Consequence

A Memoir

By: Eric Fair

Narrated by: Eric Fair

Named one of "8 Books You Need to Read" by Vulture

A man questions everything—his faith, his morality, his country—as he recounts his experience as an interrogator in Iraq; an unprecedented memoir and "an act of incredible bravery" (Phil Klay, author of Redeployment).

In 2004, after several months as an interrogator, Eric Fair’s call to serve his country has led him to a dark and frightening place. By the time he leaves Iraq after that first deployment, Fair will have participated in or witnessed a variety of aggressive interrogation techniques including sleep deprivation, stress positions, diet manipulation, exposure, and isolation. Years later, with his health and marriage crumbling, haunted by the role he played in what we now know as “enhanced interrogation,” it is Fair’s desire to speak out that becomes a key to his survival. Spare and haunting, Eric Fair’s memoir urgently questions the very depths of who he, and we as a country, have become.

©2016 Eric Fair (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"'Harrowing' may be an overused descriptor for war memoirs, but in fairness, the author earns it. - AudioFile

"Fair is unflinching in his narration and his prose: his voice is strong, forthright, and sometimes full of rage." - PublishersWeekly.com

Excellent and troubling

This is a phenomenal human story although the writing tended to be a bit staccato. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in what occurred in Iraq and how torture affects not simply the person who was tortured but also the person who inflicted the torture on another human being. All in all this was an excellent story and I'm thankful that I listened to it.

Honest and Courageous

Fair is bitingly honest and serious about dismissing self-delusion. I wish I could say the same about our leaders.

Intriguing

Eric Fair did a great job reading this book. This book has a great pace. I found it engaging. I feel now that I have a greater and deeper understanding of the war in Iraq and the men and women that come backs with PTSD.

Rehabilitation for the soul

I hope this story has a more profound effect on our recovery from the darkest part of our history since WWII. Ironic how his most productive interrogation session was earned with Coca Cola and birthday cake and not from the Palestinian chair.

A book that brings great sadness

Any additional comments?

It is sad that someone so bound up in religion could find themselves failing to stand up for those that were so clearly abused. It also shines a light on a particularly nasty part of America; that our lofty claims and aspirations to take the moral high ground are a cover for actions that make us despised by all those whose freedoms we have trampled, discarded, or destroyed.

Self indulgent without resolution.

What did Eric learn? That’s what you’re left with. Self indulgent writing that never gets to the root of the authors problem. He’s religious without really understanding faith. He’s dismissive of his wife’s incredible devotion. He fails to understand that the sooner he starts focusing on others and service the sooner he’ll find redemption.

I was left with the hope that he someday understands this, finds someone who explains what grace without works really means and that he finds peace in his soul. Saul of Tarsus sent Christian’s to their death and became the greatest apologist for the Christian faith in history. Eric’s church apparently failed to teach him about that mystery. Until he learns that he will remain as confused as his Jewish rabbi friend about what salvation really is.

Listen to this. It’s worth hearing how narcissistic tendencies can damage the soul. Eric if you read this, I’m an Iraq vet. I truly wish you and your family well and a lifetime of peace and restful sleep. Truly.

An honest and frank discussion

What does Eric Fair bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really liked that Eric Fair read his own story. I think it worked well with his writing style, and this was a story I definitely wanted to hear in his own voice. I'm not sure simply reading the book would have had the same impact.

Any additional comments?

Eric Fair wrote an Op-ed piece in the New York Times a little over a year ago, the day the Senate released its torture report. At the end of the piece he says "Most Americans haven't read the report. Most never will. But it stands as a permanent reminder of the country we once were." He says in the future students will be assigned portions of the Senate torture report, and "[t]he students will come to know that this country isn't always something to be proud of."

I think this memoir serves as a very similar reminder. Fair does not feign innocence in this book. He is by his own admission a torturer, having served as a contract interrogator at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq during the same time the photographs were taken showing abuse of the detainees. He is frank and honest about the things he had knowledge of and the things that he participated in. What I found so important about this book, was that Fair could have easily let himself off the hook. He did not take part in interrogation at the "hard site" in Abu Ghraib, he did not take part in the photographed abuse, he never participated in water boarding. Everything he did was legal. But to Fair there is no distinction, the terms "enhanced interrogation" and "approved techniques" are just other words for torture.

Fair does not try to justify his actions or debate the effectiveness of the techniques. Instead this is a story of a man trying to come to terms with his actions. To accept that he may not believe he is worthy of forgiveness, and figure out how to move forward in his life. Fair's honest portrayal of events is an important read as we as a country must evaluate our actions. At a time when a presidential candidate advocates for water boarding, as a country we must evaluate what we are willing to justify during times of war. Neither Fair nor anyone from CACI were ever prosecuted. They "tortured people in the right way". This book forces the reader to acknowledge the abuse that occurred and ask if these consequences are we are willing to accept in the name of national security?

searing and unsparing

Eric Fair writes with a gravitas and deep understanding of a Christian ethos that sets him apart from other recent memoirists who seem to equate hard work with existential success. Fair will not look away from human frailty and our innate capacity for cruelty which drives us to seek a Gif we need, but cannot understand.

A choice....

There is always a price to be paid for every choice. This is a sober examination of one person's experience of the horror of war... with the corruption of soul that can infect even the most innocent or apparently intelligent or well intentioned person.

Honest, Human Account of Iraq and Torture

This book is read by the author, which is my favorite thing when finding a non-fiction audiobook — especially a memoir. Eric does take a little while to get to what everyone wants to hear, but the journey comes full circle. The growing up and previous experience before the war becomes an integral part of his experience. This is an excellent listen/read for those interested the Iraq War from a veteran’s perspective, torture and its effect on the torturer. This was a perspective I didn’t know I wanted. It was a listen I won’t soon forget and I’d like the thank Eric for telling it as he did. Honestly and with no happy ending.