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maggietokudahall's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like every time I read a book written by someone in law enforcement, there's this arrogant tone of "everyone else was fucking up until I came along," and this book is no different in that regard. It's got some interesting insight, and I'd absolutely hand it to readers who know nothing of Islam except within discussions of terrorism, because it provides a very nice primer on the Islam the mass majority of Muslims practice.
deathcabforkatey's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the kind of non-fiction that sneaks up on you in its addictiveness. Tamer’s story is infectious - and holy hell the narrative reads like the greatest true crime ever with a justice twinge that feels SO GOOD.
But that alone wouldn’t make it 5 stars for me. No - what put this over the edge was the subtle way Tamer REALLY made me think. He put me in his shoes over and over again. How hard it was for him not only to pretend and twist his own religion, but to struggle with the idea of how to redeem. How to save. How to help his Muslim brothers. How can he be a good Muslim, and be a good American, and do his job to protect Americans from the threats that face our country every day.
My heart broke and tears came to my eyes at multiple points reading this. It was like a phenomenal action novel, but the story was true. I’m so grateful for the patriots like Tamer who sacrifice so much to protect this country. I’m thankful that he shared his story, including his passion and strength in his religion. Parts of this narrative were hard, but overall it left me feeling strong and protected.
But that alone wouldn’t make it 5 stars for me. No - what put this over the edge was the subtle way Tamer REALLY made me think. He put me in his shoes over and over again. How hard it was for him not only to pretend and twist his own religion, but to struggle with the idea of how to redeem. How to save. How to help his Muslim brothers. How can he be a good Muslim, and be a good American, and do his job to protect Americans from the threats that face our country every day.
My heart broke and tears came to my eyes at multiple points reading this. It was like a phenomenal action novel, but the story was true. I’m so grateful for the patriots like Tamer who sacrifice so much to protect this country. I’m thankful that he shared his story, including his passion and strength in his religion. Parts of this narrative were hard, but overall it left me feeling strong and protected.
shawnwhy's review against another edition
5.0
very interesting story , interesting look into the though process of a Jihadist, and their life pattern, and behavior. Im not sure how much the characters are stylized, but they are interesting, reminds me of how the terrorists are portrayed in NEal Stephenson's REamde
ajsterkel's review
4.0
American Radical: Inside The World Of An Undercover Muslim FBI Agent by Tamer Elnoury is a memoir. The author is an Egyptian-American Muslim immigrant who speaks Arabic and was working as a detective. Then 9/11 happened, and the FBI recruited him to infiltrate a terrorist group. Scary stuff. This book is intense, like a real-life thriller novel. I love the insights into how undercover operations work. They’re exhausting for the detectives who have to stay in character for months, and there’s a ton of legal red tape, especially when law enforcement agencies from different countries are involved. Things get messy. I also liked learning about Islamic terrorist groups. They’re messy too. The terrorists come from different parts of the world and have different morals and grievances. It’s hard to get everybody to agree on a murder plan. The best part of the book is when the author talks about himself. He’s a Muslim who spends months with extremists who use his religion as an excuse to hurt people. He’s always tempted to “save” them or talk sense into them, but he can’t because he’ll blow his cover and possibly be killed. It’s exhausting for him and fascinating to read about.
My only problem with the book is that I wanted more history. I wanted to know why the terrorist groups exist and what draws people to them. We don’t get much background information because the memoir is very action-focused. If you like thrillers, you’ll probably love it.
Do you like opinions, giveaways, and bookish nonsense?
I have a blog for that.
My only problem with the book is that I wanted more history. I wanted to know why the terrorist groups exist and what draws people to them. We don’t get much background information because the memoir is very action-focused. If you like thrillers, you’ll probably love it.
Do you like opinions, giveaways, and bookish nonsense?
I have a blog for that.
taralpittman's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! What a compelling memoir; in addition, the narration on the audio version is excellent! While this is the account of a fascinating individual, who has served as an uncover FBI agent within harrowing, life-threatening conditions, it reads like fiction and I could hardly stand to be away from it until I finished. Highly recommend!
paigeperry's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This book is one of the most interesting I’ve read all year. It read like a thriller until you remembered that these are real people and real events. Humbled by and thankful for the actions of undercover agents to keep our country safe.