Radical: My Journey Out Of Islamist Extremism

I appreciate Mr. Nawaz's journey and his sharing that with us. Ever since 9-11 I have been trying to understand the "why" of radical Islamist thinking.....in particular how relatively well educated middle class young men could decide to follow a path with the devastating results we have seen. His book was quite helpful in shining a light on the frustrations leading to radicalization, and the appeal of the logic and seeming togetherness that the radical movement had to offer. The book carried me along, and didn't fall down until near the end as Mr. Nawaz began to wrap it up. It may be somewhat difficult to write your own story without using the "I" word too much. But at the end I felt like I was reading the CV of a recent college graduate listing all of his accomplishments. On balance, however, the book is worth reading for the story and the insights it provides.

Look.... It's important for everyone in the west particularly white older Christians, to understand how someone could be radicalized and ho grass roots efforts to provide an alternative, could stop it. So read it.

Nawaz's life is a search for deeper meaning. Like many of today's youth, who don't understand why their existence is not absurd, they become easily led down destructive paths. Maajid paid a heavy price for is poor choices. He is one of the lucky ones that brought about change in his own life. People do have the capacity to change. No matter our varied circumstances, life has meaning. Nawaz's experiences are singular and unique. I gained insight to a slice of the world that is dark and misdirected. There are evil forces at work anxious to destroy even the participants. Maajid was nearly one of those casualties. The book was good. I'd recommend it.

After hearing about Mr. Nawaz through podcasts and interviews lead me to read his book and I found it amazing. He tells his life story in brutal honesty from childhood through his two political and religious awakenings. For those who are interesting in current world affairs I think his book is a must read. The chapters are flowing and his explanation of Islamism vs Islam was enlightening. I left his book feeling hopeful and inspired about the future. The world can be a dark and horrid place but Mr. Nawaz in every sense of the word fights the good fight. Buy this book and support his cause.

A heartfelt journey through the pains of rejection the joy of connection with your social group to the dangers and excitement of following extreme dogma and finally the embracing peaceful reasoning. The perspective of Maajid's journey from plotting terror to plotting peace is truly eye opening and educating.

With great skill and deft storytelling, Maajid Nawaz takes us on a journey through his life, from the streets of Southend as a young boy experiencing the racism of ignorance to his current position as the leader of a group spearheading the international response to Islamist terrorism through peace and democracy.
As a white American who grew up Muslim, this story resonates with me. I did not experience racism, but did feel like an outsider among both Muslims (not Muslim enough) and Americans (you're Muslim?). Maajid Nawaz has found a middle ground through his experiences and promotes ideas that support both Islam and all that goes along with democracy: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and so on. But underlying all of this is one man's ideological journey to hell and back.
A riveting story.

For anyone concerned about the trajectory world affairs have taken at the beginning of the 21st century and interested in ways to create a more civilized world in which different cultures can co-exist peacefully and learn from each other, this book will be an inspiration.

Courageous account of decent into radical Islam. Gives a understanding into the mind of those that support this ideology. I would recommend this book to everyone that is interested in finding a solution to this increasing problem.

I normally don't read books that are political in nature, but I found this one very informative from the perspective of someone who has been on both sides of the cultural struggle. It opened my eyes to how misguided we ALL can be in our thinking about truth. Would recommend.

While Maajid Nawaz may no longer be an Islamist radical, his book suggests he is still a narcissist, something he shares in common with all terrorists. This book is remarkably glib, amazingly indifferent regarding anyone he was once truly close to. As he goes from one save-the-world vision to another, I found myself troubled by his messianic personality, though of course he might have been badly served by his editor/ghost writer.

It's a fascinating book! Maajid Nawaz tells the story of his radicalization, his imprisonment, and subsequently his revelation that true Islam is being used by Islamist extremists and that democracy and Islam are not at war. In fact, they can and should coexist. He is a voice which should be heard.

While I wholly believe in the importance of a movement dedicated to shining a light on Islamism, this is not that book. Nawaz is missing a key element to make this that strong narrative - a voice. Throughout the book, I found my critical thinking alarms ringing like crazy. How can you know exact details of a minor part of the story and leave out key points which might clarify why Islamist extremism is dangerous? What were your methods of recruitment? What kind of numbers did he draw to the Islamism movement? Give me more information about the people attracted to this form of extremism.

Which segues to the name-dropping... I found myself consistently lost as I tried to identify with the characters in the book. Not enough time or attention was spent with most of the main players. What we get is a memoir of a man who obviously believes he is very important.

His cause is important, and for that I am grateful to have read his story. However, this is not a well written piece and (IMO) confuses the core message. We need storytellers to bring us a clear tale that will spark the understanding and create a real movement. I didn't find that here.

A thoughtful and fiercely pragmatic call out to people to look through a lens of truth and not through warped ideology - whatever that may be. The parallels between his the pattern of ideological growth in his own journey with the American alt right and other neo-bigoted groups is as relevant as ever.

Extremely informative and educational. Understanding the difference between Islamism and Islam is crucial when dealing with terrorists vs the ordinary Muslim. I also found the book to be an "eye opener" in how racism was the catalyst for his conversion to an extremist.