Choice Review

Bloom and Horgan (Georgia State) offer an in-depth look at the ways in which young children and adolescents are involved in terrorist activities. While the majority of the work describes the abuse and victimization of children by groups such as ISIS, it also offer insights into why some are attracted to violent revolutionary movements. Their reactions to even involuntary involvement in these terror groups range from those socialized into adopting their captor's worldview, and thus participating in violence in a more or less "willing" manner, to those looking for the first opportunity to escape. They note the many ways in which norms and other ecological factors in some communities increase the risk of child involvement. The book is prescient given that the collapse of ISIS has put governments around the world in the position of trying to determine which of these children can be reintegrated and which are potential security threats. The lack of universally generalizable policy recommendations may be off-putting for those looking for easy solutions, but if describing the phenomenon is the first step to understanding it, then this work is essential reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Christopher J. Wright, APSU