Saints and Soldiers

Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege

by Rita Katz

I wanted to read this book because I am interested in the topic of radical movements flourishing in the Internet’s grey areas and was curious to learn more from an unquestionable expert in this field — but I was pleasantly surprised that it is not a dry academic study. The author combines case studies with her memories and reflections. It is fascinating to read how she dealt with particular crises in real time, learning horrifying details and trying to find what led to such tragic violence, as in a case of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. She is also pointing out very interesting parallels between jihadist militants and far-right movements in US and Europe.

Trigger warning: there are very graphic descriptions of brutal violence and screenshots with examples of disgusting hate speech in the book, so if you don’t want to expose yourself, don’t read it. I have to admit that I stopped reading it before bedtime, to avoid nightmares…

Thanks to the publisher, Columbia University Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Ula Tardigrade's review of Saints and Soldiers