Customer Reviews

The Price of Terror

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This book tells the story of the long search for justice by the families of the victims of Pan Am flight 103 destroyed over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988. It makes for compelling reading, most especially in the aftermath of the 1 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The authors describe, often in numbing detail, the prolonged efforts of the relatives of those killed in the Pan Am 103 terrorist attack to bring to justice the perpetrators of the single most catastrophic terrorist attack on American civilians to that time. Focusing on the bureaucratic and legal aftermath of the attack, the authors paint a frustrating picture of the often convoluted nature of the American legal and political systems. In so doing, they provide a sobering roadmap and a bitter foretaste of what many of the victims of 1 September 2001 have in their future.

This is an amazing book! The authors tell the story of the Pan Am 103 tragedy with sensitivity and intelligence, detailing the unfolding events in a particular time-sequenced pace that is as riveting and vivid as any film or painting. The families' expression of grief through art and self-sacrifice, and the authors' untiring search for justice over 12 years are the human elements that make this story immensely fascinating. "The Price of Terror" chronicles modern terorism and puts it into historical perspective, and the courage and spirit of these people make this a book not to be missed. Everyone needs to read this!!!

Adler and Gerson have crafted a compelling tale that investigates the wake of horrors left by the crash of Pan Am 103. It is never less than riveting in its fluid writing style and compassionate exploration of the travails of the victims' families. Gerson is obviously a committed and passionate advocate for the rights of victims of terrorism, and Adler, a well-known figure at Newsweek, has written with his usual flair for interweaving the telling personal details that make the story come vibrantly to life. The writing is vivid and the story gripping. This book stands out in a crowd of recent works about terrorism that have been rushed to market after September 11.

This book is about the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and the families of the victims attempt to see justice done. A journalist and one of the lead attorneys write the book in one of the main cases that came out of the incident. The bombing of the plane is the event that starts this process, but the main focus of the book is the attempts by the families to change the laws in American in order to bring lawsuits against Libya. The authors go into great detail about the process the families went through to lobby congress to pass through legislation that would create a legal basis for their lawsuits to move into the courts. The book also talks somewhat about the struggle some of the families had with the coping of the loss of their loved ones.

Overall the writing was good and the story that the authors chose to focus on was done in an organized and complete method, but I was a little disappointed in the overall book. Because of the focus on the legal / congressional procedural side of the story, I felt that the story was not well paced, it drug a bit. I was looking for a more complete telling of the story for example learning more about some of the people on the plane. The authors did touch on a few people very briefly, but that was in an effort to introduce family members that were working on the lawsuits. I was also looking for a more detailed account of the actual aftermath of the event, the recovery effort in Scotland. The most disappointing thing for me was the lack of detail on how the investigation was conducted.

The one point that outraged me was the lack of interest the executive branch of the US government took in helping the people out and the insensitive run around they gave the people. I think my disappointment in this book stems from wanting to read a book different from this one. If you are interested in the legal struggles the families faced after the event then this is the book for you. If you are looking for more of an overall review of the incident then this book will probably disappoint you as much as it disappointed me.

While one might think that this book is simply about the Pan Am 103 families' quest for justice, it is about much much more. It is about the human spirit in times of sorrow, a theme which is especially important after September 11. While some parts are solemn, the book ends on a hopeful note with lessons for us all. It teaches us what was done in the past, and teaches us that we can fight terror individualy. It is truly an amazing book and is also quite simply a fascinating story. I recomend this book to every single American citizen, and any other, because if we all read this book, we would be at a different level of peace and understanding, motivation and hope. I not only recomend reading this book, I beg you to read this book and to give it your children, and their children to read and learn.

Gerson and Adler combine forces to create a truly informative and compelling book. In this time of confusion, the wisdom provided by the events covered in "The Price of Terror" lends answers to seemingly unanswerable questions. This book shows that there are lessons to be learned from what happened with Pan Am flight 103 and the Oklahoma City bombings. In lieu of September 11th this is a must-read for families and communities wondering how to cope with the recent tragedies.