5 comments about My Heart Became Attached: The Strange Journey of John Walker Lindh.

1. Mark Kukis has done what few authors have the nerve -- or skill -- to do: explored Lindh's path from American student to Taliban fighter by actually following in Lindh's footsteps. Along the way, Kukis vividly describes the places and personalities that shaped Lindh's transformation. Unfortunately, the Lindh family declined an interview with Kukis to tell their side of the story. However, Mr. Kukis does not let this setback interfere with his narrative, instead depicting Lindh as seen by people in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- a richer, more accurate and more rewarding depiction than would likely have emerged from an interview with the Lindh family in the comfortable confines of their California living room.

   In the end, Kukis leaves deliberately unanswered the central question in the Lindh paradox. Is John Walker Lindh a hapless American kid who made some really bad choices in finding himself -- the kind of bad choices many of us have made in life, only with drastically worse consequences? Or is he a cold and calculating zealot pledged to jihad against those he perceives as non-believers? The answer is ultimately locked away in Lindh's mind as securely as Lindh himself is incarcerated, but Mark Kukis has done an excellent job in literally walking in Lindh's footsteps to try to find that answer.




2. Kukis keeps you turning the pages on this well written biography of the American enigma which is "John Walker Lindh".

   Kukis daringly retraced Lindh's steps through the unforgiving hotbed of madrassas and dusty towns in the middle east to deliver an excellent recount of what happenned to this unique young adult. Kukis's interviews of those closest to Lindh in his final months before capture really gives you an insight to a world much different than Lindh's United States.

   This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys keeping abreast with current events as well as those who wish to peer into the mind of one of the most notorious 9-11 figures.




3. I was hoping to read more about why Walker Lindh committed the acts he did, but without a firsthand account, learning his beliefs was not possible.
   Also, the author should have tried to weave in the political dynamic of the world into the story instead of treating Walker Lindh as an isolated person.



4. Mark Kukis, the author of "My Heart Became Attached," tells what ends up being a rather pedestrian story about a young American who briefly gained notoriety as the "American Taliban" after 9/11.
   
   John Walker Lindh is the son of middle class parents who grew up in a comfortable household around Washington, DC and then in the San Francisco suburbs. Lindh, like many teenagers curious about the world and trying to find himself, develops a teenagers interest in Islam and the Arab world.
   
   Lindh converted to Islam in his late teens and, with a convert's zeal, throws himself into studying the language, culture and religion of the Arab/Muslim world. His first visit to the region was a trip to Yemen to study Islam and Arabic.
   
   After a brief trip back to the US, Lindh follows a friend he met at a local mosque to Pakistan. While there Lindh begins studying with more extreme and violent interpreters of his religion. He eventually found himself in a training camp for young Jihadists. The best of the camp's graduates were sent to fight in Indian held Kashmir. However, Lindh was determined to be too weak and poor as a soldier and was thus encouraged to go to Afghanistan.
   
   Lindh arrived in Afghanistan in the late summer of 2001. He trained at an al-Qaeda camp frequented by Osama bin Laden, and sat through what he thought were many boring bin laden lectures. He was then sent to the front lines of the Taliban's battle against the Northern Alliance. After 9/11 and American firepower was inserted into the conflict on behalf of the Alliance, Lindh and his comrades were quickly taken prisoner and sent to a makeshift prison at Mazar-i-Sharif. When a group of prisoners began a rebellion against their captors, Lindh escaped to the relative safety of a nearby cellar. However, he did briefly share the field with CIA officer Mike Spann, shortly before Taliban rebels murdered Spann.
   
   After the riot was finally quelled a week later, Lindh was taken by his American captors into custody, but not before a CNN crew could film the one interview that launched the infamy of the "American Taliban."
   
   The author was unable to interview Lindh for this book. He was, however, able to track down nearly everyone who came into contact with Lindh during his journey from suburbanite to Taliban. The story he tells is of a kid who stumbles from one place to another, somehow finding himself in bin Laden's audience and on the Taliban front line. That this could happen to such an ordinary American kid is the true lesson of this brief, but excellent, book.



5. The controversial story of John Walker Lindh is well-researched in this book. While the author was unable to speak with Lindh or his parents, he travelled to distant lands such as Yemen and Pakistan to interview people who met, studied, and trained with Lindh. The author remains relatively objective in his treatment of Lindh, neither condemning nor commending him. After reading this book, Lindh comes across as a sincere and thoughtful, albeit naive Muslim, perhaps swept up in the momentum of where his new found religion took him. After 9/11, many people will be outraged by the suggestion that Lindh was anything but a cold-blooded terrorist, especially since he was present when CIA agent Mike Spann was killed. Personally, I think the situation is far more complicated than that. I think that Mr. Spann was a true patriot who died defending the country he loved, but at the same time, I see Lindh as a sincere Muslim who thought he was defending the religion he loved. Who am I to say which one is superior? Also, I have to ask, if Lindh never joined the Taliban, and was not present that fateful day in Afghanistan, would Mike Spann still be alive? I'm afraid the answer is no. With that said, the author points out that only Lindh himself knows his true motives and intentions. I would have liked to learn a little more about Lindh's pre-Muslim days, but overall I found the book compelling and informative.

1 comments about Spiritual Terrorism: Spiritual Abuse from the Womb to the Tomb.

1. "Spiritual Terrorism" nails it in the first half of the book where it describes the psychological damage the teaching of eternal torment has brought to many people, especially children. It is shameful that people are still subjected to such teachings. I marvel too that such a belief system is called "good news"; an Orwellian term if I ever heard one.
   
   The second half of the book is where I drop one star. I'm just not convinced that the Bible teaches Universalism. I've read many books and articles on Christian Universalism and for every good argument there are counter arguments from those who believe the traditional (and abusive) version of eternal torment. If Universalism is the truth, then why isn't it more plain?

No comments about A World Ignited: How Apostles of Ethic, Religious, and Racial Hatred Torch the Globe.

No comments about Terrorism and the Liberal State.

No comments about Legal Terrorism: The Truth About the Christic Institute.

No comments about Simple Truths: The Real Story of the Oklahoma City Bombing Investigation (Oklahoma Horizons) (Oklahoma Horizons).

5 comments about Powersat.

1. This tale is taken from the current headlines and is sort of the X prize meets the Global War on Terror meets the Energy Crisis. The main character, Dan Randolph, owns a company that is trying to develop a satellite that will provide essentially unlimited solar power to the United States and solve all of our energy problems. He is trying to develop a commercial space flight capability to make this economically viable. Along the way, an evil Arab oil man is trying to sabotage his efforts so that the US remains dependent on Middle East petroleum. In short, the story is pretty thin. This novel should not be classified as a sci-fi story, there are virtually no sci-fi elements (other than the space plane). It is really a rather ordinary thriller in disguise. Additionally, it is almost entirely character driven. The relationships between the characters largely drive the story. I found the characters to be cliched and I couldn't have cared less at the end about Dan Randolph. The whole `Mideast terrorist' plot line is so cliched and ridiculous that is an insult to the readers intelligence. Bova goes out of his way several times through the book to sympathize with the innocent, peace-loving Israelis. The `Middle Easterners' on the other hand are nothing more than nasty Muslim towelhead terrorists. I wonder if Bova is writing for Fox News about Islamofascists. Third, Mr. Bova's spin on the US dependence on `Middle Eastern' oil is simply sophomoric. His gross oversimplification of a potentially interesting plot thread makes the story seem childishly naive. Finally, Bova uses this story as a platform to expound his personal views on the necessity of the commercialization of space. This is definitely a `read once, then throw in the box in the attic to be forgotten' and not worth the $7.99 to buy it new. Lightweight, unimaginative fare.



2. This is not a hardcore Sci-Fi novel as some may have been expecting. Instead it takes the reader on a murder mystery journey with the added suspense of the Powersat and its fate. I enjoyed this book as it kept me coming back for more. It's somewhat like a soap opera as it is very suspenseful and contains a mystery plot with some surprising twists. And of course, it provides a dash of hope for us cornucopia minded people. Fun Read...thanks Ben Bova!



3. I enjoyed this booke immensely. I thought that it was well researched and thought out. And, it applies to our modern times very well. All in all this book is a keeper.



4. Ben Bova at his typical good. This is another Dan Randolph thriller, written in 2005 to do some of the back story in the Grand Tour (Dan Randolph is the main character in Privateers and Empire Builders and appears in the first books the Asteroid Wars tetralogy). It also sets the stage for his off-and-on relationship with Jane Thornton Scanwell. It kept me reading, but the characters are shades of gray (better than solely black and white) but definitely not technicolor. An enjoyable confection, but not a meal.



5. Ben Bova always spins a very enjoyable yarn. This one stretched things just a bit though. Another "double-damn" and my head would have exploded.
   
   Another MAJOR problem with this book is the way it was laid out on my new #359 Kindle I just purchased from Amazon. Many times the 2-5 paragraph for a new chapter would come out of the blue and be at the end of the previous chapter. Then you "flip the page" and read the first paragraph, "Ohhhh, that's how it goes." Then you start reading the second paragraph and it picks up where it is supposed to.

1 comments about Public Health Issues in Disaster Preparedness: Focus on Bioterrorism.

1. This book is both valuable and timely. It shows how important it is to be prepared in detail at the local level. The book should be read by all those who would be involved in the aftermath of an attack, including EMTs, physicians, police and fire personnel, emergency department personnel, those in local government, local public health agencies, the CDC, and state and federal governments. This book is clearly written with contributions by well qualified experts. It should be on many desktops in every community. It makes clear what needs to be done in order to be prepared for a bioterrorism attack.

2 comments about Wars of the 21st Century: New Threats, New Fears.

1. Ramonet's work here is very broad in scope. In one relatively short work, he is able to bring together a vast and sweeping set of information and analysis on current environmental, political, economic and cultural trends in order to piece together their interlockings and formulate a cohesive picture of the state of the world. His information and reasoning are solid, while his analysis is definitively negative and could certainly be accused of pessimism, you will see that Ramonet has every right to be concerned. And we should not shy away from reading this book for its sweeping scope and presentation of highly devastating global trends. If we should not get caught between an indifferent global neo-liberalism that places profit above people and a regressive nationalism that could revive fascist racisms, we must face up. If we should not like to wait and see what ecological crises may be in store for us, we must open our ears to these arguments. If we should prefer to pretend to be happy and content, we can keep our eyes on our tvs and continue to shop mindlessly and not read such works, hoping that others will take care of the world for us and not lead us to disaster. But democracy requires daily work and an ability to take seriously the threatening trends that have emerged.
   This book is highly recommended, and is unique for its inclusion of ecological matters, as central to its political and economic critique.



2. I finished reading this wonderful, insightul book several hours ago so the intensity of his final chapters still resonate with me. Chapter Seven, The Empire Against Iraq, lays bare the lies and misinformation that the Empire has passed to the world through the media; Ramonet has assembled the facts and at least this juror is convinced of his arguements.
   
   I have tried to inform myself of the many strands of the reasons behind Globalization, the Iraq War, Kosovo and the Middle East-to name only four of his eight chapters and I believe the explanations given by him are the best that I have thus far read. I finisheded his book with great admiration for Ignacio Ramonet because he filled in the pieces of a large and extremely important world picture. If you read no other book about the politics of the contempoary world, this should be the book you choose. Other books, as good as they are, do not present the total picture as he does.
   
   Of couse his religio-conservative detractors will label him as being "a last century leftist" who has allowed his political blinkers to obscure his thinking. After reading his final chapter, Another World Is Possible, those detractors will have scope for many possible books as well as heated Letters to the Editor as they try to demonize him as a socialist and trivialize his arguments as being outmoded thinking. At the bottom of page 165 he briefly sets forth this programme: fostering fair trade, annulment of most official debt, protection of indigenous minorities, industries forbiddon from deveoping nonsustainable ecological programmes-only a few-there are at least 15 others..
   
   We know that this programme has no chance of being implemented but at least its illumination by Ramonet and others like him mean that not all of the western world has intellectually died from the effects of the conservative mind-wash.

No comments about Nationalism, Violence and Democracy: The Basque Clash of Identities.