My Life Is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing Paperback - 2006

First line

The scene could not have been arranged more neatly.

From the rear cover

"Christoph Reuter's modern history of suicide bombing helps put today's headlines into context. As Reuter's assessment makes clear, suicide killers are not irrational fanatics, but cost-effective weapons employed by rational organizations. Reuter traveled around the world to talk with 'martyr's' families and their tutors, reporting what he found in lucid, often moving prose. The world would be a far safer place if our leaders were to heed his wise words of advice."--Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill

"This engaging book brings us face to face with scores of determined activists who kill and die for God. Yet it is more than a series of portraits. This thoughtful study reflects on the social contexts and historical moments that give rise to such extremes, and calls for a tempered world view that would reduce the frequency of such tragic, lethal acts. There is nothing quite like it."--Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence

"Christoph Reuter's new study makes an important contribution to the growing field of suicide terrorism. Many readers will benefit from his comprehensive coverage of the historical record of both Islamic and non-Islamic cases."--Robert Pape, University of Chicago