At The Heart Of Terror

This accessible and deeply informed book examines the threat that Muslim extremists pose to America and suggest steps that will facilitate U.S. efforts to defeat them.

Terror in the Heart of Freedom: Citizenship, Sexual Violence, and the Meaning of Race in the Postemancipation South

An alarming and enlightening first-hand account of what’s really going on behind the borders of the Islamic State. ISIS, IS, the Islamic State. The name is chilling. The images are horrific. This is a group that beheads journalists—and yet one, the German Jürgen Todenhöfer, went out of his way to get an invitation to visit ISIS fighters in Mosul in 2014 to ask them to explain their beliefs. This book is the result of his conversation. My Journey into the Heart of Terror: Ten Days in the Islamic State shows how the organization grew from its al-Qaeda roots and takes a harsh look at the West’s role in its past and today. Along the way, Todenhöfer offers startling insights into what ISIS thinks, what it wants—and what must change if it is to be defeated. Only by understanding, Todenhöfer believes, can we move forward and combat ISIS’s radical, violent interpretation of Islam and the terror and destruction it brings.

The jihadist group ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has been wreaking havoc in northern Iraq and Syria. But its reign of terror is not confined to the Middle East. Its 2014 beheadings of American journalist James Foley and Israeli-American journalist Steven Sotloff have shocked the world and instilled fear in the hearts of many Westerners. ISIS is the wealthiest, most technologically advanced, and most powerful terrorist organization in history. Its members are extremely diverse, having been recruited from countries all over the globe, including Canada, Britain, and the U.S. Now that ISIS has the world’s attention, what’s next? Governments around the world have spent billions of dollars employing military strategies, and they are still convinced that ISIS is mainly a political problem that requires a political solution. But what if the answer isn’t political or military? What if the real solution is spiritual in nature? Missionaries from the underground church of China are launching a spiritual offensive. They are not armed with a sentence of death but with a message of life, and ISIS jihadists are in their crosshairs. In ISIS, the Heart of Terror, you will learn about the missionary vision “Back to Jerusalem” and the underground church’s unique method of responding to ISIS by evangelizing Muslim militants. Discover how Chinese missionaries are fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing the gospel with some of the most unreachable people groups in the world, and find out how Christians everywhere can take part in a powerful evangelization of the Middle East.

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER​ Named one of the most anticipated novels of the season by People, Associated Press, Time, Los Angeles Times, Parade, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and more. From the #1 bestselling authors Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny comes a novel of unsurpassed thrills and incomparable insider expertise—State of Terror. After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone’s surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of secretary of state. There is no love lost between the president of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new secretary of state. But it’s a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate. As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer (FSO) on the Pakistan desk at the State Department, receives a baffling text from an anonymous source. Too late, she realizes the message was a hastily coded warning. What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena. As the horrifying scale of the threat becomes clear, Secretary Adams and her team realize it has been carefully planned to take advantage of four years of an American government out of touch with international affairs, out of practice with diplomacy, and out of power in the places where it counts the most. To defeat such an intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy, it will take the skills of a unique team: a passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new secretary of state. State of Terror is a unique and utterly compelling international thriller cowritten by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th secretary of state, and Louise Penny, a multiple award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling novelist.

A journalist’s travelogue of war-torn Sri Lanka “brings refreshing clarity and enlightenment” to our understanding of terrorism (Robert Young Pelton). Armed with a map and a motorcycle, Mark Stephen Meadows ventures to Sri Lanka’s war zone to interview terrorists, generals, and heroin dealers on their own terms. He seeks only to understand the conflict and witness the civil war’s effects on the country. As he travels north through Colombo, Kandy, and the damaged city of Jaffna, Meadows discovers an island of beauty and abundance ground down by three decades of war. He is invited into an ancient culture where he learns to trap an elephant, weave rope from coconut husks, cast out devils, and even have afternoon tea with terrorists. Meadow’s story and take on the war focuses on the interconnectedness of globalization, the media, and modern terrorism in what Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, calls “an excellent undertaking.”

A deaf woman navigates a maze of danger and intrigue in the first High Stakes thriller from the USA Today–bestselling author of A Silent Fury. When Marianna Santino’s roommate is killed, Detective Ethan O’Hara can’t fathom the motive. Then he realizes the deaf teacher was the intended target. Marianna must have something the murderer desperately wants. But what? Digging for the truth, the guarded cop tries to learn everything he can about Marianna. Her world. Her family. Her beauty, faith and fierce independence. In spite of himself, Ethan finds that he can’t keep his feelings at bay. Soon, he’s willing to risk everything—including his heart—to lay the silent terror stalking Marianna to rest.

I remembered reading somewhere that "all is meaningless: the sun rises and sets; seasons come and go...Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before..." The futility and emptiness of my life overwhelmed me. Existence with a purpose was far removed from my essence. Chase Harte prefers a life without strictures. He enjoys his profession teaching English in foreign countries. It affords him the sense of adventure he desires and allows him to experience many different cultures. It is while teaching in Japan that Chase is introduced to Daoud, an Iranian national in Japan working in construction. While teaching Daud English, Chase learns of Daoud's past. Shortly after their first meeting, Daoud suffers a fall and badly injures his leg. Both Chase and Daoud go their separate ways. Chase heads home to the United States; Daoud heads home to Iran. Both are surprised when their less-than-desirable jobs wind up reuniting them. Both will come to find that the God of the Bible is the only one who can offer true peace and freedom. Both will help prevent disaster for Americans by thwarting the plans of the terrorists they find themselves working with.