Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo
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- Create Date：2021-09-09 11:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mansoor Adayfi
- ISBN：1549159437
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Summary
The moving， eye-opening memoir of an innocent man detained at Guant�namo Bay for 14 years: a story of humanity in the unlikeliest of places and an unprecedented look at life at Guant�namo on the eve of its 20th anniversaryAt the age of 18， Mansoor Adayfi left his home in Yemen for a cultural mission to Afghanistan。 He never returned。 Kidnapped by warlords and then sold to the US after 9/11， he was disappeared to Guant�namo Bay， where he spent the next 14 years as Detainee #441。Don't Forget Us Here tells two coming-of-age stories in parallel: a makeshift island outpost becoming the world's most notorious prison and an innocent young man emerging from its darkness。 Arriving as a stubborn teenager， Mansoor survived the camp's infamous interrogation program and became a feared and hardened resistance fighter leading prison riots and hunger strikes。 With time though， he grew into the man nicknamed "Smiley Troublemaker" a student， writer， advocate， and historian。 While at Guant�namo， he wrote a series of manuscripts he sent as letters to his attorneys， which he then transformed into this vital chronicle， in collaboration with award-winning writer Antonio Aiello。 With unexpected warmth and empathy， Mansoor unwinds a narrative of fighting for hope and survival in unimaginable circumstances， illuminating the limitlessness of the human spirit。 And through his own story， he also tells Guant�namo's story， offering an unprecedented window into one of the most secretive places on earth and the people--detainees and guards alike--who lived there with him。Twenty years after 9/11， Guant�namo remains open， and at a moment of due reckoning， Mansoor Adayfi helps us understand what actually happened there--both the horror and the beauty--a stunning record of an experience we cannot afford to forget。
Reviews
Umar Lee
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A powerful and infuriating book told from the vantage point of Mansoor Adayfi who is a Yemeni national imprisoned by the US for years at Guantanamo Bay。 While there are some holes in this story， and it drifts at times， the final half of the book is extremely powerful。 Every American should be ashamed GITMO was opened by the George W。 Bush administration， pathetically kept open with half-assed measures from the Barack Obama Administration， and then served to Donald Trump as a coronation gift。 The A powerful and infuriating book told from the vantage point of Mansoor Adayfi who is a Yemeni national imprisoned by the US for years at Guantanamo Bay。 While there are some holes in this story， and it drifts at times， the final half of the book is extremely powerful。 Every American should be ashamed GITMO was opened by the George W。 Bush administration， pathetically kept open with half-assed measures from the Barack Obama Administration， and then served to Donald Trump as a coronation gift。 The fact that there haven't been widespread prosecutions of GITMO staff， and some have even used their time there as a major CV booster， illustrates just how far America fell into a moral abyss after 9-11。 The sheer stupidity and immorality of the military and DOJ personnel described in this book is an indictment on the American family， educational system， and religious institutions。 。。。more
Murtaza
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Guantanamo Bay prison camp is still open today， a fact that is shocking after reading this account of the unfathomable cruelty and torture that has taken place since it opened at the start of the War on Terror。 Mansoor Adayfi was taken to Guantanamo as a young man and spent all his twenties and much of his thirties there。 This book is his memoir of that period， and is one of the most haunting I have ever read。 The cruelties that Adayfi suffered daily for years were barely fathomable。 The only th Guantanamo Bay prison camp is still open today， a fact that is shocking after reading this account of the unfathomable cruelty and torture that has taken place since it opened at the start of the War on Terror。 Mansoor Adayfi was taken to Guantanamo as a young man and spent all his twenties and much of his thirties there。 This book is his memoir of that period， and is one of the most haunting I have ever read。 The cruelties that Adayfi suffered daily for years were barely fathomable。 The only thing that pulled him through it， by his own account， was the incredible brotherhood that developed between himself and other inmates of the camp， as well as his indefatigable faith in God and his will。 This is not intended to be a religious book by any means， let alone a book of proselytizing。 Yet for me the most powerful lesson that I took from it was about the power of faith。 This is a much darker book than Guantanamo Diary， in part because Adayfi was listed as a "non-compliant" prisoner and subjected to the absolute worst that Guantanamo had to offer。 In between the endless accounts of torture and brutality， there periodically exist kind guards， lawyers who develop genuine friendships with their clients， and periods of beautiful friendship between the prisoners themselves。 But the fear of being treated as less than a human never truly goes away when you are in the custody of those who have been instructed to hate and fear you。 Adayfi is free today but what happened to him in Guantanamo Bay is in many ways a life sentence， both physically and psychologically。 Reading his account of his time there， it is not hard to see why。 Any full account of this period in U。S。 history would be incomplete without grappling with what is retold in this painful memoir。 。。。more
Cynthia
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When Mansoor Adayfi was eighteen， he went to Afghanistan， believing he would return to his home country of Yemen in due time。 That never happened。 He was， instead， kidnapped by warlords and sold to the US - the lead up to a drawn out case of mistaken identity。 He spent the next 14 years as a detainee at Guantanamo Bay。 Mansoor was an innocent man， but he was not given a chance to defend his innocence properly until the very end of his time at Guantanamo。 Even then， his story did not unfold into When Mansoor Adayfi was eighteen， he went to Afghanistan， believing he would return to his home country of Yemen in due time。 That never happened。 He was， instead， kidnapped by warlords and sold to the US - the lead up to a drawn out case of mistaken identity。 He spent the next 14 years as a detainee at Guantanamo Bay。 Mansoor was an innocent man， but he was not given a chance to defend his innocence properly until the very end of his time at Guantanamo。 Even then， his story did not unfold into something happier but， as he states in this， that’s another tale to tell。 I hope he will give readers a second book。 Mansoor Adayfi endured a number of physical and emotional traumas， which he details in his story， yet he somehow managed to communicate it all in a way that helps readers understand without completely overwhelming them。 It’s the tone of the book that makes a world of difference。 It is dark， yet full of hope。The things that really stood out in this memoir were Mansoor’s sense-of-humor， strength in advocating for better treatment， insight， maintained faith and clear attempts （especially as he matured） to not let this experience lead to bitterness。 Few people could have come out of this with such a gracious attitude。 He’s honest， but he never comes across as hateful。 He acknowledges the bad， but also makes note of those who were good to him。 Unsurprisingly， he did not walk away unscathed， as PTSD resulted from the trauma， and his ability to tell his story with such tact was impressive。 Don’t Forget Us Here is a powerful true story that highlights the horrors of mistreatment and injustice。 It offers a critical perspective from a wrongfully detained man。 I’m thankful Mansoor Adayfi was finally able to tell his story。 。。。more
Noor Bint Firoz
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What can I say。 This book blew me away。 It left me sleepless at night。 It left my mind numb during the day。 This is a book every person should read。 It describes in vivid detail the horrors that occurred at Guantanamo Bay。 And the sad reality that over 80% of gitmo's inmates were innocent people "sold" to the US for bounty money。 It shows the sad reality of a prison who's inmates were not protected by any law。 It shows the years of these men that were wasted away behind those walls。 It also show What can I say。 This book blew me away。 It left me sleepless at night。 It left my mind numb during the day。 This is a book every person should read。 It describes in vivid detail the horrors that occurred at Guantanamo Bay。 And the sad reality that over 80% of gitmo's inmates were innocent people "sold" to the US for bounty money。 It shows the sad reality of a prison who's inmates were not protected by any law。 It shows the years of these men that were wasted away behind those walls。 It also shows the resilience of the human mind and heart。 And most of all， it shows that utmost belief in Almighty God （Allah） is the best （and often only） power that saved these men from going insane。 This books shows the reality behind nations who call themselves "democratic"。 It is a stain on democratic society and a shame on America for what it did to these men。 Keep the remaining 39 inmates in your duas （prayers）。 Book is also available in an audiobook！ 。。。more
Meli
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NYT Book Review: He Spent 14 Years at Guantánamo。 This is His Story。 NYT Book Review: He Spent 14 Years at Guantánamo。 This is His Story。 。。。more
Leslie
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a book that had to be written， a book that has to be read
Briayna Cuffie
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I have so many， but also no words。 Such a personal lens about an experience that has lacked humanity from the U。S。 Well teased out， the right amount of detail， and well-paced。
Holly
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Wow！ Guantanamo in its early days。 A shocking and sorrowful on one of America's worst chapters Wow！ Guantanamo in its early days。 A shocking and sorrowful on one of America's worst chapters 。。。more
Lani
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This was a powerful， difficult， heartbreaking book。 While I thought I was familiar with the situation at Guantanamo， I clearly had no idea what really was going on and I'm sure I'm not alone in that statement。 This is such an important read for everyone。 At age 19， Mansoor Adayfi was sold to the CIA by warlords after 9/11 and taken to Guantanamo Bay where he became known as Detainee 441。 Suspected of being an Egyptian general named "Adel，" Adayfi was interrogated and tortured and though there wa This was a powerful， difficult， heartbreaking book。 While I thought I was familiar with the situation at Guantanamo， I clearly had no idea what really was going on and I'm sure I'm not alone in that statement。 This is such an important read for everyone。 At age 19， Mansoor Adayfi was sold to the CIA by warlords after 9/11 and taken to Guantanamo Bay where he became known as Detainee 441。 Suspected of being an Egyptian general named "Adel，" Adayfi was interrogated and tortured and though there was never official evidence of any wrongdoing， he was kept at Guantanamo Bay for nearly 15 years， much of which was spent in solitary confinement。 This is his story of Guantanamo。Adayfi takes the reader through all of his emotions during this time: his resistance， his confusion， his fear， and his relationships with the other detainees and guards。 I had to take frequent breaks from this book as it weighed so heavily on my heart。 But ultimately， I'm so glad I was able to read Adayfi's story。Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Justin Young
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I am at a loss for words to begin to describe what Mansoor Adayfi has recorded and detailed what humans are capable of。 I will have to return to this at a later date。Thank you Mansoor for your courage。
Geraldine （geraldinereads）
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This moving， eye-opening memoir of an innocent man detained at Guantánamo Bay for fifteen years tells a story of humanity in the unlikeliest of places and an unprecedented look at life at Guantánamo。At the age of 18， Mansoor Adayfi left his home in Yemen for a cultural mission to Afghanistan。 He never returned。 Kidnapped by warlords and then sold to the US after 9/11， he was disappeared to Guantánamo Bay， where he spent the next 14 years as Detainee #441。Wow！ This is definitely one of the most h This moving， eye-opening memoir of an innocent man detained at Guantánamo Bay for fifteen years tells a story of humanity in the unlikeliest of places and an unprecedented look at life at Guantánamo。At the age of 18， Mansoor Adayfi left his home in Yemen for a cultural mission to Afghanistan。 He never returned。 Kidnapped by warlords and then sold to the US after 9/11， he was disappeared to Guantánamo Bay， where he spent the next 14 years as Detainee #441。Wow！ This is definitely one of the most heart wrenching memoirs I've ever read。 This book will make you feel all the emotions and most of the time it is very hard to get through， because there are a lot of very graphic scenes。 If you have any triggers in general， you might want to stay away from this one as it's filled with horrifying scenes that are extremely graphic。 But at the same time， I couldn't stop reading this book because I was so captivated by Mansoor's story。 His story also had small moments of hope， laughs， and happiness even though they were unfortunately cut short 😭I honestly can't stop thinking about this book， and Mansoor's story will stay with me for a long time。 I really hope he comes out with a sequel soon as I would love to read about his life after Guantanamo。 I love memoir so if you love memoirs too， I highly recommend reading this one！ It's a 5/5 star read for sure and a MUST read！Thank you Hachette Books for the review copy！ 。。。more
Dipika
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Imagine a world where you eat， sleep， pee and even shit on command。 Imagine the punishment to not obeying this， is solitary confinement， forced feeding， electric shocks， sleep deprivation and irreversible mental and physical damage。 Now multiply this with 14 long years， every waking second of your life。 There are some truths that need to be told。 Books that must be read， aloud， repeatedly， for the world to hear。 ‘Don’t Forget Us Here’ by @mansoor441_adayfi is that definitive book。 The book relea Imagine a world where you eat， sleep， pee and even shit on command。 Imagine the punishment to not obeying this， is solitary confinement， forced feeding， electric shocks， sleep deprivation and irreversible mental and physical damage。 Now multiply this with 14 long years， every waking second of your life。 There are some truths that need to be told。 Books that must be read， aloud， repeatedly， for the world to hear。 ‘Don’t Forget Us Here’ by @mansoor441_adayfi is that definitive book。 The book releases today。 In the wake of the chaos in Afghanistan， the big question being asked， is who is the real villain？ Is the United States the conflicted military prosecutor with a heart of gold？ Or does the truth lie in its direct confrontation with the ideology that underpinned it all？ Either way， war and conflict， have causalities and consequences。 And worse， collateral damage。 Don’t Forget Us Here， is a story set in a burning living hell on earth built largely， to cover， just that。 At the age of 18， Mansoor Adayfi left his home in Yemen for a cultural mission to Afghanistan。 He never returned。 Kidnapped by warlords and then sold to the US after 9/11， he woke at Guantánamo Bay， where he spent the next 14 years as Detainee #441。 The book， painful， graphic and brutal is the testimony of an ordinary man， trapped in an extraordinary situation。 And despite the pain， trauma， torture and sleep deprivation， Mansoor Adayfi， not so fondly called， "Smiley Troublemaker" by the regime， proves that the triumph of the human spirit outlasts all evil。 Thank you @mansoor441_adayfi ， @netgalley & @hachettebooks for the Digital ARC。 。。。more
Nicole Sampaio
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heartbreaking story… MUST read！！！！！
Amanda Hupe
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Thank you， Mansoor Adayfi and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book。 It releases August 18th， 2021。“Imagine if American boys， eighteen years old or even younger， had spent five， ten， twenty years in a foreign prison without being charged with a crime， where they are tortured， punished for practicing their religion， experimented on， and forced to live in solitary confinement。 This is Guantanamo。”DON’T FORGET US HEREDon’t Forget Us Here by Mansoor Adayfi is a memoir like no other。 I Thank you， Mansoor Adayfi and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this book。 It releases August 18th， 2021。“Imagine if American boys， eighteen years old or even younger， had spent five， ten， twenty years in a foreign prison without being charged with a crime， where they are tortured， punished for practicing their religion， experimented on， and forced to live in solitary confinement。 This is Guantanamo。”DON’T FORGET US HEREDon’t Forget Us Here by Mansoor Adayfi is a memoir like no other。 I will never forget September 11th， 2001 even though I was only 13 at the time。 It wasn’t only the Americans who think back on that day in horror。 Mansoor Adayfi was only eighteen when he was traveling to Afganistan from Yemen when he was kidnapped and sold to the United States。 He was sent to Guantanamo Prison and became detainee #441。 There he experienced torture and injustice at the hands of the United States government and military， even though he was innocent。“Obama made life better at Guantanamo instead of closing it。 We all knew this， but we didn’t know what this meant for our freedom。”DON’T FORGET US HEREIt is true， our government wanted justice。 They were consumed with finding the man behind the attacks and all those who helped him。 But it came at a cost， the freedom and lives of those who were innocent。 Because they technically weren’t Americans， they never received lawyers or a trial–which is a huge part of America。 We claim liberty and justice for all。 But it has never been for all， only for some。Mansoor was never a fighter or associated with Osama Bin Laden。 But he went from a young farm boy to an assumed criminal in an instant because he was Muslim。 He lays out the torture he endured and also the hunger strikes for better conditions。 There is so much emotion as he discusses how much he misses his family and the grief he feels for the loss of his future。 It is also inspiring how he and other detainees bonded together。Memoirs like this are important because this way we don’t forget and we can learn not to repeat our mistakes。 There is no such thing as a perfect justice system but we must do better。 I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Sarah
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An absolutely striking and unforgettable account of years spent imprisoned for no reason。 What shines through is Mansoor’s attempt to find beauty， humor， and shared humanity in a place that was built to strip away all sense of self。 I felt both his anger and his joy on the page and was brought to tears by his stories of reaching out to fellow humans whenever possible。
Laura Snell
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Mansoor， unlawfully detained at Guantanamo Bay for 15 years tells about his experience and the experiences of his brothers who suffered along side him This book was hard to digest and process。 Often leaving me gutted at what humans are capable of。 Leaving me wondering how people could possibly be conditioned to be so cold and callous to other humans I frequently had to put this book down because of how horrific things were This isn’t fiction。 This is reality。 And everyone should read it because Mansoor， unlawfully detained at Guantanamo Bay for 15 years tells about his experience and the experiences of his brothers who suffered along side him This book was hard to digest and process。 Often leaving me gutted at what humans are capable of。 Leaving me wondering how people could possibly be conditioned to be so cold and callous to other humans I frequently had to put this book down because of how horrific things were This isn’t fiction。 This is reality。 And everyone should read it because being ignorant about what has and continues to happen just makes you part of the problemMansoor， the US took 15 years from you。 Not only that it gave you only one option upon release， to go to Serbia， further imprisoning you。 The world owes you more， you deserve better Please don’t stop writing Your life is valuable and your story should be heard This is one of those things that will sit with me for years 。。。more
Danielle M
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Mansoor was 18 yo when he left Yemen to go on a short investigative expedition to Afghanistan on behalf of a writer who held the reference he needed to attend college in UAE。 It was 2001。Mansoor was kidnapped by warlords and sold to the US as a high up leader and recruiter of Al Qaeda。 A 40 yo Egyptian general， who looks nothing like 18 yo Mansoor。 And how can you convince agents that are looking to extract info from you when they believe you are lying as a trained agent？ You can't。 Because when Mansoor was 18 yo when he left Yemen to go on a short investigative expedition to Afghanistan on behalf of a writer who held the reference he needed to attend college in UAE。 It was 2001。Mansoor was kidnapped by warlords and sold to the US as a high up leader and recruiter of Al Qaeda。 A 40 yo Egyptian general， who looks nothing like 18 yo Mansoor。 And how can you convince agents that are looking to extract info from you when they believe you are lying as a trained agent？ You can't。 Because when you still don't confess after months and years of torture， they "reason" that it must be because of superior training in counter interrogation which makes them ramp up their counter-counter interrogation。Mansoor spends over 14 years in Guantanamo in the most degrading， dehumanizing unending cycles of pain， torture， and abuse。 It's not really living。 It's forced slow death at the hands of sadists。 Having recently read My Time Will Come， I knew how hard of a read this would be。 But there were new depths of despair I didn't think possible。 Mansoor is known throughout Guantanamo as Smiley Troublemaker。 And he fights back with the only thing prisoners can， by protesting with their body。 This book is very rough to read， but it is extremely worth it。 What do we give up when we refuse to see the humanity in others？ What do we give up when we insist that the only way to freedom or justice is by any means necessary？ 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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