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The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice Hardcover – September 9, 2014
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Ebrahim’s life is an eloquent plea to terrorists — indeed, to anyone who commits violence out of bigotry and hatred — to stop and consider the impact on children. His tale speaks to the suffering of children everywhere — in Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria — who are caught up in the raging intolerance of adults. In emotional detail, the terrorist’s son takes us through the traumas of his life — school bullying, social withdrawal, feelings of suicidal worthlessness — that dogged him from the moment his mother awakened the boy in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas to inform him that something was horribly wrong and they had to flee immediately from their home in Cliffside Park, N.J." (Washington Post)
"[A] book you can't put down. Hearing the story of Zak Ebrahim—the son of El-Sayyid Nosair who, when Ebrahim was just 7 years old, killed the leader of the Jewish Defense League and went on to plan the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center from prison—is one thing. (A gut-wrenching, how-is-this-real-life? thing.) Reading it in intimate, terrifying detail—the confusion, the bullying, the burden—is another. (An even more gut-wrenching, how-is-this-real-life? thing.) The Terrorist's Son... tells a detailed account of Ebrahim's story, shared at a TED talk, of his impossibly brutal childhood and adolescence and how he became nothing like his dad." (GQ)
"In his powerful, affecting memoir (written with former EW deputy editor Jeff Giles), he says, ''My father lost his way — but that didn't stop me from finding mine.'' (Entertainment Weekly)
"The author's father helped plan the 1993 Wold Trade Center bombing. Instead of following in those violent footsteps, Ebrahim now speaks out against terrorism. An astonishing memoir." (People)
"[A] book you can't put down. Hearing the story of Zak Ebrahim—the son of El-Sayyid Nosair who, when Ebrahim was just 7 years old, killed the leader of the Jewish Defense League and went on to plan the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center from prison—is one thing. (A gut-wrenching, how-is-this-real-life? thing.) Reading it in intimate, terrifying detail—the confusion, the bullying, the burden—is another. (An even more gut-wrenching, how-is-this-real-life? thing.) The Terrorist's Son... tells a detailed account of Ebrahim's story, shared at a TED talk, of his impossibly brutal childhood and adolescence and how he became nothing like his dad." (GQ)
"In his powerful, affecting memoir (written with former EW deputy editor Jeff Giles), he says, ''My father lost his way — but that didn't stop me from finding mine.'' (Entertainment Weekly)
"The author's father helped plan the 1993 Wold Trade Center bombing. Instead of following in those violent footsteps, Ebrahim now speaks out against terrorism. An astonishing memoir." (People)
About the Author
Zak Ebrahim was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 24, 1983, the son of an Egyptian industrial engineer and an American school teacher. When Ebrahim was seven, his father shot and killed the founder of the Jewish Defense League, Rabbi Meir Kahane. From behind bars his father, El-Sayyid Nosair, co-masterminded the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Ebrahim spent the rest of his childhood moving from city to city, hiding his identity from those who knew of his father. He now dedicates his life to speaking out against terrorism and spreading his message of peace and nonviolence.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By
Prathyusha Gubbala
on September 9, 2014
Format: Audible Audio Edition
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I am so deeply inspired by this story. As someone who believes firmly that people are inherently good at heart, and they commit violence out of a fear and bigotry that is learned, it's incredibly inspiring to hear the story of someone who chose empathy over bigotry. It's stories like this that remind me again and again the power of love, empathy, and nonviolence in transforming people, communities, and hopefully soon even more so, nations caught in stories of bigotry and fear. I want to express gratitude to Z for your bravery, for sharing your story, and for standing up for peace.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By
Rachel Steadman
on September 10, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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I just finished reading this book and after laying it down, (it was hard to let go, literally) I'm so filled with emotion that I feel numb and like I'm floating. I don't feel I have the right words to even explain how I feel about what I just read. It's like all the appropriate words have been used up (amazing, brave, incredible, heart wrenching, inspirational...) and wouldn't give it justice. To even get a glimpse of what Zac's life was like was almost too much. I love how well he was able to let you feel and see his perspective as a child. A "normal" little boy liking "normal" little boy things. And just craving a "normal" loving family. It's easily relatable as we have all been children and understand those basic needs. What's scary about reading this, is that all those horrific events (described in the book) affected children who had no control over the path their lives started out on. (Also realizing this is only one family. There are many, many more in similar situations) As children, we learn what we are taught from within the circle created for us. It is not until we are old enough to have the ability to step out of that circle and really open our eyes to the worldly view around us. Out side that circle is where we become responsible for our choices. If ZAK could step out of HIS circle and CHOOSE empathy and peace than we all have it in us to do the same!!! If everyone would read this book, I think (no, I KNOW) the world, people as a whole, and as individuals, could and WOULD change for the better becoming more empathic, and view peace as a way of life, NOT just some ideological belief! This book provides all of us an opportunity to step outside our circle! It's just up to us to make the right choice!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By
Kate Torgovnick
on September 12, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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This book is astonishing. It's the vivid recollections of a man whose father was not only the first Islamic jihadist to take a life on American soil (he assassinated Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990) but who, from jail, helped plan the bombing of the Word Trade Center in 1993. He was just a child at the time. As he grew up, he saw the flaws in the hatred and bigotry his father bought into, and ended up becoming an activist who promotes tolerance and empathy.
This book is guttural and emotionally raw—written by someone who is still very much still trying to come to terms with the enormity of what his father did, and what it means to be his son. It is a unique story, but what makes it so intoxicating is that anyone can relate to it as it's a story that illustrates how each of us can transcend circumstance. My father was a stock-broker before he retired but, as I read, I found myself thinking about the expectations of who I would be that came with the family I was born into.
A beautiful, haunting book. Highly recommended.
This book is guttural and emotionally raw—written by someone who is still very much still trying to come to terms with the enormity of what his father did, and what it means to be his son. It is a unique story, but what makes it so intoxicating is that anyone can relate to it as it's a story that illustrates how each of us can transcend circumstance. My father was a stock-broker before he retired but, as I read, I found myself thinking about the expectations of who I would be that came with the family I was born into.
A beautiful, haunting book. Highly recommended.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By
MellowMel
on September 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
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This book was an amazing journey of a boy coming to terms with his father's evil legacy & the price he & his family paid for his father's lack of ethics or concern for human life.
Zak is still a young man & I feel he left out a lot of his story which hopefully he will continue in the future. His mother is to be commended for finally standing up & being tired of hating - I think her attitude went a long way in helping Zak become the kind & decent man he became.
Zak Ebrahim has a powerful story to tell & one that all children & even adults should hear!
Thank you, Zak & I wish you a long and very happy life.
Zak is still a young man & I feel he left out a lot of his story which hopefully he will continue in the future. His mother is to be commended for finally standing up & being tired of hating - I think her attitude went a long way in helping Zak become the kind & decent man he became.
Zak Ebrahim has a powerful story to tell & one that all children & even adults should hear!
Thank you, Zak & I wish you a long and very happy life.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By
John Stanton
on September 10, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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Loved this. It is moving, kind of upsetting at times, but ultimately a really uplifting story about how no one has the right to tell you who to be. It's amazing what this guy endured.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By
Bonnie Siegler
on September 12, 2014
Format: Hardcover
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I saw Zak speak at TED and found his story to be remarkable and compelling.
I was so pleased to find the book filled in all the blanks and had the same raw honesty.
The end gave me chills and made me tear up and i already knew the story!
The book does an incredible job bringing Zak's life to life, through the smallest of details and the biggest of pictures.
It is an inspiring and important (and fast!) read.
I was so pleased to find the book filled in all the blanks and had the same raw honesty.
The end gave me chills and made me tear up and i already knew the story!
The book does an incredible job bringing Zak's life to life, through the smallest of details and the biggest of pictures.
It is an inspiring and important (and fast!) read.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Ann Hubbard
on September 22, 2014
Format: Hardcover
1 Comment
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As an Arabic speaker who lived for four years in Syria and three in Morocco, and who has numerous Muslim friends and acquaintances, when I heard Zak Ebrahim's interview on "Fresh Air," I immediately listened to the audible version. The story is compelling, and it's wonderful that the author reads it himself, as he has an excellent reading voice. Prejudice and discrimination are topics that I include in my curriculum, so I enjoyed the book, and felt that it contained numerous illuminating points related to these subjects.
The problem that I have with the book, though, is, as others have remarked, its extreme brevity. One of the reasons that I seek out personal accounts such as this is my deep curiousity about what exactly leads to the mindset that allows the perpetration of such barbaric acts. Unfortunately, this only provided only rather general reasons for why his father turned to extremism. There is so much more that could have been explored, such as his father's childhood influences in Egypt, and more details of what exactly created so much resentment in his heart when he came to America.
In addition, I really wanted to hear more about his mother. Though he provides a quick account of her reasons for conversion, it lacks details. Also, what thoughts sustained her as she was judged and criticized by most of American society due to her choice of an extreme form of "hijab"? Beyond this, I am left wondering how she could have not known anything about how radicalized her husband had become. Assuming she had some idea of what was going on, how did she rationalize the situation and continue the masquerade of their family life, first, prior to the murder of Kahane, and then, when her husband was in prison?Read more ›
The problem that I have with the book, though, is, as others have remarked, its extreme brevity. One of the reasons that I seek out personal accounts such as this is my deep curiousity about what exactly leads to the mindset that allows the perpetration of such barbaric acts. Unfortunately, this only provided only rather general reasons for why his father turned to extremism. There is so much more that could have been explored, such as his father's childhood influences in Egypt, and more details of what exactly created so much resentment in his heart when he came to America.
In addition, I really wanted to hear more about his mother. Though he provides a quick account of her reasons for conversion, it lacks details. Also, what thoughts sustained her as she was judged and criticized by most of American society due to her choice of an extreme form of "hijab"? Beyond this, I am left wondering how she could have not known anything about how radicalized her husband had become. Assuming she had some idea of what was going on, how did she rationalize the situation and continue the masquerade of their family life, first, prior to the murder of Kahane, and then, when her husband was in prison?Read more ›
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