Terrorism 101 is an annotated bibliography, a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph, or annotation, the function of which is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
Webster defines terrorism as “the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion.” For most, that definition is sufficient, but there is no single definitive definition of the word. Author Leon Newton says, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” I believe that “terrorism” is a relative term open to many different interpretations.
Newton observes that most “terrorists” do not conform to the typical expectation of what a terrorist is. For instance, he or she is not necessarily a socially or economically lower-class person. Newton combines many different views to support his own perception of terrorism. There may never be a “complete” compilation of outlooks on terrorism simply because it continues to evolve on an almost daily basis. That being said, Terrorism 101 is certainly a good reference for today’s current perspective on the term.
The book itself is not what I would describe as an easy read, but apropos to an annotated bibliography on the mark. Newton does use this venue to express his disagreement with the PATRIOT Act. I agree that the PATRIOT Act has its shortcomings, but more so I feel that it is for the good of the country. Certainly it is the result of a terrorist act and as such has its place in this book, but it should not be vituperated in each chapter. This book is recommended for those needing a thorough reference on the topic of terrorism.