In "United Stats of Jihad", author Peter Bergen talks about radical Islamic terrorists, both the state sponsored / top-down organized groups, as well as the lone-wolf activists. It may not be obvious unless we stop and think about it, but in the United States, he notes that the bulk of post-9/11 terrorist activities or threats were carried out by citizens or residents, not refugees or immigrants entering the Country to commit a terrorist attack.

He details many of the stories of U.S. residents or citizens who became radicalized, what common traits they may have shared, and how they turned against their home country. This includes the more well know individuals such as the Tsarnaev brothers (Boston Marathon bombers in April, 2013); Faisal Shahzad (failed Times Square, NY car bomber in May, 2010); Major Nidal Malik Hasan (Fort Hood, TX shooter in November, 2009); Syed Rizwas Farook (San Bernardino shooters); Omar Mateen (Orlando, FL shooter); etc. He also includes several others, some successful, others not, and discusses their motives and who inspired them.

It's clear from his book that immigration barriers and entry restrictions are no guarantee against terrorist activities. The bulk of lives lost in the U.S. since 9/11 have been caused by individuals in small attacks. Vigilance by families, associates, communities, in addition to the continued and effective monitoring by law enforcement officials are all part of identifying and stopping those using their concept of Jihad to harm others on either a small or large scale. ( )

With our current government focused on protecting our borders form Islamic terrorists, I found this book to be a great factual take on our home-grown Islamic terrorists. Since 9/11, all of the terrorist attacks in the US have been committed by US citizens.

The book downplays the role of ISIS and Al Queda as more thought influencers than attack planners. Most of the criminals depicted in the book were influenced by the teachings of the radical Islam groups, with no evidence to show that they were instructed to engage in the attacks.

The book is well-written and was given to me by the publisher in the expectation of a review. ( )

Peter Bergan's book is a real eye opener, so very scary about terrorists among us. Mr. Bergan has really dug deep since 9/11 and we all need to start looking at the reality of terrorists here in our homeland and don't turn a blind eye. Very, very sobering. ( )

This book offers a succinct explanation on why and how young second generation immigrants from Islamic nations and in fact, some Christian youth are being radicalized by ISIS and convinced to participate in terrorism. This book may also provide pointers into why people become violent and how extremists of all political and religious persuasions manipulate people into becoming violent. A recommended read for any seeking to understand the mindset of todays young radicalized terrorists ( )

Eye-opening argument that despite our national obsession with terrorists in far away places who may send agents to our shores to commit unspeakable deeds, the real danger comes from the homegrown, lone wolf variety: American citizens who, for whatever reasons, are persuaded, often without any direct contact, to take up the banner of those far away organizations. We are more comfortable thinking that persons who could do such things could not possible be one of us. But that ignores the evidence of Timothy McVeigh, Dylan Roof, and other terrorists who needed no foreign assistance or persuasion to take up arms against their fellow citizens.

The final chapters are weaker than the rest of the book, only because they try to describe events that are still unfolding. But Bergen's discussion of events in the past, ones that we think we know very well, show how much more there is to learn. Highly recommended. ( )