In the Skin of a Jihadist: Inside Islamic State's Recruitment Networks cover art

In the Skin of a Jihadist: Inside Islamic State's Recruitment Networks

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In the Skin of a Jihadist: Inside Islamic State's Recruitment Networks

By: Anna Erelle
Narrated by: uncredited
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About this listen

Twenty year-old ‘Melodie’, a recent convert to Islam, meets the leader of an Islamist brigade on Facebook. In 48 hours he has ‘fallen in love’ with her, calls her day and night, urges her to marry him, join him in Syria to enjoy a life of paradise – and join his jihad.

Discover how ISIS entraps people such as the teenage girls from Bethnal Green

Anna Erelle is the undercover journalist behind "Melodie". Created to investigate the powerful propaganda weapons of Islamic State, “Melodie” is soon sucked in by Bilel, right-hand man of the infamous Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An Iraqi for whose capture the US government has promised $10 million, al-Baghdadi is described by Time Magazine as the most dangerous man in the world and by himself as the caliph of Islamic State. Bilel shows off his jeep, his guns, his expensive watch. He boasts about the people he has just killed.

With Bilel impatient for his future wife, “Melodie” embarks on her highly dangerous mission, which – at its ultimate stage – will go very wrong … Enticed into this lethal online world like hundreds of other young people, including many young British girls and boys, Erelle’s harrowing and gripping investigation helps us to understand the true face of terrorism.

©2015 Anna Erelle (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Freedom & Security Politics & Government Religious Studies War & Crisis

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Critic reviews

‘A brave journalist … she has paid a high price for this exceptionally courageous book’ Sunday Express

‘Reads like a thriller’ Paris Match

‘As enlightening as it is disturbing’ Lire
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I thought a little far fetched to start with, but soon got into the story and couldn’t stop listening.

Educational!

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I watched the movie Profile first and then thought I'll get the book and see what that's like, it did not disappoint what an amazing story and she done so much good out of it despite the outcome it's had on her life, she is so brave.

Loved this

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I found many chapters in this book very repetitive, I cannot see what was gained by the authors contact with the ISIS fighter, and how her experience would help other young women interested in Jihadis.
The book was not informative, it did not give any input as to why young western women would want to get involved with strange men in distant countries.
Listened to this audio book but was tempted at times to ditch it.

Repetitive

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The author is a journalist and therefore the narration is factual, with some depth of detail when necessary and a great deal of emotive language that aids in getting the reader involved in the story enfolding. There were repetitions in a couple of places that I can only imagine had to come from the author using those turns of phrase frequently when speaking to people that she did not realise she was using them word for word as whole sentences in a couple of places.

The misuse of Arabic terms by the author appeared to be a mixture of possibly her lack of knowledge or intentional as a convert will often struggle to use them in the right context let alone pronounce them correctly. What was frustrating was the narrator consistently mispronouncing even when narrating the Arabic native speaker characters. It made me howl with laughter at a particularly bad one and simply became irksome after a while. All that meant was that the narrator did not take the trouble to research which is the basic requirement when non-English speakers are characters in a book.

Great story, less than stellar performance

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this was extremely gripping, I't differs slightly from the film but is still an amazing true story.

An amazing true story

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A great insight into the frightening and rapidly growing threat to our society. Well written and in a way that made you feel the emotions that the journalist must have experienced.

Good read, didn't put it down for long.

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I bought this after seeing the film Profile, which is based on this story. It is a compelling story, well told.

Book vs movie

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