The Terrorist’s Son (10 page)

© RYAN LASH

ZAK EBRAHIM
was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 24, 1983, the son of an Egyptian industrial engineer and an American schoolteacher. When Ebrahim was seven, his father shot and killed the founder of the Jewish Defense League, Rabbi Meir Kahane. From behind bars Ebrahim's father, El-Sayyid Nosair, co-masterminded the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Ebrahim spent the rest of his childhood moving from city to city, hiding his identity from those who knew of his father. He now dedicates his life to speaking out against terrorism and spreading his message of peace and nonviolence. In 2013, he participated in TED's talent search in New York City, and was selected to speak at the main TED Conference the following year. His TED Talk was the inspiration for this book.

A portion of the earnings the author received to write this book have been donated to Tuesday's Children, a nonprofit organization helping communities affected by terrorism around the world.

Learn more about Tuesday's Children:
www.tuesdayschildren.org

JEFF GILES
is a journalist and novelist based in New York. He has written for
The New York Times Book Review
,
Rolling Stone
, and
Newsweek
, and served as a top editor at
Entertainment Weekly
. His first novel for young adults will be published by Bloomsbury in 2016.

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

SimonandSchuster.com

Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Zak-Ebrahim

Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Jeff-Giles

Zak Ebrahim, author of
The Terrorist's Son
, spoke at the TED Conference in 2014. His 9-minute talk, available for free at
TED.com
, was the inspiration for
The Terrorist's Son
.

go.ted.com/ebrahim

PHOTO: JAMES DUNCAN DAVIDSON

Scilla Elworthy:
Fighting with nonviolence

go.ted.com/scilla_elworthy

In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need—as nations and individuals—to fight extreme force without using force in return.

Aicha el-Wafi & Phyllis Rodriguez:
The mothers who forged forgiveness, friendship

go.ted.com/two_mothers

Two mothers have a powerful friendship born of unthinkable loss. One woman's son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001; the other woman's son was convicted of a role in those attacks and is serving a life sentence.

Shaka Senghor:
Why your worst deeds don't define you

go.ted.com/shaka_senghor

In 1991, Shaka Senghor shot and killed a man. Jailed for second degree murder, that could have been the end of his story. Instead, it was the beginning of a journey toward redemption.

Maz Jobrani:
Did you hear the one about the Iranian-American?

go.ted.com/maz_jobrani

A founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, standup comic Maz Jobrani riffs on the challenges and conflicts of being Iranian-American.

TED Books are small books about big ideas. They're short enough to read in a single sitting, but long enough to delve deep into a topic. The wide-ranging series covers everything from architecture to business, space travel to love, and is perfect for anyone with a curious mind and an expansive love of learning.

Each TED Book is paired with a related TED Talk, available online at
TED.com
. The books pick up where the talks leave off. An 18-minute speech can plant a seed or spark the imagination, but many talks create a need to go deeper, to learn more, to tell a longer story. TED Books fills this need.

The Art of Stillness:

Adventures in Going Nowhere
by Pico Iyer

In a world beset by the distractions and demands of technology, acclaimed travel writer Pico Iyer reflects on why so many of us are desperate to unplug and bring stillness into our lives.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less) but also through books, animation, radio programs, and events. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, and today covers almost every topic—from science to business to global issues—in more than 100 languages.

TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, our future. On
TED.com
, we're building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world's most inspired thinkers—and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. Our annual flagship conference convenes thought leaders from all fields to exchange ideas. Our TEDx program allows communities worldwide to host their own independent, local events all year long. And our Open Translation Project ensures these ideas can move across borders.

In fact, everything we do—from the TED Radio Hour to the projects sparked by the TED Prize, from TEDx events to the TED-Ed lesson series—is driven by this goal: How can we best spread great ideas?

TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation.

We hope you enjoyed reading this TED Books eBook.

Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from TED Books and Simon & Schuster.

or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com