Children of Jihad: A Young American's Travels among the Youth of the Middle East
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Defying foreign government orders and interviewing terrorists face to face, a young American tours hostile lands to learn about Middle Eastern youth— and uncovers a subculture that defies every stereotype.In 2004, Jared Cohen embarked on the first of a series of incredible journeys to the Middle East in an effort to understand the spread of radical Islamist violence among Muslim youth. The result is Children of Jihad, a portrait of paradox that probes much deeper than any journalist or pundit ever could.Chosen as one of Kirkus Review's Best Books of 2007, Cohen's account begins in Lebanon, where he interviews Hezbollah members at, of all places, a McDonald's. In Iran, he defies government threats and sneaks into underground parties, where bootleg liquor, Western music, and the Internet are all easy to access. His risky itinerary also takes him to a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, borderlands in Syria, the insurgency hotbed of Mosul, and other front-line locales. At each turn, he observes a culture at an uncanny crossroads. Gripping and daring, Children of Jihad shows us the future through the eyes of those who are shaping it. Kirkus Reviews An intrepid writer journeys to the Middle East at the dawn of the 21st century to document the lives of young people whose countries are immersed in social and political upheaval. In this engrossing book, Cohen artfully combines his natural confidence and flare as a writer to produce a revealing look at the youth of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Iraq. He gives a loose overview of the history of each region and then eloquently details his encounters with the young people he meets. The trip begins in Iran with Cohen clutching a piece of paper listing all the important political figures he wants to interview. But a chance meeting with two sisters at the University of Tehran, and an introduction to the city's nightlife, propel the author away from these lofty goals and toward a documentation of youth culture. Once he hits his stride, the highlights come thick and fast, with tales of illegal alcohol consumption in Iran, encounters with Hezbollah members in fast-food restaurants, a pulse-racing scenario in a Palestinian refugee camp and a daring entrance, and terrifying exit, from Iraq. But the real revelations come from the author's conversations with the people he meets along the way. Many express pro-American sentiment, and despite some healthy debate, particularly in Cohen's meetings with university students in Iran and Iraq, he is never subjected to overt hostility, even from Hezbollah. The author also makes some telling observations on how the Internet and cable television have provided a vital, and heretofore unthinkable, link between the Middle East and the rest of the world. To his credit, Cohen rarely hides the fact that he is Jewish and American, and his openness appears tohave been highly respected among the people he encountered-it's also one of the primary reasons why this book makes for such compelling reading. Riveting from start to finish.
Prologue 11 Destination Iran 92 Removing the Shackles 303 Democracy after Dark 494 Nuclear Pride 735 "Death to America" 856 The Calm Before the Storm 1087 The All-Night "Party of God" 1378 Struggling for Dignity 1569 Babies in the Ba'ath Party 17710 The Road to Mesopotamia 20311 Iraqis Who Like Us 22412 Waking Up in the Insurgency 252Epilogue: The Youth Party 266Acknowledgments 276
