Richard Jackson (5) (1966–)

Confessions of a Terrorist is a uniquely written perspective of what is and isn't a terrorist.

When I first started reading this book I was very interested in the argument given for being a terrorist, although I thought the argument was very one sided, and then I realized about half way through the book, that who I thought was the captured terrorist is actually the person interrogating the prisoner who is supposed to be the good guy. This makes for a very interesting plot.

The idea of who and what becomes a terrorist is unique based on where and how you were raised and there is truth in the arguments used. I also think that the arguments that only certain governments were wrong is based on the perspective of where you were raised.

All in all a very well written book, enjoyable, and entertaining.… (mehr)

DISCLAIMER: I received an advance reader’s copy of "Confessions of a Terrorist: A Novel" by Richard Jackson through a LibraryThing.com Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THINGS I LIKED:

1) Unusual format.
The book is written like an official transcript of an interrogation. It even has an official's comments written in cursive and certain parts of the text, which contain information related to the national security, are blacked out. These unique features create a feeling that you actually got your hands on some raw material which was not meant for the general public. In addition, a dialogue style makes the reading easy and entertaining, as there are no elaborate descriptions and fancy words used just in written English.

2) Good writing.
It's not an easy job to write an entire book as a dialogue between a terrorist and a British intelligence officer without making it sound artificial, but the author completed this task flawlessly. Each of the characters came alive in this novel through their speeches, their distinctive languages and speaking manners, even pauses or sounds made. The author successfully conveyed each character's message as well as their emotions and personalities.

3) Interesting perspective.
Instead of trying to understand the motives of terrorists, Western societies depict them as "insane, fanatical, psychologically damaged, cruel, immoral, essentially 'evil,' and most importantly, quite inhuman." In this novel, however, a terrorist has a chance to explain his actions and motives. I was actually shocked to realize that I agree with a lot of his points. Obviously, none of them can justify the awful killings of the innocent civilians but I do agree that the Western governments are not innocent either, yet none of them are perceived as insane or inhuman. So who is the real terrorist in this room?

COULD BE BETTER:

1) Repetitiveness.
I read the first half of this book very fast but then my pace slowed down quite a bit... The arguments made by each character and supporting examples started coming back. Although repeating some points might help to emphasize them, it makes the novel less exciting. By the end of the interrogation, both characters felt tired, and so did I.

VERDICT: 3 out of 5

"Confessions of a Terrorist" is an educational, well written novel, presented in a dialogue format. It is a thought provoking read which offers an unusual point of view on terrorism. Although sometimes a little bit repetitive, this book is definitely worth reading.… (mehr)