Home, Land, Security

Starred review from July 12, 2021
Journalist Power (If the Oceans Were Ink) surveys in this deeply reported and ultimately optimistic account efforts to deradicalize violent extremists. Through interviews with the family members of Westerners who joined ISIS, Power humanizes militant jihadists and offers insights into the forces that push people toward extremism. In one of the book’s most astounding sections, a mother recalls her 19-year-old son, who had run away from home in England, calling from Iraq to ask if he could ride his commander’s motorbike. (“To hear him ask for permission over the phone,” Power writes, “was to hear the old Rasheed, the biddable boy who’d call if he was going to be even ten minutes late coming home.”) Power also documents the successes and setbacks of rehabilitation programs in Denmark, Germany, and Indonesia, and makes the argument that reforming extremists offers greater security than imprisoning them. In the U.S., Power traces the winding but ultimately successful deradicalization of a Somali American teenager who tried to join ISIS. Turning to preventative measures, Power describes how a Flemish city has successfully integrated Muslim immigrants by fostering “social mixing” in schools and neighborhoods, demilitarizing the police, and investing in public works. Interweaving intimate character profiles and in-depth research, this is a nuanced look at a critical yet overlooked front in the fight against extremism. Agent: Erin Harris, Folio Literary Management.

July 2, 2021

In this latest work, journalist Power (If the Oceans Were Ink) explores the causes of right-wing extremism. First, she interviews mothers of terrorists to uncover the process by which their children became introduced to extremist views. Additionally, she converses with groups that help to rehabilitate extremists and local organizations and governments who work against terrorism; in these discussions, she shows these groups' successes and failures. Power argues that an "us vs. them" mentality leads to alienation, which in turn causes susceptible people to become more prone to accepting extremist viewpoints. Successful anti-terror programs emphasize connections and community building, the author maintains. She is a scholar of Islamist extremism, which is the particular focus of this book, but she also makes broad connections to white supremacists and other right-wing terror groups in Europe and the United States. Additionally, she interrogates her own biases and assumptions throughout. This book ends with a warning about the dangers of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is occurring at the same time as a rise in right-wing extremism throughout the world; it also offers advice on deradicalizing local communities. VERDICT A compelling exploration of the factors that drive extremism; it emphasizes the need for human connection. Recommended for readers interested in politics or in affecting change in their communities.--Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2021
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 na�ve 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.

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