Saving Gary McKinnon: A Mother's Story

by Janis Sharp

For ten years Gary McKinnon became the unwilling focus of Anglo�US diplomatic relations. A computer systems analyst living in London, he believed the US government was withholding vital information about the presence of UFOs. The unremarkable lives of he and his mother Janis changed dramatically one morning in March 2002 when Gary phoned to tell her that he had been arrested and was being interviewed about hacking into US government computers. Paul J. McNulty, the then-US Attorney for Virginia, announced that Gary was indicted in Alexandria, Virginia, on November 12 that year, and simultaneously announced that the United States intended to extradite him.

Two years later the US government filed a request for Gary's extradition and on June 7, 2005, he was arrested. Extradition to the United States seemed certain and so, fearing that Gary would kill himself rather than face being taken away to face seven counts of up to ten years each, Janis's extraordinary battle began.

Janis Sharp spent the following ten years fighting her son's extradition. In October 2012 she finally won. This was a spectacular victory for Janis and spoke volumes about her relentless fight. Saving Gary McKinnon is the true story of a mother's fight to save her son from living out the rest of his life behind bars. The US judiciary had all the might of the world's greatest power. But it had not reckoned on Gary's mother.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 13, 2013

Reviews

[Paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Please note: this review also appears on Amazon)

I don't read many autobiographies, but as someone who followed closely the campaign in support of Gary McKinnon's fight against extradition, I knew that `Gary McKinnon's: A Mother's story' would be one of my `books of the year'.

Gary McKinnon's hacking of the Pentagon computer system first made headline news in 2002 and for the ten years that followed his story was a regular feature on TV and newspapers. By 2009 his name was cropping up times and times again on Twitter - the social network had by then become established as an extremely powerful tool for human rights campaigning. As the driving force behind the "Free Gary' campaign, Janis Sharp rapidly became a familiar face among Twitter users like me. That's why I felt I already knew Janis Sharp, and I expected that her story would just be a more detailed account of her years of campaigning for Gary. But that was most definitely not the case: it was immediately clear, from the first chapters, that there is so much more to this quiet, unassuming Scottish lady than what appeared in the papers over the years: did you know, for instance, that Janis played in a rock band and that she very nearly became a member of the 80's pop/rock group `The Bangles'? Or that, together with her husband, she fostered many children, even at a time in her life when she was fighting the biggest battle to save her own son?

Several times, as I read, I had to stop mid-page and consider how small my `big problems' are compared to what Janis had gone through. At times the turns of events she describes could belong to a Hollywood film - you know the kind of anguish-inducing storyline in which the character is the victim of a big misunderstanding and everybody is out to get him. When with every twist and turn, things just get worse for our hero. Where the Dan Brown storytelling ends, a modern-days version of David and Goliath begins - the proverbial fight of, as Janis would have put it, `the little person' against the state giant.

To say that Janis Sharp has had an incredible life, is really an understatement. This is why her story is a lot more than an account of the ten-year long struggle against an unjust justice system: it's the extraordinary story of a woman who would probably describe herself as ordinary, but who, as politicians and heads of state learned at their own expense, is a force to be reckoned with. She will never cease to inspire me and countless other people who watched her fight for her son, year after year. Please put away that celebrity ghost written autobiography and read this book instead.

[Victoria Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I followed the Gary McKinnon story through all of the long 10 years that he and his mother fought against his extradition to the US. The US wanted Gary as, they said, he hacked into their NASA and Department of Defense systems and was a massive threat to national security.
The truth was he was no such threat. Gary was a UFO enthusiast who wasn't looking to take down US systems but look for UFO evidence. He wasn't a hacker - he'd only accessed US systems by running a phishing script that had picked up all these instances where there was no password protection. He was no Manning or Snowden - McKinnon leaked nothing.
Nevertheless US authorities pursued him with a real vindictiveness - aided and abetted by an embarrassingly pliant series of British governments.
The US Attorney General had already pronounced Gary guilty so there was no chance of a fair trial and many were calling for Gary to be given the death penalty.
Gary broke down under the pressure and fear. It fell therefore to his mother, Janis, to fight for her son's rights. This book, written by Janis, is the true story of what went on away from the headlines and how the power of a mother's love can triumph even against the most extraordinary odds.
A very personal, moving account. And embarrassing if you're British. Our governments were shameful in their handling of this case.

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janis Sharp has fought a 10 year battle with the highest authorities for justice for her son Gary. In doing so she has spearheaded a fight for justice for every UK citizen who is or could be at risk of falling foul of the US extradition agreement. Janis has brought into the limelight the strengths difficulties needs of adults with Asperger syndrome and along the way has helped to bring together many remarkable passionate individuals who threw themselves into the campaign. A remarkable book by a remarkable woman. If you think this book has nothing to do with you think again. Gary's story, now that Janis has been able to tell it in it's entirety, turns out to have immense relevance for us all.

An outstanding book.

[Beetee999 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passionate and heartfelt story of a mother's love for her son.