My Year Inside Radical Islam

by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Book Overview

My Year Inside Radical Islam is a memoir of first a spiritual and then a political seduction. Raised in liberal Ashland, Oregon, by parents who were Jewish by birth but dismissive of strict dogma,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585425516
• ISBN13: 9781585425518
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 293 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A Worthy Memoir and Timely Tale

While Daveed shares his personal journey in an easily read manner, he also guides the reader through the subtle shifts in his perspective that are at the core of the challenge facing those who believe in a peaceful, morally centered practice of Islam. While not all readers will see themselves or someone they know in the story, they will find it an engaging and thought provoking read.

A Fascinating Memoir

While I was reading Daveed's memior, I couldn't help but read it on two different levels. On one level, I saw it as an informational account about radical Islamic doctrine. In this capacity, it helped shed light on the various contours of radical Islamic law and how people can interpret these laws differently. Additionally, I found it interesting how various theological arguments can be made so convincing. More importantly, I saw the book as a very deep and personal description of one man's struggle to find religious conviction. I was captivated by Daveed's journey and how his employers and those associated with them used religion as justification for preaching hatred and animosity. In my opinion, one thing that is generally misunderstood about the war on terror is that the enemy we face is different than any we have ever faced. The enemies that we are fighting derive their inspiration from their God, not from human leaders. Thus, theological arguments can be crafted into indisputable orders. The book does a fantastic job of revealing this point. Daveed captures his struggles with a very well-written and thought-provoking narrative. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to understand the theological allure of radical Islam and how threatening radical interpretations of Islam can be. Islam itself is not the problem; instead the problem and threat we face rests in those who twist their faith in a radical way, calling for the death of man-made governments and the death of any person who doesn't believe in their aggressors' version of Islam.

al-hamdu li-allah

This book was indeed very difficult to put down; I read it in about 3 days. I am not sure if it is Daveed's inviting writing style or the fact that he and I share much in common, but the book seems to really draw you in. I happen to work in the counter-terrorism field myself, and I have yet to read a book that truly spells out how one could descend into radical Islam, or radically into any religion for that matter. By the end of the book, the reader will most likely feel that he or she knows Daveed personally; this is not always easy to accomplish, even in memoirs. I am, however, surprised to see only two other reviews of this book at this time. I truly hope more people read it. There is no reason this shouldn't rank high on the NYT best-seller list.

Compelling

Gartenstein-Ross vividly tells the story of his spiritual journey in this book. Insightful and thoughtful, this book is a must-read for those seeking to understand the appeal of radical Islam in order to learn how to combat it. Best book I have read all year.

Real Insight, Entertaining Memoir

Of all the books about Islam that I've read to try to understand it, none other has given me such an enjoyably intimate portrait of the way that the religion actually works on people. Gartenstein-Ross's experiences are so revealing because as you read you can imagine how you might have been led to the same radical politics that he was. He shows you how it happeneed gradually and how it all seemed pretty logical at the time (this was all before 9-11). It's also very well written. He's very mart and it makes you wonder if someone with so much intelligence could take such dangerous positions, what chance do the great masses of unschooled followers have against the persuasions of their faith. I'm glad he's back to tell his story!