Customer Reviews

Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As soon as I finished reading this book, I immediately headed to the nearest church, rent my clothes, fell on my face and repented. Col. (ret.) Larry C. James, Ph.D. is clearly the Second Coming of Christ.

Okay, no, not really. Even the briefest study of history or literature will teach you that in order to evaluate any written work, you must first evaluate the narrator. Who is telling the story and why? What point of view (first person, third person, limited or omniscient) does the narrator use to convey his/her story? What agenda does the author have in mind? How reliable is the narrator?

This book is narrated in a first-person voice by Col. James himself. Ostensibly, it is his story of how he cleaned up both GITMO and Abu Ghraib, stopped all prisoner abuses, and provided medical and psychological services to service members and prisoners at both locations, but I haven't read such a blatant piece of self-heroicizing since, well, James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces". As far as reliability, we soon figure out that the Morton company doesn't even make enough salt to take this guy with.

Col. James operates almost exclusively in black and white stereotypes, some of which I'm sure he doesn't even intend. For instance, he portrays all U.S. service members, officer and enlisted alike, as ignorant, potty-mouth, good-ole-boy rubes from Alabama. He tries to convince us he has nothing against gays and lesbians, but yet he portrays them in a ridiculously stereotyped manner (e.g., the fussy gay man worried about his nails while learning to fire a gun). His treatment of women has already been addressed by other reviewers.

And this is to say nothing of the typical stereotypes of Muslims as fanatic, irrational U.S. hating, incomprehensibly different beings from us red-blooded Americans. James never considers the possibility that many if not most of the prisoners he deals with are anything other than terrorists. In fact, however, the government's own documents have shown that most of the prisoners detained at both GITMO and Abu Ghraib were guilty mostly of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that at any given time, American authorities had little to no idea who they were actually imprisoning. And even among those who were actually guilty of what they were alleged to be guilty of, it never enters James' mind that the proper word would be "resisters" or even possibly "insurgents". I mean, if a foreign force invaded and occupied your country, what would you be? But no, it must be some irrational, culturally-based, mental disorder making all those crazy Muslims do what they do. Oh, and we're supposed to believe that juvenile sodomy is an accepted part of Muslim culture.

So on this note, there is no way that James could have implemented all the professional, culturally-sensitive reforms he claimed he did. Yet the whole book is about his heroic efforts to "save the sinking ship" at both GITMO and Abu Ghraib. In both cases, the abuses only happened because every other leader in charge was either completely incompetent, lazy, distant or burned out and, hence, young, inexperienced soldiers had no direction, so the very small handful of "bad apples" were able to act on their anti-social impulses with impunity.

Enter the heroic Col. Larry C. James, Ph.D. Alert and available "twenty-four seven", James was able to be all places at all times, and be all things to all people. Everywhere he went problems were corrected. An incorrigible prisoner suddenly started giving actionable intelligence just because James suggested that the interrogator give him a fish sandwich and a girlie magazine. Shell-shocked soldiers and officers immediately felt better after a chat with Dr. Larry. Recalcitrant senior officers suddenly saw the light when Col. James explained his incentive-based interrogation ideas, which, of course, none of them had ever thought about before. All abuses were suddenly stopped cold and GITMO and Abu Ghraib practically overnight became models of efficient, humane and effective detainment and interrogation facilities that pumped out reams of actionable intelligence. All this while James was personally named on al-Zarqawi's hit list. The man has nerves of steel.

The book is, of course, propaganda in the finest sense. The U.S. military has been forced to acknowledge at least a certain amount of abuse and torture (largely because their own documents made it impossible to deny). But the official bi-partisan party line is that mistakes were made early on because of lack of preparation, training and supervision, but as soon as the military became aware of such abuses, immediate steps were taken to correct them and there have been no further problems.

The only problem is, of course, that the data proving that party line wrong would fill Fort Knox. James plays the aggrieved victim of a campaign to smear him by a bunch of fellow psychologists who don't know what they're talking about and have no evidence to back themselves up. However, the Open Letter to which James refers was based in large part on a report by the Pentagon's own Office of the Inspector General. This report, among many other government reports and eye-witness accounts, documents everything James categorically denies. During his tenure at both GITMO and Abu Ghraib, reversed-engineered SERE tactics were used against prisoners and that psychologists and other behavioral staff participated in advising interrogators how to use techniques such as isolation; sleep, food and medical deprivation; stress positions, extreme temperatures and fear/phobias against the prisoners in order to create a dependency on the interrogator. I have neither the time, the space nor the inclination to go into all the evidence against James' claims to innocence, but I can recommend that you read Stephen Miles' "Oath Betrayed", among many other works documenting such abuses.

My final criticism of the book is that, ultimately, it doesn't say anything. It purports to be an account of how James implemented better, safer, and more humane policies and practices in GITMO and Abu Ghraib, but it doesn't actually say anything about such policies and practices. The book sounds like it was written by an Intro to Psych student, not a psychology Ph.D. All we get is a pithy lecture on leadership. A good leader is always present, especially when and where he's least expected. A good leader knows every corner of his command. A good leader is available "twenty-four seven" for his people. Blah, blah, blah. Anyone who's listened to one pop culture leadership seminar knows that much. Toward the end of the book James relays these "lessons" in a class he's teaching in Hawaii. This section was a hoot. James' adoring students (young psychology officers, coincidentally all female) are portrayed as sitting on the edge of their seats breathlessly asking just the right questions and waiting with baited breath for each pithy answer. Something tells me that the real class wasn't quite like the endless loop that James plays in his head for his own ego.

Despite all the above criticisms, however, I am giving the book one star more than I think it deserves overall. This is because of one actually honest, interesting and relevant section toward the end in which James explores, with admirable honesty, his own PTSD upon returning from Abu Ghraib and attempting to adjust back to life with his wife and granddaughter. While his behavior was not terribly admirable, his candor about it is. If a gung-ho, swaggering, all-out kind of guy like Col. James can admit to the traumatic effects of places like GITMO and Abu Ghraib upon the soldiers who live it, perhaps that alone might do more to alleviate the situation than any "leadership" lessons James has to offer.

As far as a rating level, this was a toughie, as I was reading through it, that bounced everywhere from low 2-star to low 4-star in my mind.

There's several things to like - beyond a psychologist who is also a career soldier putting the reader inside the military lingo and the "fog of war" mind - about this book.

On major thing is James' airing the question as to whether or not the "terrorist mindset" should be classified as a new category of mental illness. He uses Tim McVeigh as a reference, noting that, by all current classifications, McVeigh was "normal."

His describing his own PTSD symptoms, plus his "professional macho" refusal to get help for them at first, personalizes this book, as does his discussion of his history at Abu Ghraib with a class of young Army psychologists a few years later.

Finally, James rightfully defends himself, and Army psychologists in general, against SOME of the charges leveled against them.

BUT - this book also has many problems.

First, it is a matter of record that, as a profession, American psychologists, as opposed to psychiatrists, have never taken an unambiguous stand about being involved with torture in any way, via their relative professional associations. And James, in his self-defense conclusion, never discusses this.

What's Jeams' take on the American Psychological Association's refusal to follow the American Psychiatric Association with an unambiguous condemnation of the reverse engineering of SERE (corrected from original) and other "enhanced interrogation techniques"? (Finally, belatedly, some such condemnation was approved late last year) How does he square that with his "do no harm" mantra? Doesn't matter if it was CIA psychologists, not Army ones, that started SERE-reversed at Gitmo. To the degree it spread beyond the CIA, it became an issue for military psychologists. Acceptance of previous harmful tactics is unacceptable.

To that end, the 12-point statement of the psychology association James cites, beyond being a tardy response as compared to the psychiatrists' group, is about as bland and mushy as oatmeal.

Fact No. 2 is that, while the Red Cross report on Gitmo was basically focused on events from before James' arrival, we don't know everything he did while there. Improving how interrogations work, and not just reducing or eliminating harm to inmates - is that a proper role of a psychologist? And, beyond what he lists in the book, just what did he do?

Fact No. 3 is that James' stereotyping of the International Committee of the Red Cross as Birkenstock-wearing, America-hating hippies makes his book - rightfully or wrongfully - take on an extra degree of appearance as a PR screed.

Ditto for Abu Ghraib. Yes, he addressed problems there, but was he also, at the same time, a collaborator in some ways? Does he agree with BushCo distinctions as to who is, and who is not, protected by Genevas, and which specific conventions?

And, where were he and other Army psychologists BEFORE we hit the ground at both spots?

What about all the psychological problems we see reported today in Gitmo detainees? Where's Col. James' long-term care for Gitmo inmates who clearly have deep depressions? Obviously, AWOL. And, since James went back to Gitmo after Abu Ghraib, he surely deserves at least some responsibility for this, doesn't he?

And, the stylistic issues. For example, is it appropriate for a psychologist to call a female "really ugly"? Or psychologically sensitive? It's jarring for him to be sensitive to women soldiers being coerced to have sex on one page then make a comment like this on the next.

To be honest, I might have 3-starred it before the conclusion, but, as noted above, that conclusion was highly selective.

Beyond his notable and rightly commendable work to help troops in two hellholes, just how innocent was Col. Larry James? You'll have to read for yourself, and you m ay still have plenty of unanswered questions afterward.

Finally, someone who has actually been in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib is talking. This book addressed many of the controversial issues about the war today, namely psychologists and interrogations and the very uncomfortable topic regarding what happened in Abu Ghraib that led to those horrible pictures.

Dr. James doesn't provide the military party line about the current administration and he admits that mistakes were made. He provides information as to the evolution of improvements in the detention facilities, specifically regarding interrogations of terrorist suspects and changes to the leadership and routine at Abu Ghraib.

This first hand report was desperately needed. I didn't put this book down - it is no literary masterpiece but it is an incredible read all the same given the value of the information.

It would be hard to take this book seriously if it weren't for the fact that the author is now Dean of the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University. (One wonders what they were thinking.) Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the book, although lesbian-with-assault-rifle-between-her-legs runs a close second:

"Sex was a complicating factor in much of our work at Abu Graib. I came to know several single women at Abu Graib who got pregnant, received adverse legal action, and were sent home. Private Jeni Nelson was a short, fat, seriously ugly young lady. She looked as though she was crying all the time. Neverthless, she got a boyfriend, got pregnant, and was promptly sent home by her company commander. Did she do it on purpose to get out of Abu Graib? Probably, and I'm sure she wasn't the first."

For more examples of misogyny, see pp. 162-164, and for homophobia/lesbian stereotyping that reads like a bad letter to Penthouse magazine, see 153-156 and passim.

Lest I be charged with selectively quoting, let me state that this book is about James, not about the significant issues of torture and interrogation which it purports to analyze. It is a bloated, fantasy memoir that reads like Captain John Smith's adventures with Pocahontas or the Turkish princess.

Subjects like this deserve serious scholarly treatment. I am sympathetic to the psychological and ethical dilemmas of the interrogators, and indeed a family member with whom I am close was an interrogator in the army, though not at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo. To understand this most complex subject we do not need self-serving epics or the undermining of our troops by offering up misogynistic narratives. It's difficult to say James is homophobic as that word is typically used. He likes gay people, even the prancing queens who manage to learn how to shoot, because, by god, they are putting their lives on the line. He likes the lesbian she-males who, cigarette-smoking and gun-toting, make him feel safe, and maybe just a little aroused.

Amazon needs to hurry up and let prospective buyers search this book. See for yourself what bunk it is!

I bought this book from Dr. James at a reading he did at my school. His story is very powerful as he discusses his process of working within a broken system. The role of the psychologist in today's military is not always clear and Dr. James' story helps to illustrate the struggle one goes through when trying to define their role to oneself and to others.

Anyone considering joining the military as a psychologist should read this book. This book will not give you a clear cut answer on how to balance being both a soldier and psychologist but it may help you in your process of deciding for yourself how to balance the two roles.

It is well-documented from news sources that Colonel Larry James designed and led the BSCT programs inflicting torture on prisoners at Guantanamo. The majority of his fellow Psychologists and Psychiatrists were ashamed and shocked at this perversion of our professional duty, to improve the mental health of our clients and humankind. These programs are against international law. This book is a sensationalistic and hypocritical attempt to justify psychologists' participation in torture, under the guise of preventing harm from interrogations. The truth is that, unfortunately, Colonel James' programs have been documented to intentionally harm prisoners , who are held incommunicado without charges for months and years at a time. Even though torture has been proven ineffective in eliciting information form prisoners, it caues mental illness and stress, preys on psychological weaknesses. Colonel James' recommendations included sensory deprivation, sexual harassment, uncomfortable body positions, personal humiliation and insults, and potentially lethal assaults with dogs and water-boarding. I am disappointed that Professor Zimbardo recommended this book. What a low point for a formerly well-regarded psychological researcher.

Joseph (Dallas, TX)
Dr James delivers a captivating account of his experiences and challenges while leading mental health services at Gitmo and Abu G. His efforts to oversee such a difficult set of circumstances should be not only respected but also commended. In his book, Dr James takes you along with him while doing late night rounds at Gitmo and Abu G. In his no nonsense approach, he lets the reader experience some of the sights, sounds, smells, and irrationality of his tour of duty. He also highlights some of the courage, terror and patriotism displayed by some of this nation's youngest leaders. Well done Col James.

Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib by Col. (Ret.) Dr. Larry C. James, Ph.D. is a nonfiction book about how one army psychologist takes on the task of cleaning up after public relations nightmares at detention centers in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

Dr. James is sent to reform these prison/detention centers after scandals break out regarding the treatment of prisoners and detainees. After conducting research and reviewing the Stanford Prison Experiment, which details how otherwise "good" people can commit atrocities in a prison system, Dr. James heads to Cuba.

He outlines some ground rules before he gets to Guantanamo Bay. One of the main rules he sets forth is that leaders must be seen and present. James walks throughout the complex at different hours of the day, even at 2 a.m. He finds that some of the guards on duty in the wee hours are asleep at their posts, while others claim to have never seen a colonel or other military leaders.

Dr. James leaves Guantanamo only to be sent shortly thereafter to Abu Ghraib following the highly public denigration of Iraqi prisoners at the detention center. Soldiers at the prison disrobed prisoners, posed them naked in a human pyramid, and shot photos of the incidents, which were later plastered all over the news. As a psychologist, Dr. James was sent to the detention center to clean up the facility and establish protocols to prevent further incidents.

The audio of this book was well read and engaging. It certainly kept our attention during our early morning commutes, and it was intriguing to get an insider's look at the military's psychology department and protocols. My husband enjoyed the details about how Dr. James remedied the problems at Abu Ghraib and the insight those details provided about the actual facts of the situation.

However, the last chapters of the book slowed down the flow of the book for us. Dr. James offers a great deal of explanation about how the media played up the Abu Ghraib incidents and printed misinformation that maligned the reputations of fellow psychologists and himself. While we understood his need to set the record straight, the information was unnecessary given the timeline he issued throughout the book. Any reports placing him or his colleagues at the detention centers during the scandalous incidents could easily be dismissed.

With that being said, anyone interested in military or war history will enjoy this insider's look at the Iraq War, Abu Ghraib, and the military's psychology unit.

For those who are unaware of the backstory behind this book, there is strong evidence that Dr. James actually FACILLITATED torture at both Abu Grahib and Guantanamo, and deserves to be prosecuted for war crimes. This book is a whitewash, in the long tradition of "CYA," and has been greeted with incredulity and ridicule by many of his professional colleagues. One, Dr. Trudy Bond, is suing his licencing board in the attempt to force an ethics investigation, which so far has not been forthcoming. All of which seemingly makes a mockery of professional ethics in the field of psychology: if a psychologist who participates in torture is not condemned and expelled from the profession... what does one have to do?? Was not all this established law after the Nuremburg Trials?

This is an interesting book about James' experience serving at Abu Ghraib as an army psychologist. He walks the reader through the horrible conditions he faced at Abu Ghraib and the demons he had to face upon his return to the States in an effort to overcome PTSD. James writes about his meetings with Phil Zimbardo (who ran the Stanford Prison Experiment in the 1970s) and their disucssions comaring the conditions at Abu Ghraib to those that took place during Zimbardo's prison experiment. Overall it is a good book written in a modest and straighforward tone.