Growing up in wartime is only fictional for most who grew up in the U.S. If a war was fought on American soil it would shake the country to its core. In American War, Omar El Akkad idealizes a second civil war that once again divided the North and the South. The book follows Sarat, who becomes a major player in the history of the falling U.S. She is only six when the second civil war displaced her family to a refugee camp. After meeting many influences and eventually being tortured, Sarat becomes revengeful. Her final act was to release a plague on the North.
Her going through war and being directly involved took a toll on her mental and physical health. She was forever a changed person and committed intolerable acts. If she had not been groomed, then tortured, her life could have looked very different. Her actions caused her to lose her family and disconnect from reality. She needed help and did not receive it. Treatment and therapy, while not perfect, may have helped her back on her feet. She might have been able to find mental peace and wouldn’t have acted any further. The acts committed against Sarat were extreme, but reality for too many.
Both the United Nations (UN) and the U.S. have protections against prisoners of war, torture, and recovery efforts. The U.S. government passed the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998, which says that the government can provide grants and assistance to help tortured victims recover. It also states that Foreign Service Officers receive special training to help identify and manage torture. This act can help prevent someone from taking their own or other’s lives. It is important for victims to have a chance to reach out and recover.
Besides recovery, prevention at the source is important. Organizations like Human Rights Watch and the UN attempt to prevent torture in POW and interrogation settings. Most famous is the Geneva Convention written after WWII. It has several acts stating fair and humane treatment of POWs.