Non-Fictional Prose Course

I came across an online book on Tripod entitled Suicide Bombers: The Psychological, Religious and Other Imperatives compiled by Mary Sharp. The book has an article in it by Ofed Grosbar called "The Drama of the Suicide Terrorist," which reads:

 I found The Path to Paradise to be one of the best books that I have read in a long time. The language used and the writing style made for a read easy on the eyes, although the complexity of the ideas, history, and emotion forced me to take my time with each paragraph. I loved the conversational style mixed in with Berko's own experiences and interpretations, and the combination of the historical and cultural details along with the personal depth that Berko gained in her interviews compelled me to keep reading. Reading The Path to Paradise, I thought that Berko essentially spelled out who she is to us: she is a Jew from Israel who spent hundreds and hundreds of hours interviewing suicide bombers and their dispatchers.

NOVEMBER 9, 2010 

Reading excerpts for the next few weeks, read online from Google Books (about 100 pages per class) except for Coles which we will read in its entirety

Online Reading: hyper reading / screen-based…NOT close reading, but distant! Hayles suggests that close reading is not the only kind of reading and there is a lot we can do with “machine reading.” Argues that machines can read!

Anne’s online paper comments are up! Read around and check out our linkings. Anne gives an overview of paper’s topics (many dictionary works, and very few documentaries covered)

Third 4 pg paper is due on Dec. 3 and final 12 pg paper due on Dec 17! Talk with Anne individually before final due on the 17th.

I was curious to see what the reviews of Path to Paradise were like so I searched a little bit online to find some. Most of the reviews I found were very positive (because most of the ones I found were on sites trying to endorse sale of the book) but one I found particularly interesting was a Washington Times review:

As is the basis of many faith and affinity groups, the purpose (or truth, if you will) of the gathering is shared among the participants. The shaheed Berko interviews share similar perspectives and must, in the end, all hold the same idea that it is glorious to die in the service of Allah by eradicating Jews. As Anne and I have been discussing in the comments on my second webpaper, the group-think aspect of shared truth presents a unique set of issues, not the least of which is how to authenticate or validate truths when the only checks/balances are one's compatriots. When we all believe the same thing, we are no longer checking the truth critically but instead accept the common status-quo ideas.

In my education class, we were discussing bullies and the students they bully. One of the questions asked as a conversation starter, was whether bullies or the bullied deserved more attention in a school/ class setting. As in, who is the victim in the a bullying situation? and who deserves more attention?

As  I was reading Path to Paradise, I thought, "Could we all be victims? Victims of the environments that surround us and the pressures that are imposed on us to maintain certain standards?"

 It was really interesting to read Path to Paradise and get the perspective of the “bad guys” directly after reading the 9/11 graphic adaptation. While I fully support the idea to read these books back to back to compare/contrast them, I thought that Path to Paradise made the point that the cultures of the US and the middle east do not lend themselves well to comparison. The ideologies of the two counties are just too different. On page 54 when the author interviews Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and asks him what the idea behind suicide bombing is, since the bomber is obviously dead after the attack, Yassin responds with the statement that the bomber is not dead, but alive with Allah.

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