Official Review: I Sell Death - Autobiography of a Terror...

[BookWorm07]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "I Sell Death - Autobiography of a Terrorist" by Raj.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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I Sell Death - Autobiography of a Terrorist by Raj is a non-fiction novel based on the life of a former terrorist, who sees the light and leaves that world behind. Written in first person, the book tells the readers the events that occurred to transform him from being a normal human into a terrorist and then later realize his mistakes and repent his actions.

Though the title claims the book to be an autobiography, the book isn’t actually written by the ex-terrorist, Dhiren (name-changed). It is written by a professional writer to whom Dhiren narrates his life story. So technically the book is just a biography. However, the author justifies his claim of the book being an autobiography by stating that everything he had penned down is Dhiren’s; his life, his story, his opinions. The author had merely helped structure the book, which makes him more like an editor. He hasn’t added anything more to the story, not even his views or opinions.

The book starts with how the writer met the Dhiren and then lets him narrate his own story. The actual tale begins in New Delhi, India when Dhiren and his group had planned as another one of their bombings. Due to various reasons, the attack doesn’t go according to plan and Dhiren too becomes the victim of the bombing. He then recalls the events in his youth that led him to that position on that day. He recalls the Gujarat communal riots in 2002 when his watched his family members being raped and murdered for the ‘sin’ of being a Muslim. This was the start of his hatred towards the Hindu community. As the need for revenge was burning inside him, he did not hesitate when he was offered a chance to retaliate against the murderers – the Hindu’s. But like any bomb victim would tell, the terrorists rarely kill any of the real culprits. They only manage to destroy the lives of the innocent people; which was true even in Dhiren’s life.

Despite the book supposedly being a non-fiction, it reads more like a fictional story or a plot of a cheesy Bollywood film. There were just too many dream sequences to be completely believable. The writing style too hadn’t impressed me. The beginning, especially where the author tries to convey his thoughts on his chance encounter with a man who claims to know terrorists, could have definitely been better written. I also felt like the writing style made the book seem longer than it actually was. In fact, this book put me in a bit of a reading slump.

I had picked this book mainly because I saw it as a chance to learn more about the 2002 riots in Gujarat, as I basically grew up listening to my parents discussing it with our friends and family. Dhiren’s belief that all terrorist acts are less communal and more political is a view I’ve shared for a while now. Regardless of its writing style the novel did manage to get me thinking more about terrorists and the gullibility of the masses. I’m not a hundred percent certain about all the details given in the book, but I am curious enough to want to research more on the subject and try to figure out the truth for myself. Though I do feel a little let down as a reader by the writing style and certain unbelievable scenes, I’d say the book does its job well enough, which is to make people think. So I rate the book with a 2 out of 4 stars and recommend the book to anyone curious about terrorism and wants an insight into the mind of a terrorist.

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I Sell Death - Autobiography of a Terrorist
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