Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea (Contemporary Psychology) [Hardcover]

Alice LoCicero (Author), Samuel J. Sinclair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0275996905 | ISBN-13: 978-0275996901

The authors explain how and why we must understand the conditions that spur youths to become martyrs by making them think suicide bombings and other acts of self-destructive terrorism are a good way to die. LoCicero and Sinclair present cutting-edge research and theory about the political, social, and living conditions that raise the risk of children deciding to join organizations that use terrorist tactics, and, having joined, to volunteer for missions in which they intentionally die while causing death and destruction, in order to make an impact. Equally important, LoCicero and Sinclair offer concrete suggestions about how ordinary Americans can help reduce and prevent terrorism around the globe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a relatively short book composed of six chapters. The first chapter consists of a chatty travelogue describing one author's visit to Sri Lanka. The second begins with the description of a conference held in 2007 in Madrid and then uses it as a backdrop for consideration of the problems of defining 'terrorism' and 'terrorist,' as well as other major conceptual problems faced by scholars studying terrorism. The book relies primarily on the impressions gathered on the visit to Sri Lanka, secondary scholarly sources, literary works, and conference proceedings. The third chapter tries to apply the literature on cognitive development. The fourth focuses on the hopelessness of ending the 'war' these children are facing--some child interview material is used anecdotally. The fifth considers the problem that most victims of terrorist attacks are civilians."

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Choice

Review

"What could possibly lead young people, in their teens or even younger, to knowingly take their own lives in order to kill others? LoCicero and Sinclair provide thoughtful, original, and provocative answers to this question. Unlike other recent discussions of the motives that drive terrorist violence, the authors take a developmental and cultural perspective, focusing on the evolving mind of the young person who lives in a world in which his or her people are dominated by powerful others and basic human rights and opportunities are scarce. Based on the best modern and classic scholarship and their own in-depth interviews with young and older persons in war-torn regions, they provide a powerful analysis that is sure to add to our understanding of one of the most vexing problems facing today's world."

(

Tom Pyszczynski, Ph.D, Professor of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (August 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275996905
• ISBN-13: 978-0275996901
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,308,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak research, June 1, 2009

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea (Contemporary Psychology) (Hardcover)

This book was a great disappointment to me. Its title is both explicit and deceiving: "Creating Young Martyrs." This book attempts to explain how "youth" (young children between the ages of 10-16 or so) "develop" terrorist concepts in assaulting and killing noncombatants. However, the authors quote just a handful of child/youth-development theorists. They spent a staggering 3 weeks in Sri Lanka, from which they apply their experiences observed there in explaining how almost all other terrorist acts occur elsewhere around the world. While "youth" is mentioned in their book's title, their theories center more on how `children' develop assaultive tendencies. The book's cover shows several children wearing Arabic-worded headbands, yet the word `Muslim' does not even appear in the book's index (although I recall seeing the word once or twice). Variations of "Islam/Islamic" appear about eight times. Although the author's only observed country experiencing wartime martyrdom attacks was "Sri Lanka", issues pertaining to "America" appear just as frequently! This book really doesn't investigate the book's subtitle: "Conditions that make dying in a terrorist attack seem like a good idea." It's amazing how putting the word "martyr" in one's book title implies that someone is going to learn the motives behind those who attacked America on 9/11 (it sells books). Sadly, you are not going to find it in this book. You are not going to learn what motivated the suicide bombings occurring in Iraq during 2004-2009, because instea the authors spend their research time in asking children for their views on what can be done to reduce the threat of nuclear warfare.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A multi-facteded approach to a terribly complex problem, October 22, 2008

By 

D. Geller "Madrikh" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea (Contemporary Psychology) (Hardcover)

I know the author and expected to find the book interesting, but I was truly blown away by the way that this book shines many different lights-- from scholarly to intensely personal -- on this terrible tragedy. In a fairly slim volume I learned about the current theories of how children (and others) get trapped into doing terrorist acts or fighting as soldiers, I learned something about what children (including ex-soldiers) think about the world and the U.S., and I learned to see through their eyes how the actions of major Western powers like the United States on the international stage affect their lives. Woven through the book are references not just to scholarly articles but to literature (i.e., fiction) that touches on and illuminates the issues. Some will certainly find the compilation of cutting-edge research, from a variety of psychological perspectives, of high value, but for me the most memorable moments are when the children speak. Even more that the question of how children choose to be martyrs, this book also addresses the question of how children in war-ravaged lands can say, matter-of-factly "There will never be peace during my life."

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting book, October 9, 2008

By 

Beth Hauck (Potomac Falls, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea (Contemporary Psychology) (Hardcover)

This is a really interesting book and very up-to-date, having been published in 2008. It's amazing that with all the focus on national security since 9-11, there has been very little written about trying to understand the psyche of the terrorist. Whether you're a hawk or dove, it should make sense to try to understand the psychological, family and society influences that can make young people do things that most Americans can't even begin to understand.

This book does a great job. It explains the research that has been done on the terrorist mentality and ties it together with what we know about child development in general, all in a very engaging way, with anecdotes and examples from the authors' interviews with children and adults who live in a society in which war and terrorism are a way of life. CREATING YOUNG MARTYRS is a very enlightening read for ordinary Americans and should be must-reading for anyone working in the area of national security.