Monday, October 26, 2009

72 Virgins by Avi Perry

The suicide-bomber's body was torn, his guts spilled out on the pavement. The dead guard next to him had his right arm ripped out of his body.

~Page 29, 72 Virgins by Avi Perry


Update @ 10:52 PM: Posting my review of 72 Virgins:


Title: 72 Virgins
Author:
Avi Perry
ISBN: 9780615280516
Publisher: Gradient Publishing/2009
Pages: 385

From the Publisher

72 Virgins is a novel about Jihad terrorism and the security agencies’ struggle to thwart its stratagem and trounce the perpetrators. Abu Musa is an Islamic Terrorist with an agenda, a ticking bomb inside the US. Arik Golan is an Israeli who tries to bring him down and pull the plug on his terror organization. Stanley Kramer is an FBI agent on a hunting mission, seeking to place both Abu Musa and Arik within his crosshair. The FBI, the Israeli Foreign Intelligence Service—the Mossad, the US-based Iranian clandestine terror network, and the Islamic Jihad fraternity are engaged in a timeless conflict, playing out to a crescendo that comes to a head before the dramatic conclusion.

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72 Virgins is about Global Terrorism, realistic, and hence scary too, in its depiction of Islamic Jihad. It might be fictional but it strikes home. It can anywhere, anyplace, any time by anyone who is like one of us. I am not going to write about the storyline but what is it really about.

The violence that comes in the wake of Jihad is rationalised by die-hard Islamists. Young impressionable minds are somehow influenced for suicide misions. This in the name of 72 virgins waiting in heaven to serve them for the killings and for that self destruction. There is this misplaced notion that God wishes for blood, as much as is possible, be it of innocent people. Only then, they can get to paradise and stay there for eternity. The big question is, the perpetrators are in no hurry to find that paradise for themselves.

In this fictional account, the FBI, Israeli Mossad and terror networks are at loggerheads and there can't be any end to it anytime soon. Each and everyone is trying to outdo the other, without any rationality or reasonings.

Here in India, we have been facing terrorism for the past 30 years or so. It comes across from the Indo-Pak border, training camps found in Pakistan as well as PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir). It is not confined there but has spread to all over India. Can anyone forget the Mumbai terror attacks where 10 terrorists held the whole city to ransom? Not anytime soon. How does one justify a religion which preaches violence? I am an apolitical person. But when terrorism affects my life, I can't stay silent and watch from the sidelines. I live in the shadow of it and yet haven't learnt to deal with it. For that reason only, I found this book fascinating where it speaks of the misplaced Jihad culture. This book made me pause, think and again resume it soon.

The book is a must read for everyone. If only to understand what is happening in the name of Global Terrorism. And also that political leaders can do to any length to achieve their own means and ends. There can't be happy endings but with awareness, maybe we can control it. Maybe not.

The quotation on my blog header says:

"I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us." Franz Kafka

72 Virgins sure did.

Do look out for a guest post by Avi Perry on my blog on 30th October.

I thank Tracee of Pump Up Your Book Promotion for my review copy of the book for virtual book tours.

41 comments:

Jo-Jo said...

Yikes...I will have to come back for your review! Great teaser.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

when i saw the title, i knew it had something to do with terrorism. great teaser, and i'll be watching for a review. thanks

Staci said...

Gruesome for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!

cherry said...

that's kinda morbid...good teaser!

Marg said...

Very graphic!

My teaser is here

Anonymous said...

Great teaser if somewhat graphic... Here's my teaser

Leslie said...

Man! That right there scares me... My best friend is away from home so I worry about this stuff all the time

JoAnn said...

Sounds a little too violent for me...

Book Dragon said...

shudder


thanks for the comment on my teaser, I had several to choose from but I thought this might make you sit up and notice. :-)

Unknown said...

Now tht's a teaser! This sounds like an intriguing, troubling book and one I am now very interested in. I hope you'll write a review!

Great teaser! Thank you!
~ Amy

Andrea said...

Wow, that's very vivid. Interesting teaser. Here's mine.

BurtonReview said...

Does NOT sound like a fun-happy-book. I do hope you are enjoying the story though, in its own way.

My Teaser is up at The Burton Review

Margot said...

Sounds a bit graphic but you got my attention.

Anonymous said...

Well that is certianly a powerful teaser. probably not abook I'd read, but I'm glad it's out there.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Vivid teaser! I'll be watching for your review!

Mine is here:

http://laurel-rain-snow.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Great teaser. Sounds like mind-expanding book.

Jennifer said...

Great teaser. I shall be adding this to my ever growing TBR list. Mine is here: http://www.rundpinne.com/2009/10/coppola-pediatric-surgeon-in-iraq.html

Lisa said...

Wow - and I thought my teaser was violent!

You can read it here.

Unknown said...

Oh my...that's graphic. Definitely got my attention.

Wendi said...

Wow - that teaser packs a lot of discriptiveness for such a short passage! Sounds sad, but I hope you are liking the book.

Here's my Teaser! ~ Wendi

Calico Crazy said...

Hmmm, it might have to wait for a time when I can read without the half-pint around. My teaser is up here.

Carrie K. said...

Ooo, that teaser paints a picture, doesn't it? Shudder.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a very powerful book. The teaser certainly grabbed my attention.

kayerj said...

oh my! If you want to wander down my road I’m home.

Cackleberry Homestead said...

Frightening teaser - this sounds like a very interesting and necessary book to read. I'll have to check it out.

Jo-Jo said...

What a great review...I definitely want to read this book. It makes me think of Three Cups of Tea, which I just finished, because in that book Mortenson found that by promoting education they were able to see that terrorism was wrong.

me said...

HATE stuff like this, (not the book, just the fact that folks actually have to live like and with this). Thanks for introducing it to me.

Bryan R. Terry said...

That's quite the teaser. Wow.

Mine is HERE

TexasRed said...

Wow - I need to read your final review of this book.

Here's my Teaser Tuesday.

The Westie Loving Therapist said...

Wow! Using the words from Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, "that was about all that she could say, wow!"

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is a graphic teaser. It definitely caught my attention.

Marce said...

Oh my I wasn't ready for that teaser, will have to read the review later.
Thanks for stopping over.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an intense book. I love the cover!

Sheila (bookjourney) said...

BLAH! LOL

Laya said...

Very graphic teaser! *le gasp* The book looks interesting, and very timely. By the way, I was born in Mindanao in the Philippines, so yes, I know that terrorism is all too real.

Thanks for dropping by my blog! :)

Yvonne said...

Wow! This sounds intense!

jlshall said...

This one might be a little too scary for me, but it does sound like an interesting read. Good teaser and review.

kt said...

Very dramatic, and yet, I'm very curious...

ibeeeg said...

Umm...WOW! I am curious as to what you think of this book. I will be looking for your review.

Mishel (P.S. I Love Books) said...

Very intense teaser!

Framed said...

I think I will have to pass on this book. Sounds too scary and violent for me.