Q

Why is Puss in Boots banned at Guantanamo Bay?

Shaker Aamer's lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, on the many texts banned at the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Gustave Doré's interpretation of Puss in Boots, one of the many characters banned from Guantanamo Bay prison (Wikimedia Commons)

Guantanamo Bay inmates can read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, but not the classic children's story Puss in Boots. They can immerse themselves in George Orwell's 1984, but not Russell Brand's Booky Wook 2

Longtime inmate Shaker Aamer has been trying to figure out what the Guantanamo reviewers are trying to keep out, saying he sees no "consistent or logical basis for the censorship". 

Guest host Kevin Sylvester talks to Aamer's lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, about the sorts of texts locked out of Guantanamo and the essay his client recently wrote about the prison's "Ministry of Information." Smith argues that the reasons for the bans are often absurd, but also notes that explanations are most often absent. 

Would you value the perspective of inmates on certain works of literature? If so, which ones? Do you think the Guantanamo Review of Books mentioned by Smith is a good idea?