Customer Reviews

Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror - A Public Defender's Inside Account

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This past week I lost several hours of sleep as I devoured Steven Wax's well written book that reads like a crime thriller and tells the sadly true stories of two innocent men caught up in a tangle of legal roadblocks and deceit as the Bush administration has abused its power and taken away the rights of Americans and foreigners alike in its overzealous "war on terror". I had expected a dry treatise on rights and justice laced with legal mumbo jumbo and instead found myself unable to put the book down - it is an engaging read as the twists and turns of the two cases unfold and eroding rights endanger innocent people with tragic results.

Most importantly, wrapped up in the two cases are harrowing and chilling lessons for all people who value freedom, democracy, and the simple right to a fair day in court to defend oneself against unfounded and erroneous charges drummed up by a government Administration gone bad. The tragic stories of the two innocent men at the core of the book clearly illustrate the insidious effects and dangerous impact of abdicating our rights. The 2 tales show how lost rights mean we lose the moral and ethical high ground and undermine the strength of our democracy when we need it most.

Lastly, the book exposes the inspiring courage of not only the victims, but also of those who work tirelessly to defend our freedoms, rights, and responsibilities. Judges who uphold the law and Constitution, insiders who risk censure or worse by shedding light on hidden unfair or illegal practices, and lawyers like Steven Wax and his team who are tireless in their defense of the Constitution and our rights.

A gripping read on one level, an important illumination of the erosion of Constitutional rights on another, and a motivating call to arms for all citizens who value democracy, freedom, and the rule of law (not to mention common sense). I highly recommend this book.

Kafka Comes to America by Steve Wax tells the harrowing story of two of the author's clients who had the misfortune of being terrorist suspects under the Bush Administration's new legal regime. Brandon Mayfield, an American lawyer, was arrested and held as a "material witness" after the FBI misidentified a fingerprint linked to the Madrid bombings even in the face of disagreements by their Spanish counterparts. Adel Hamad, a Sudanese hospital administrator, was arrested at his home in Pakistan and held at Guantanamo even after Steve and his team compiled substantial evidence of his innocence.

Neither of these stories should seem unfamiliar or even all that surprising to those who have spent even the smallest amount of time just reading the news. Yet, Kafka Comes to America presents multiple, disturbing revelations. Beyond just the details of Brandon and Adel's individual stories, which are horrifying but important to know in their own right, the book discusses how each of these awful stories is not only possible but likely to be repeated in the U.S. Kafka Comes to America makes it impossible for the reader to dismiss all of the things that happened to Brandon and Adel as anomalies or because of a "few bad apples" or something that happened to a few guys who are different from the reader and therefore somehow to blame. Rather, the book explains how what Brandon and Adel have endured is due to a systematic perversion of America's legal system. It happened through executive coup, legislative complicity, and judicial cowardice.

In addition, the book discusses how all of this has grave implications for all of us. First, we should be outraged that it has been done in our name. I always have felt that way, but this book heightened that feeling. Steve's prose is straightforward, which matches what, at heart, is a very simple turn of events: our government grabbed for power and, for the most part, no one including the law stopped them. It is so easy to understand that it is scary. That is the second implication: we should all be scared that what happened to Brandon and Adel could happen to us. If it is too difficult to imagine being accused of terrorism (which it should not be after reading about Brandon), is it really so hard to imagine being accused of something more mundane but being subjected to the enhanced powers of the authorities now that many checks and balances have been removed?

Steve makes the important point in his book that we should take some comfort from the fact that our government does pay him to fight these fights against the government. He is right, and it provides hope that we can regain what we have lost. I will take at least two things from Steve's book. First, while we are rightly focused on closing Guantanamo and restoring habeas corpus, there are other laws and concepts that have started seeping into our national consciousness that we will need to address to ensure Guantanamo never happens again. Second, I know that I will read ever more critically news reports of suspected terrorists, including American citizens and arrested, even when there is a supposed 100% certain fingerprint match. Thank you to Steve for writing this book. Now go read it.

Stars, that is! If there is anything sure about today's "new world order", it's that Americans need to think deeply about what being "American" actually means. Innocent people locked up, tortured, harassed and humiliated is as Un-American as is possible, and "we the people" should be incensed. Steve Wax has written a fast paced, engaging, "fair and balanced" first hand account of our civil liberties run amok, and the passionate folks who tirelessly pursue justice. Let there be no doubt- Liberty requires the courage to illuminate the truth so the world can see.

Steve's book is important, amazing and enthralling. You will not be disappointed.

Whether you are a conservative alarmed at the power government wields over your life or a liberal who finds America's endless wars and limitations on citizens' rights troubling, this book will detail how the War on Terror affected the lives of two innocent men, one foreign, one American. And, yes, it could happen to any of us. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," words of wisdom often attributed to Jefferson, speaks to both sides of the political spectrum.

Steven Wax has written a moving recounting of two young men's efforts to fight for their good names, and his efforts to help them in two legal cases. It's a quick read of the "you can't put it down" variety, and although marred in a few tangental ways by a small number of historical misstatements, the facts of the cases are compelling. As a history teacher, I've waved a copy of the book in front of my classes, urging them to familiarize themselves with what is really going on in people's lives and not to fall victim to sweeping bumper sticker political posturing that is removed from real lives.

Reading the stories of Brandon Mayfield and Adel Hamad makes you both angry and proud, angry that the U.S. legal system could wreak such damage on people's lives, proud that public officials are willing to go the extra mile to correct such abuses. I imagine that this book will be a primary source in the history looked at for generations by historians trying to make sense of what we did to fight terrorism -- and ended up doing to ourselves. I'd grab a copy before it disappears from print and spend a few hours finding out what your government is capable of doing, both for bad and for good.

Everyone is entitled to a fair and just trial, even suspected terrorists, right? "Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror" takes a look at the state of civil liberties in this tumultuous time of the war on terror. Arguing that some of the measures that have been put in place in the call for justice in this post-9/11 world are in fact against what America's most treasured document the Bill of Rights in the name of false security, Wax paints a picture of several cases of justice that readers will find surprising to read. "Kafka Comes to America" is a grand and important must read for anyone questioning the protection of our civil liberties.

Steven Wax produced an excellent work to add to the discourse about our rights as individuals in the current context of international competitors.

Others here are saying it well enough, but I must add a quote from the book that for me best distills its moral:


"If we are to keep our democracy, there must be one commandment: Thou shalt not ration justice."
--Judge Learned Hand

Exhaustively documented, written by a credible source, prose that's hard to put down ... and chilling. This is a very important book, one I hope is read much more widely.

Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror - A Public Defender's Inside Account

A chilling reminder of what happens when we play loose with the Constitution and people's rights. Yes, even in America!

It's good to know that there are honorable people who will stand up to an out of control administration.