The Undesirables

The Undesirables

by The Undesirables
published 2014
Ligature finest
genre Non-fiction

‘This book may be the only chance Australians have to learn what our government is doing to boat people held on Nauru.’
—Julian Burnside

In August 2012, the Australian Government reintroduced its notorious policy of incarcerating asylum-seekers arriving by boat in Pacific Island prisons, including Nauru.

Days later, Mark Isaacs was hired by the Salvation Army to undertake humanitarian work in the Nauru detention centre. What he witnessed there compelled him to speak out about the refugees and their conditions.

The Undesirables: Inside Nauru reveals the truth about life in an offshore detention centre: the stories of the men held there; the self-harm, suicide attempts and riots; and the rare moments of joy amid the deep and grinding despair.

This is a window into the dark world of offshore processing, a world deliberately kept from the public eye.