Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women of the War on Terror

‘A searching, sensitive, and wrenching account of the ordeal of the women left behind, their torment, their endurance and courage, their triumphs over the cruel ‘extension of prison to home’ – Noam Chomsky

‘A window into an invisible world … a reminder that abandoning normal legal standards has serious consequences for the Rule of Law’ – Helena Kennedy QC

‘A uniquely powerful and moving account of the tragic consequences of policies which flout fundamental rights and the rule of law. It adds a new and deeply disturbing dimension to the story of the response to 9/11’ – Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC

‘The author’s extraordinary empathy gives a voice to women who have courageously endured unimaginable indignity from indefensible laws’ – Louise Christian, solicitor for several Guantanamo prisoners and their families

‘This is a book to make you gasp, weep, shout, but above all a book to admire: the lovely writing, the complexities made clear, the everyday heroism of survivors. It is a terrible story, beautifully told’ – Beatrix Campbell

‘A landmark work that takes over your heart and head. In drawing together lives scattered and devastated and made heroic by the ‘war on terror’, Victoria Brittain, one of the greatest reporters, tells us the truth about these dangerous times’ – John Pilger

Victoria Brittain is a respected journalist who tirelessly fought the US government on Guantanamo Bay in articles and books. Her work on women and children in conflict has transformed war reporting; subverting tired militaristic narratives. She has been a consultant to the UN on The Impact of Conflict on Women. She is a trustee of Prisoners of Conscience and the author of The Meaning of Waiting (Oberon, 2010), Shadow Lives (Pluto, 2013) and co-author of Moazzam Begg’s Enemy Combatant (2007).