A review by canada_matt
Rise of Isis: A Threat We Can't Ignore by Jay Sekulow

1.0

Sekulow touches on a poignant topic in this loosely stitched book based on a collection of his academic papers and speeches on the topic of ISIS, formerly AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq). What began slowly, but intriguingly soon became a soapbox diatribe against the group collectively called the international left. Sekulow begins with some interesting history and horrific discussions of what ISIS does, which made the basis for some eye-opening reading. However, much of the book was hijacked with talk of Hamas, the Palestinian-based terrorist group that works in and around Israel. The authors take the reader down this road, pounding the tenets of international law and historical flashbacks, but with no direct relation to the topic at hand (which I thought was clearly noted in the title, THE RISE OF ISIS)! Bemoaning the world, save for Israel and pre-Obama US military actions, the authors use this book as their own means to push a pro-Israeli stance onto the reader, sweetening everyone up with a few chapters on ISIS and then coming back to them at the end with a war drum booming towards the terrorist group's annihilation. Poorly plotted and not worth the time invested.

Seeking an outlet to better understand this group, I strove to take the time to read and see what the authors had to say about the topic, and to perhaps leave the reading experience with something to add to my intellectual quiver. I was sorely mistaken and hope that Sekulow and company make little on this piece of drivel. True, it was well researched and cited (kudos there), but I went in wanting knowledge and left feeling preached to and ill at ease.

For shame, Mr. Sekuow and friends. You slapped this together like a second-grade history report and tried to make i spiffy with footnotes and quotes. Stop dressing your wolfish research up in sheep's clothing.