The Terrorists Son, Zak Ebrahim
The Terrorists Son, Zak Ebrahim
2 Rating(s)
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49

The Terrorist's Son
A Story of Choice

Author: Zak Ebrahim

Narrator: Zak Ebrahim

Unabridged: 2 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/09/2014


Synopsis

An extraordinary story, never before told: The intimate, behind-the-scenes life of an American boy raised by his terrorist father—the man who planned the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

What is it like to grow up with a terrorist in your home? Zak Ebrahim was only seven years old when, on November 5th, 1990, his father El-Sayyid Nosair shot and killed the leader of the Jewish Defense League. While in prison, Nosair helped plan the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. In one of his infamous video messages, Osama bin Laden urged the world to “Remember El-Sayyid Nosair.”

For Zak Ebrahim, a childhood amongst terrorism was all he knew. After his father’s incarceration, his family moved often, and as the perpetual new kid in class, he faced constant teasing and exclusion. Yet, though his radicalized father and uncles modeled fanatical beliefs, to Ebrahim something never felt right. To the shy, awkward boy, something about the hateful feelings just felt unnatural.

In this book, Ebrahim dispels the myth that terrorism is a foregone conclusion for people trained to hate. Based on his own remarkable journey, he shows that hate is always a choice—but so is tolerance. Though Ebrahim was subjected to a violent, intolerant ideology throughout his childhood, he did not become radicalized. Ebrahim argues that people conditioned to be terrorists are actually well positioned to combat terrorism, because of their ability to bring seemingly incompatible ideologies together in conversation and advocate in the fight for peace. Ebrahim argues that everyone, regardless of their upbringing or circumstances, can learn to tap into their inherent empathy and embrace tolerance over hatred. His original, urgent message is fresh, groundbreaking, and essential to the current discussion about terrorism.

About Zak Ebrahim

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rudaina on March 26, 2018

As much as i enjoyed this book I was filled with sadness reading it. So heartbreaking how this family struggled to live because of the father's descisions that led to a disaster.......more

Goodreads review by Yigal on November 11, 2018

amazing story of zak ebrahim who his father shot rabbi Meir Kahane. a great read of a struggle of a sensitive soul to battle evil......more

Goodreads review by Meg on July 16, 2015

I heard the author speak on NPR while driving in Sumatra and felt inspired enough by his words to write down his name to look up. Just recently I found the scrap of paper and then found the book online...once opening the first page, I was mesmerized. His story is so full of pain...and I couldn't put......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on August 11, 2015

A powerful testament to the strength of a person's inner voice in the face of an unimaginable upbringing and life circumstance. The part of this that was the most meaningful to me is when he talked about how "bigotry cannot withstand your own experience. I learned the difference between what I was b......more

Goodreads review by Lien on January 10, 2018

3.5 stars **** Extraordinary story of a boy living behind the shadows of a terrorist father. Alot of poignant and inspirational lines in the book, my favourite will have be "My father lost his way- but that didn't stop me from finding mine." A story of faith instigating that we are the writers of our......more