Reddit reviews Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

The past few days I've felt really frustrated, hopeless, and helpless after the Orlando shooting. I feel like we're all going to grieve for a few days, I'm gonna listen to People Who Can Eat People a couple times, and then we'll all continue with nothing changed, waiting for the next one. I still feel helpless, but I have thought of some things, short-term and long-term, that I think might help if you want to do something.

1. Spread love in the face of hate. To anyone who was affected or knew anyone who was affected by the Orlando shootings- my heart goes out to you. We stand with you. To anyone who's ever been affected by terrorist groups, to anyone who's ever been persecuted because their sexuality or gender, to any person of the Islamic faith who's been discriminated because of who you pray to- my heart goes out to you. We need to unite not just as a country but as a world that believes that good can triumph over evil, that compassion, empathy, and genorosity will defeat people with hate in their hearts.
   
   
2. Donate. There's a GoFundMe to help victims of the attack. It has currently raised 1.6 Million dollars. That's a hell of a start on goal #1.
   
   
3. Get educated. Two books with great reviews have bumped up my reading list: No God But God, about Islam as a whole, and Black Flags: The Rise of Isis. If you're not a reader but still want to learn, here's a Crash Course on Islam and here's one on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Even though sometimes it doesn't feel like, we do live in a democracy, and whether you're voting or discussing things with friends/family I believe education over ignorance can create a better world.

Here is a list of some books and articles that may be helpful for you.

Books

• Daniel Byman, Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know. A great primer on the history and ideology of al-Qaida, jihadism, and its evolution into ISIL written by one of top terrorist experts. Probably the best book if you know little about the subject.
  
• Michael Wiess and Hassan Hassan, ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror. An overall look at the rise and organization of ISIL. Written by a journalist and a Middle East scholar.
  
• Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger, ISIS: The State of Terror. Written by two top experts in the study of terrorism, this book focuses on how ISIL radicalizes and recruits individuals from all over the world to join their cause.
  
• Joby Warrick, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. An historical look at how Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's leadership of become al-Qaida in Iraq would influence the rise of ISIL.
  
• Charles Lister, The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency. Written by an expert on jihadism in Syria, this books looks at the history and evolution of jihadists in the Syrian conflict.
  
• William McCants, The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. An examination of ISIL's worldview and how it influenced its growth and strategy.
  
  

  Articles
  

  
  

• Graeme Wood, "What ISIS Really Wants", The Atlantic. An examination of the apocalyptic world view of ISIL.
  
• Christoph Reuter, "The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State", Der Spiegel. This article examines the role of former Iraqi intelligence officers in ISIL, the command structure, and how ISIL was able to gain control throughout Syria.
  
• Rukmini Callimachi, "ISIS and the Lonely Young American", The New York Times. A look at case of a young American woman being radicalized by supporters of ISIL and offers a glimpse into ISIL's social media campaign.
  
• Rita Katz and Adam Raisman, "Special Report on the Power Struggle Between al-Qaeda Branches and Leadership: Al-Qaeda in Iraq vs. Al-Nusra Front and Zawahiri", SITE. An examination of the tension between al-Qaida Central and the organization that would eventually become ISIL and some of the motivations behind the split.
  
  

  Documentaries
  

  
  

• FRONTLINE's The Rise of ISIS, Losing Iraq, ISIS in Afghanistan, and Obama at War

I really liked Black Flags: The Rose of Isis by Joby Warrick. It's a great primer on the origins and history of the group and its 2 most important figures, Abu al Zarqawi and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Before I read it Isis was for me as you alluded to: a topic I heard about all the time but really only had a surface level knowledge of.

Here's the link to the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Flags-The-Rise-ISIS/dp/0385538219

Your assertion that there is absolutely no state-sponsored influence on any facets of American media, and that there are no power players who involve themselves in advertising, is obviously, categorically false. Your argument is founded solely on either naivety or misinformation. I'd recommend to everybody seeing this read The Dictator's Handbook, NY Times best-selling Dark Money, and maybe even Pulitzer-prize winning Black Flag for a more in-depth study on the complicated issue of how exactly we're manipulated and exploited.

See Black Flags, The Rise of ISIS https://www.amazon.com/Black-Flags-Rise-Joby-Warrick/dp/0385538219/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1468031319&sr=1-1&keywords=black+flags