The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim

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Bibliographic Information:

The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice by Zak Ebrahim

ISBN: 978-1476784809

2014 Simon&Schuster/TED New York, NY

Plot Summary:

This is the true story of Zak Ebrahim and how he grew up to be a pacifist. Zak writes the story partially in flashbacks and partially in the present, expressing how he feels about what happened in his life.

Zak’s father was jailed for murdering a prominent Rabbi, Meir Kehane, when Zak was quite young. The FBI raided their home and take all of their belongings as evidence. Zak’s life was uprooted as his mother tried to conceal who they are and their connection to his father, the terrorist.

While El-Sayyid Nosair is in jail, he helps mastermind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Zak happens to be home to see the news reports about what happened and witnesses the entire investigation unfold. The detail that Zak’s father helped with the plan is disturbing to him.

Zak decides to be peaceful first because he is so tired of being beaten up by bullies, not because of altruistic intentions. As a teenager, his self-esteem is so low that he just cannot stand up for himself. He feels that his father chose terrorism over fatherhood.

Zak goes through his teen years with an abusive stepfather. After fighting back, his stepfather turns to abusing his younger brother. Then Zak spends time working at Busch Gardens in Florida and he finds that people from other cultures and religions are not evil.

Zak does not follow his violent past. He opens up a part of himself to looking for peace and healing in the world.

Critical Evaluation:

Zak writes a simple story of his childhood, including the violence that was inflicted on the world by his father and the violence that was inflicted on him. The book is novella length, so the writing is direct and not flowery. One thing that stood out was when Zak said that he should have sensed the foreshadowing when his mother’s suitor (later his step-father) said the children’s father was home. I never really understood how that was a bad sign, since Zak writes throughout about how terrible it is that his father chose terrorism over his family.

Zak shows through his narrative that even though he was brought up with violence, extremism, and radical Islam that he had the power to choose love, understanding, and peace.

I don’t really know how to critique this story, as it is a true telling by the man who lived it. He writes simply. He writes clearly. He writes for peace.

Reader’s Annotation:

Zak Ebrahim shows that being raised in a violent environment does not make one a terrorist.

Author Information:

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.

In 2013, he participated in TED's talent search in New York City, and was selected to speak at the main conference, TED2014, in Vancouver, BC. His TED talk was released on Sept 9, 2014, in conjunction with his TED Book, The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice.

retrieved from http://www.zakebrahim.com/ on 8/4/2015

Genre(s):

Nonficition

Curriculum Ties:

History, Terrorism

Booktalk Ideas:

This is a fantastic opening for booktalks on religious extremism, bigotry, and cultural exchange.

Reading level: Grade 9+

Interest age: 13+

Challenge Issues: This book meets our library's selection criteria. Any challenge can be referred to the Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book:

I chose this book because it highlights a true story of how a teen boy overcame violence. It was reviewed on NPRs All Things Considered and the tone of the story is great for a young adult audience to learn from.