie site.
God Grew Tired of Us, 2006: Winner at the 2006 Sundance Festival this film follows the journey of three “Lost Boys” as they journey from Sudan to America. The official movie site.
