Girl in the Sky, and Other Lies

A novel ENTIRELY IN "DIALOGUE"!See how Khalil is transformed from a simple religious boy into a suicidal terrorist. Midwest Book ReviewJ. A. Hailey does an outstanding job of exploring Achmet's world and its religious and social logic. Where another approach might have focused on terrorist activities, Hailey delves into the psyche of the jihadist movement and its participants. This affords insights not only into individual and group motivations, but the social and cultural influences which lead to conversion and violence. As these elements are revealed, readers receive a more in-depth understanding of these groups and their interactions, from the roles of teachers who have other purposes and motivations in mind, to the actual making of a "puppet creature" who does the Jihad's bidding without fully understanding its purposes.
Anyone interested in the making of a terrorist and the metamorphosis involved will find Girl in the Sky involving, astute, and hard to put down. It offers no pat answers about terrorism, but reveals processes that will leave readers pondering long after Khalil absorbs his lessons with an unexpected conclusion to the mission that simultaneously changes nothing...and everything.