Interview with Pakistani Spectator

Dear Peeps,

Here is my published interview with the Pakistani Spectator, a hotspot for Bloggers everywhere including Pakistan. 

http://www.pakspectator.com/interview-with-blogger-jeffrey-hopkins/

Please check it out.

Thanks,

Jeffrey M. Hopkins

REVIEW OF BROKEN UNDER INTERROGATION

REVIEW OF BROKEN UNDER INTERROGATION by gentleman from Jamaica, NY.

Posted here:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419698303/ref=s9_sims_gw_s1_p14_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0MYGXTRT5HWBY0RSX1F2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

The main protagonist is John Powers, a young recruit who joins the army. Through his POV we lears about the military basic training as well as the war in Iraq. We also get to learn about the underhanded, deceptive and atrocious tactics that one must employ in order to get the job done. The story doesn’t stop there. John returns to train vets to fight against drugs in the neighborhood. But as expected this operation doesn’t go down as planned.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At certain moments it reminded me of movies such as Apocalypse Now, Rendition. It’s not for the faint of heart as the author paints a very bleak and disturbing picture.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins is the author of Broken Under Interrogation, a novel set in the near future of rot belt America.  He chooses these words, because the factories and empty warehouses there serve as gravestones for American Industry.  If the United States wants to see a way out of the current economic crisis, they will invent the industries of the 21st century, and employ the hardworking men and women of this rot belt as labor in a building the new American dream.  Broken Under Interrogation is the gap that fills the periphery between the American Dream and an American Nightmare.  It was published 2008 by the Author Jeffrey M. Hopkins.

Broken Under Interrogation (Review)

Dear Gents, This person from San Francisco, CA reviewed Broken Under Interrogation and said:

“Devastating” I recently reviewed a book that attempted, and failed, to unite a domestic story with a commentary of American presence abroad. Where that book failed, this book succeeds with chilling results. The story of a formerinformation specialist from the Iraq warcarrying home a bit too much baggage from his interrogation days is riveting, both in the Iraq flashbacks and the domestic aftermath. Sometimes brutal, often sad, this book is a stark illustration of the darkness associated with cruelty and the toll it takes on the best-intentioned. Be warned: this is a dark book. If you get the feeling it’s not going to end happily, buckle up for the tragic ride to the climax. Highly recommended, despite the cloud that followed me while I was reading it and for days afterward.

Broken Under Interrogation is available at Amazon.com.  Get it.  Challenge your opinions!

The Thousand Yard Stare Fictionalized

The gentleman who referred to Broken Under Interrogation as the MOST depressing book he has ever read changed his mind on Amazon.com review and posted the following review:

After more thought, this book should be given three stars, but Amazon won’t let me change my rating.

Let’s start by saying it’s not impossible to actually take a very depressing subject on its face and provide social comment, satire, truths, or philosophy while never losing sight of the depressing reality. “Hogan’s Heroes” was an entertaining comedy about life in a German WWII POW camp. “Catch 22″ and “MASH” both found irony and humor among the destruction and meaninglessness of war, and used them to illustrate “greater truths” about humanity. Vonnegut was in my opinion the master of balancing the personal futility and ugliness of war with irony and humor to allow “the rest of us” to avoid looking the other way.

This plot has its roots in the Iraq Wars and the military, but focuses on all the shattered dreams, broken promises and disturbing trends of American cultural life to create one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read. Once is constantly hammered with the devastating consequences of this needless war to the personal lives of veterans and to the lives of all whom they touch.

There is no joy. There is no hope. There is no humor. There is no point. There is only the abyss and the apocalypse, dripped drop by acidic drop into your face until you want desperately to look away–to pretend it doesn’t exist.

The narrative, considering the subject, is emotionally flat and brings home the legendary “thousand yard stare”, because none of these people have anything worthwhile to live for except the glimmer of surviving another day. Having no military experience myself, only reading of Paul Fussell’s works prepared me for this. There is no glory, there is no lasting success, there is no justification.

So, why should you read this book? If you want to see the “personal” costs of these policies that created and exploited this war, this book hits you full in the face with it. If you want to see the policy consequences to the people least able to bear them, this book works. It doesn’t demonize enemies or glorify Americans, and it is relentless. It may actually change for its readers, the cavalier attitude with which we order our young men and women into harm’s way with no genuine regard for long term costs or consequences. Be brave. Read the book.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins says:  I am trying really hard to find the irony and humor in my experience.  Perhaps twenty years from now, when the aesthetic distance has been achieved and the outcome of our experiment in the deserts of Iraq have been realized, I can write another book.  For now I think that Broken Under Interrogation gets the point across.  I’m glad this gentleman reconsidered his review.  When you get into John Powers’ mind, you realize this is PTSD put to paper.  The numbness, the isolation, the longing for conflict, the horror……the horror.

Amazon.com Vine Review of Broken Under Interrogation

I publish them all here folks, the good with the bad.  I really don’t think this one is all “bad” though.  I have highlighted what I believe to be telling in what this gentleman from Palestine, TX said about Broken Under Interrogation.  He gave the book 2 out of 5 stars.   

Let’s start by saying it’s not impossible to actually take a very depressing subject on its face and provide social comment, satire, truths, or philosophy while never losing sight of the depressing reality. “Hogan’s Heroes” was an entertaining comedy about life in a German WWII POW camp. “Catch 22″ and “MASH” both found irony and humor among the destruction and meaninglessness of war, and used them to illustrate “greater truths” about humanity.

This plot has its roots in the Iraq Wars and the military, but focuses on all the shattered dreams and disturbing trends of American cultural life to create one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read. There is no joy. There is no hope. There is no humor. There is no point. There is only the abyss and the apocalypse.

The narrative, considering the subject, is emotionally flat, because none of these people have anything worthwhile to live for except the glimmer of surviving another day. I have read authentic stories of the Holocaust that were far more uplifting and inspiring.

Review of Broken Under Interrogation

Posted by an Amazon.com Vine Program member who gave Broken Under Interrogation 4 out of 5 stars:

I am normally not a big fan of fiction books but must say that this one managed to keep me glued to it. The main character in the story is a young man named John Powers who returns from a tour in Iraq. He gets out of the service and returns to the US only to find trouble on the streets fighting drug lords. I feel the author did a pretty good job in plot construction and writes in a manner that never bores.

Originally posted on Amazon.com Broken Under Interrogation page.

Yet Another Review of Broken Under Interrogation

This is posted by an individual from New York City on Amazon.com.  They gave the book 5 out of 5 Stars.  

 

Hopkins clearly took a lot of inspiration from George Orwell to produce this genuinely frightening book. “Broken Under Interrogation” is the story of an Iraq veteran who gets his hands on information that may be a potential threat to the U.S. Government and pays a dear price. A good read.

Broken Under Interrogation is the story of John Powers, an intelligence professional who takes to robbing and murdering drug dealers in his rust belt hometown upon redeployment from Operation Iraqi Freedom.  It is a novel that is set in the periphery between the American Dream, and an American Nightmare.  

A New Review of BROKEN UNDER INTERROGATION

As posted on Amazon.com:

This is from a person in Tulsa, Oklahoma who gave it four out of five stars.

Like most of the others who have reviewed the book, I found most of the subject matter to be dark and disturbing. 

The topics are timely and although harsh, they deserve some thought. 
I enjoyed the book, but don’t think it would have universal appeal.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins writes:

Timeliness.  Dark.  Disturbing.  Harsh.  Could it be that we are living in Dark, Disturbing, and Harsh times?  As for universal appeal, what book has universal appeal?

Another Positive Review of Broken Under Interrogation

Dear Folks,

This gentleman from Virginia, who holds a PhD reviewed Broken Under Interrogation on the Amazon.com.  This gentleman says:  

I very much enjoyed “Broken Under Interrogation“. While I confess that I read 20 nonfiction books for each fiction book, this one is a thought provoker. It provides the reader with a fairly accurate feel for military training, the war in Iraq, problems individuals face in adjusting to civilian life following a violent war. Our protagonist finds himself surrounded by a neighborhood infested by drugs. The similarities between official war and the drug war between gangs and cartels and the government agencies is uncanny. He finds himself in interrogation whose methods are similar to those used in Iraq. The was a fast read which captured my attention and quickly pulled me into his life. I give it an A- and I’d recommend it for anyone with these interests.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins says:  

Thank you for your consideration.  I hope you all will find Broken Under Interrogation as thought provoking as this gentleman.

A Gentleman Comments on Broken Under Interrogation

Broken Under Interrogation, the realest piece of grease fiction to be released yet on the War in Iraq, the War on the Streets, the prision industrial complex, and the battle for hearts and minds at the rotten guts of mass consumerism has recieved this stellar review from this gentleman.  I think the review is rather positive, but he gave the book one star.  His name has been withheld.

The original review is posted on Amazon.com, where Broken Under Interrogation is available.

“I didn’t like this book. The product description and the other ratings here describe it well enough, so I won’t repeat the description. The book is full of action and never gets boring, but it just isn’t my type of book. If I am going to read a book of fiction, I want a book that has at least one character whom I can admire. There weren’t any here. I also like more uplifting books. This isn’t that type of book–overall, it is kind of depressing. And really, I don’t think the writing was all that great either.

However, I can see why others like the book. It is similar to music. Some people like rock; some like classical, some like country. Most don’t understand why others like the type of music they themselves don’t like. This book is like a type of music I don’t like. Nothing terribly wrong with it; it just isn’t the type of book I like. So my rating of 1 star might not be fair to the author, but I just didn’t like the book.

This is a genuinely nice guy.  I will however comment on “uplifting” and “depressing” fiction in the next couple of posts, with my analysis of the two, because what I feel passes for “uplifting” fiction nowadays (i.e. Tuesdays with Morrie, Five People You Meet in Heaven) is really just a narcotic, and the upliftng nature of the work is similar to smoking a crack rock or banging a pill of smack into your arm – the feeling is nice and warm and pleasant, but wholly unsatisfying.  Not all works characterized as “uplifting” fall into the escapist fare though.  Some grind you through the mud, and build you back up, reaffirming humanity.  A “depressing” work has a grain of reality to it, that if nurtured sprouts a tree of doubt within a person – doubt which overwhelms commonplace notions and allows someone to do what many cannot, that is “think” for themselves.  I would say what we need more of in the modern age is fiction that strips our humanity of all its trappings, and builds back something natural, something which slashes the fear of death and annihilation in the jugular, rather than stupify the brain with joy joy feelings of infinite bliss, that runs on empty in a few short days, until the next fix.

By increasing your capacity to suffer, we are teaching you to experience the profoundest joy at being alive.  I hope you feel it once in your short, mortal life.

Jeffrey M. Hopkins is the author of Broken Under Interrogation, which deciphers the lubrication that the gears intermesh upon.  The grease in the spaces between wrong and right, the good and the bad.  The living and the dead.  The confrontation of nihilism.  Trappings of mass consumerism.  It is the first work of grease fiction.