Ebrahim,
Zak, and Jeff Giles. A Terrorist's
Son: A Story of Choice. Riverside, NJ: Simon & Schuster, 2014. Print. ISBN:
1476784809
Summary: A true account of what it is like being the son of a terrorist… how he
dealt with it, how he was treated and perceived by others, and how he overcame
the hate he was instilled to feel from birth.
Analysis: This is a quick
informational read that will grab you from the very beginning. Reeling the
reader into the life of a seven year-old, a son of a terrorist. Into the night
it all changed for Zak, into the hate that was instilled since birth, into the
life of Zak Ebrahim.
An honest accurate account that is engaging from the
first page to the last. Ebrahim gives an excellent visual presentation as his
true life story reads like a fictional novel. A couple of illustrations are included
of Zak with his terrorist father. After going down this road with Zak, the reader
is left feeling empathy for the ones that terrorists leave behind or string
along during their heinous acts.
Zak’s voice brings the reader inside his culture, one
he didn’t choose but was born into. This is a true account on how Zak Ebrahim,
son of a terrorist, overcame the hatred he was constantly surrounded by whether
he was at home or he was at school. “Everyone has a choice. Even if you are
trained to hate, you can choose tolerance. You can choose peace” (Ebrahim).
Activity: After reading the book, students will conduct
an interview with a fellow classmate that has experienced some kind of change… moved
from a different state, from a different culture, from a different school, etc.
The students will devise six different questions to ask based on what they
learned from Zak Ebrahim’s experience. The student will then write about what
they have learned from the other student’s experience.
Related Resources: Below are two nonfiction books based on the
themes: the results of terrorism and a look into what makes a terrorist.
Shuchart,
John. Kids' Letters to Terrorists.
Chicago, IL: Independent Pub Group, 2002. Print.
Kids' Letters to Terrorists is a compilation
of letters that children of the victims wrote to the terrorists. Here the
reader will find excerpts from those letters expressing feelings, or asking unanswered
questions all in the process of healing and learning empathy.
Bergen, Peter L. United
States of Jihad: Americans Fighting for Militant Islam, from 9/11 to ISIS.
New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2016. Print.
“Lucid and rigorously researched, United States of Jihad is an essential
new analysis of the Americans who have embraced militant Islam both here and
abroad.” -- Washington Post, Notable Non-Fiction Books in 2016
Scholarly Reviews: None found as of 7/21/2017.
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