The Promise by Rober Crais

Posted for Paul Mathews

Elvis Cole looks for Amy, who lost her son to a terrorist bomber. She disappears with money and her expertise of explosives.

Audio:  8 hrs. 6 min.
Print:  416 pages

Robert Ludlum's The Janus Reprisal by Jamie Freveletti

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Middle East terrorists, American financier.  Story involves stolen hundreds of million dollars and biological attack on the United States.

Audio:  11 hrs. 20 min.
Print:  480 pages

I Am Malala by Malala Yousefzai and Christina Lamb

You probably heard the story about a teenage Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for promoting education for girls. This is her story co-authored with Christina Lamb, a British author.  Malala's father owned and ran the school she attended, and is also a promoter of education for all and fair and free government.  This is a convincing and heartfelt story of a young girl's growth as she comes into maturity in a turbulent time.  She gives first hand accounts of the terror wreaked by the Taliban as they took over her part of Pakistan, and the ineffectual response of the government.  This inside view is very compelling.  Malala comes across as a normal girl, interested in Western TV and music - she loved the Ugly Betty series - who was also acutely aware of the need to bring attention to girls' education. For this, the Taliban targeted her, and she was shot in her school bus on the way home from school.  Due to some miraculous surgeries and some good luck, she has survived and is recovering in London, where the family still lives, as they are afraid to return to Pakistan.  352 pages.

The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, love and terror in Algeria by John Kiser

What if the most effective way to fight terrorism is not to fight at all?  John Kiser explores this question in his book about the monks who chose to stay and continue their work in Algeria during the country's civil war.  The French Trappist monks lived in Tibhirine for many years leading a life of prayer and service to the local people.  They provided free medical care to those in need and strove to understand Islam, the religion of their neighbors and host country.  In the early 1990s however, the civil war in Algeria turned deadly for foreigners living in Algeria. Assassination, kidnapping, and murder became commonplace. In late March 1996, seven of the monks were kidnapped and their heads were found two months later.  Their deaths inspired ordinary Algerian Muslims to rise up in protest.  I read this book after seeing the film "Of Gods and Men" and recommend it for anyone interested in the clash of values between fundamentalist Islam and the western world. 352 pages.