Jessica Stern Knihy

The first major book on ISIS since its rise in summer 2014 draws on unique access to intelligence, law enforcement, and open-source research. The authors outline the origins of ISIS, exploring its transformation into a formidable terrorist group. The book examines the disturbing nature of pro-jihadi videos, the allure of 'jihadi chic,' and the Islamic State's effective use of social media to recruit individuals from countries like the U.S., U.K., and France, highlighting cases such as Douglas McCain, an American who joined ISIS. While the narrative is grim, it also provides informed insights into potential government responses to ISIS, stressing the need to adapt our understanding of terrorism and respond swiftly to the evolving jihadi landscape, both online and offline. This work is not just a compelling account of a terrorist organization's evolution but also a crucial examination of what actions should be taken next—by nations, governments, and the global community.

For four years, Jessica Stern interviewed extremist members of three religions around the world: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Traveling extensively—to refugee camps in Lebanon, to religious schools in Pakistan, to prisons in Amman, Asqelon, and Pensacola—she discovered that the Islamic jihadi in the mountains of Pakistan and the Christian fundamentalist bomber in Oklahoma have much in common. Based on her vast research, Stern lucidly explains how terrorist organizations are formed by opportunistic leaders who—using religion as both motivation and justification—recruit the disenfranchised. She depicts how moral fervor is transformed into sophisticated organizations that strive for money, power, and attention. Jessica Stern's extensive interaction with the faces behind the terror provide unprecedented insight into acts of inexplicable horror, and enable her to suggest how terrorism can most effectively be countered. A crucial book on terrorism, Terror in the Name of God is a brilliant and thought-provoking work.

As bad as they are, why aren't terrorists worse? With biological, chemical and nuclear weapons at hand, they easily could be. Jessica Stern argues that the nuclear threat of the Cold War has been replaced by the more imminent threat of terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction.