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Terror Attacks
Terror attacks as we know them came into prominence in the 1960s with the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) & the Irish Republican Army (IRA). These groups, like many others, used violence against civilian populations in an effort to to effect change for either religions or ideological reasons. However, terrorism has been around for many centuries. This book traces its roots & examines the brutal acts that have shocked & horrified the world. Terrorism may destroy our foundation, but they cannot destroy our souls.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 15, 2022
The subtitle of this book on terrorism is The Violent Expression Of Desperation, which is an apt description for most of the acts committed over the ages. Starting with the ancients and working up to 2006 (year of publication), we get to see the many violent and destructive events carried out by various individuals and groups, along with the consequences of the results.
Early terrorism included Julius Caesar’s assassination by disgruntled members of the Roman Senate. There was also the Jewish faction known as the Zealots, who fought the Romans but also killed many Jewish citizens. Then the book moves quickly through the Gunpowder Plot, the Boston Tea Party, the Russian Pogroms, and the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The majority of the book rests with the modern age, which means we get nearly every single assassination or mass killing event from the twentieth-century through the early 21st-century.
It’s 576 pages of non-stop violence, with the emphasis on the many, many, IRA bombings. Since it’s a British publisher, that makes sense as it’s what affected them the most. Of all the eras, it seems the world lost its mind especially in the 1970s-1980s, with so many different terrorist acts occurring that the reading gets a bit bleary. Hijackings, kidnappings, massacres, planes and passengers eliminated…nasty. The authors don’t spend much time explaining the background of each terrorist group but it quickly becomes clear that even those organizations that started with clear goals ended up just being power-hungry with little regard for civilian casualties. If they were desperate at the beginning of their planning, they became psychopathic villains once they received media attention. However, they also lost any support from the very people they were supposed to be representing.
This isn’t a deep read, it’s meant to provide a simple history of violent acts carried out by organizations, as opposed to individuals. Normally, that would mean a solid three stars but there are too many errors, so one star is deducted. A good effort by the authors but somewhere there was a lack of quality assurance during the proofreading stage.
Book Season = Year Round (nutbuckets)
Early terrorism included Julius Caesar’s assassination by disgruntled members of the Roman Senate. There was also the Jewish faction known as the Zealots, who fought the Romans but also killed many Jewish citizens. Then the book moves quickly through the Gunpowder Plot, the Boston Tea Party, the Russian Pogroms, and the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The majority of the book rests with the modern age, which means we get nearly every single assassination or mass killing event from the twentieth-century through the early 21st-century.
It’s 576 pages of non-stop violence, with the emphasis on the many, many, IRA bombings. Since it’s a British publisher, that makes sense as it’s what affected them the most. Of all the eras, it seems the world lost its mind especially in the 1970s-1980s, with so many different terrorist acts occurring that the reading gets a bit bleary. Hijackings, kidnappings, massacres, planes and passengers eliminated…nasty. The authors don’t spend much time explaining the background of each terrorist group but it quickly becomes clear that even those organizations that started with clear goals ended up just being power-hungry with little regard for civilian casualties. If they were desperate at the beginning of their planning, they became psychopathic villains once they received media attention. However, they also lost any support from the very people they were supposed to be representing.
This isn’t a deep read, it’s meant to provide a simple history of violent acts carried out by organizations, as opposed to individuals. Normally, that would mean a solid three stars but there are too many errors, so one star is deducted. A good effort by the authors but somewhere there was a lack of quality assurance during the proofreading stage.
Book Season = Year Round (nutbuckets)
October 9, 2014
Terror Attacks: The Violent Expression of Desperation by Anne Williams and Vivian Head is a book about the attacks that have happened around the world. From the assassination of Julius Caesar to the tragic events of 9/11, to fighting in the wars of Iraq bring a horrific nightmare that would haunt people who witnessed the events for the rests of their lives.
This novel was a chronology of horrific events that have taken place in the world. One of them being the terrorists attacks of 9/11 when a terrorist group called Al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes. They crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and one into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Another one is the attacks of the Irish Republican Army, a group in Northern Ireland that conduct violence of their enemies in England. Constructing attacks with bombs that would kill thousands of innocent people including the attempts of killing political leaders such as Margaret Thatcher.
I really loved reading this book because I love history and learning about the past events.
This novel was a chronology of horrific events that have taken place in the world. One of them being the terrorists attacks of 9/11 when a terrorist group called Al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes. They crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and one into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Another one is the attacks of the Irish Republican Army, a group in Northern Ireland that conduct violence of their enemies in England. Constructing attacks with bombs that would kill thousands of innocent people including the attempts of killing political leaders such as Margaret Thatcher.
I really loved reading this book because I love history and learning about the past events.
March 2, 2021
This book is a relatively good introduction to some of the most culture shifting political occurrences over the course of Human history. Starting as early as 221 BC to 2006 (year of publishing) authors Williams and Head present the reader with brief summaries of key occurrences that fall under the umbrella of terroristic acts. While the sections for each individual event are not very extensive it does provide a good summary of key information on the potential or confirmed culprits. I do wish there was more explanation on the political implications of all the attacks mentioned. While good for general introductory knowledge, if doing research, I would recommend additional sources with more depth. This book did encourage me to pay more attention to what goes on in other countries and take the time to understand how those situations impact the world on a broader scale.
November 9, 2011
This book aims to be a historical collection of major terrorist acts. However, this book fails that task in tremendous fashion. To be able to compile a chronological sequence of deeds of terrorism, one must first understand the definition of terrorism and what that entails; the author clearly mistakes some historical events as "terrorism."
I do not waste time writing a review on a book that deserves as little attention as possible. Just to convey how silly and poor this book is, here is an actual quote printed on the back cover sleeve:
"Terrorism may destroy our foundations, but they will never destroy our souls..."
Fail.
I do not waste time writing a review on a book that deserves as little attention as possible. Just to convey how silly and poor this book is, here is an actual quote printed on the back cover sleeve:
"Terrorism may destroy our foundations, but they will never destroy our souls..."
Fail.
November 20, 2010
I buy it from Bookxcess for rm17...and it's not worth my money. Just another collection of my bookshelf
January 12, 2017
Really informal and well written and approachable.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews