A provocative exploration of the appeal of terrorist groups and how to counter it effectively.
A National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist urges Americans to find new ways to think about terrorism and “deradicalizing” former violent extremists.
Power gives surprising answers to some of the knottiest moral, legal, and practical questions of the post–9/11 era: Why do people join terrorist groups? What do we owe former militants? What kinds of deradicalization will prevent recidivism? Drawing on globe-spanning interviews with sources ranging from lawyers and neurologists to former jihadis and their families, the author shows that violent extremists tend to lack the religious zealotry that Americans often ascribe to them. An expert on terrorist groups told her: “The reality is that by and large people don’t join for ideological reasons. They join for adventure, excitement, or camaraderie.” Many militants are also so young and gullible they are easy prey for the Islamic State group or other recruiters. In Britain, Power met with the mother of a slain 19-year-old who was so naïve when he joined IS that he called his mother from Syria to ask, “Mama, would it be okay if I rode on the commander’s motorbike?” In Pakistan, the author visited an acclaimed school that deradicalizes former Taliban soldiers, and in Jakarta, she spoke to an Indonesian man known as “the Terrorist Whisperer,” who helps ex-jihadis learn to give TED-style talks in the hope that their stories will deter others. Power’s exceptionally wide-ranging research persuaded her that Americans need to stop thinking about former militants in absolutist terms like “good and evil” and to take a more nuanced approach to fostering their deradicalization and preventing the backsliding that may occur during long imprisonments. Her argument may not sit well with those who—for religious, ideological, or other reasons—believe that evil exists and society benefits from acknowledging it, but this book is full of valuable insights into violent extremism.
A provocative exploration of the appeal of terrorist groups and how to counter it effectively.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-51057-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: One World/Random House
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Raekwon’s raw memoir holds nothing back about his stormy life in Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most-admired artists.
A memoir from the celebrated rapper.
The Wu-Tang Clan has always cultivated an air of mystery, and Raekwon is one of the most secretive of the Staten Island rappers, so it’s refreshing to see how forthcoming he is in his first book. Unlike most rappers, Raekwon, aka The Chef, doesn’t really speak or rhyme directly. The force behind the Wu-Tang hit “C.R.E.A.M.” and the classic solo album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… makes his points more through imagery and vivid descriptions than straightforward boasts. However, with the help of noted biographer Bozza, Raekwon tells his own compelling story with a limited number of artistic flourishes. The author tells his truth unflinchingly, refusing to gloss over his mistakes or the mistakes of others. He covers his troubled youth of petty robbery and drug-dealing and the realization after he was shot that he had a skill for writing rhymes. He offers a cleareyed walk-through of the decision-making process struggling hip-hop artists go through when faced with their first record deals. Even though they may not be getting what they are due, they often have no real leverage. The author applies his no-nonsense approach to the world around him. “When you grow up a young black man in a poor urban community,” he writes, “you become accustomed to what is in front of you and numb to circumstances that ain’t right. If you keep your wits about you and find a potential way out, you grab it and hold on with all you’ve got. As a fan, hip-hop was my escape from reality.” Raekwon offers revelations about how his relationship with Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA soured. He also discusses the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Sagaas well as how a rare Wu-Tang album ended up in the hands of “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli.
Raekwon’s raw memoir holds nothing back about his stormy life in Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most-admired artists.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-982168-72-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
A moving essay that should find its way into the hands of all students and teachers to provoke new conversation and...
An enchanting plea by the award-winning Nigerian novelist to channel anger about gender inequality into positive change.
Employing personal experience in her examination of “the specific and particular problem of gender,” National Book Critics Circle winner Adichie (Americanah, 2013, etc.) gently and effectively brings the argument about whether feminism is still relevant to an accessible level for all readers. An edited version of a 2012 TEDxEuston talk she delivered, this brief essay moves from the personal to the general. The author discusses how she was treated as a second-class citizen back home in Nigeria (walking into a hotel and being taken for a sex worker; shut out of even family meetings, in which only the male members participate) and suggests new ways of socialization for both girls and boys (e.g., teaching both to cook). Adichie assumes most of her readers are like her “brilliant, progressive” friend Louis, who insists that women were discriminated against in the past but that “[e]verything is fine now for women.” Yet when actively confronted by an instance of gender bias—the parking attendant thanked Louis for the tip, although Adichie had been the one to give it—Louis had to recognize that men still don’t recognize a woman’s full equality in society. The example from her childhood at school in Nigeria is perhaps the most poignant, demonstrating how insidious and entrenched gender bias is and how damaging it is to the tender psyches of young people: The primary teacher enforced an arbitrary rule (“she assumed it was obvious”) that the class monitor had to be a boy, even though the then-9-year-old author had earned the privilege by winning the highest grade in the class. Adichie makes her arguments quietly but skillfully.
A moving essay that should find its way into the hands of all students and teachers to provoke new conversation and awareness.Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-101-91176-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Anchor
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014
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