Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Nicola, Christianne, and Marie are mothers who discovered too late that their sons had been radicalized online and had flown from the West to join the tens of thousands of foreign ISIS fighters in Syria. Too often extremists are portrayed as having sprung from the earth as irredeemable killing machines, but these women underscore the deeper truth that no one is born a terrorist, and they have themselves become activists in preventing violent radicalism. Grasping at the Root explores innovative new counter-extremism programs around the world, including in the United States, Europe, Pakistan, and Indonesia. We meet an American judge who has staked his career on finding new ways to handle terror suspects, a Pakistani woman running a game-changing school for former child soldiers, a radicalized Somali American who learns through literature to see beyond his Manichean beliefs, and a former neo-Nazi who now helps disarm white supremacists."--,Provided by publisher.

Too often extremists are portrayed as having sprung from the earth as irredeemable killing machines, but the deeper truth is that no one is born a terrorist. Power begins by talking to the mothers of young men who've joined ISIS in the UK and Canada, then explores innovative new counter-extremism programs around the world. She speaks to the rise of division and radicalization in all forms, both at home and abroad, and offers new ways to overcome the rising tides of extremism, one life at a time. -- Adapted from jacket.

Power begins her journey by talking to the mothers of young men who'd joined ISIS in the UK and Canada; from there, she travels around the world in search of societies that are finding new and innovative ways to rehabilitate former extremists. We meet an American judge who has staked his career on finding new ways to handle terrorist suspects, a Pakistani woman running a game-changing school for former child soldiers, a radicalized Somali American who learns through literature to see beyond his Manichean beliefs, and a former neo-Nazi who now helps disarm white supremacists. Along the way Power gleans lessons that get her closer to answering the true question at the heart of her pursuit: Can we find a way to live together? ...[This book] speaks to the rise of division and radicalization in all forms, both at home and abroad. In this richly reported and deeply human account, Carla Power offers new ways to overcome the rising tides of extremism, one human at a time. -- Publisher's website.

Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction Finalist, 2022

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