Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Terrorist Review of God's Gym Review of Cherry Blossoms in Twilight Creative Nonfiction Ain't Is A Word By Marcie Hollowell & Kristen Munch Love Under the Big Top By Andy Martello Revival By Brenda G. Wooley Poetry Letting Go Wish By Antoinette Brim Pam Farwick By G. David Schwartz Confession While Dining By Mary Lou Taylor Homeschooling Adventures By Beth Happel Fiction Ike Experiences Vanity By Sidney Kidd What Keeps Me Alive By Paul Brittain Minor Damage By Jane Hammons How To Cook for Your In-Laws By Ricky Ginsburg About the Contributors © 2006, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Bill Mausteller Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Review of Terrorist By John Updike Alfred A. Knopf Publishing ISBN: 0-307-26465-3 Readers have grown to expect surprises from John Updike, and his latest offering, Terrorist, fills expectations. An engrossing tale of a devout Muslim teen, Ahmad Ashmawy Mulloy, provides readers with a harrowing glimpse into the motives and mindset of a budding radical. Ahmad, the son of an Irish-American mother and an absent Egyptian father, chose to connect with Islam, adopting a radical Imam as his personal father figure. As Ahmad is about to graduate, he draws the attention of school counselor, Jack Levy, a burnt-out former teacher turned guidance counselor who personifies the American trend of depression and dissatisfaction with life. Levy attempts to point Ahmad toward greater career goals, in contradiction with the plans the Imam has for the young man. Ahmad struggles throughout with the temptations of the infidel Western culture surrounding him – a culture he by all rights should consider his own, but had long ago scorned through his chosen faith. Classmate Joryleen Grant is particularly tempting, and manages to cause Ahmad to swerve from the Straight Path, if only momentarily. In spite of greater potential, after graduation Ahmad works as a delivery driver for a store owned by a family of Lebanese immigrants – individuals who with the Imam seem to have bigger plans for the young man. Updike intertwines the stories of his characters, perhaps attempting to prove the hypothesis that there are no coincidences, only fate. This view into the inner-workings of Muslim faith and culture is much needed in an America riddled with paranoia about terrorism. It offers readers the opportunity to understand the human side of the Islamic faith - misguided as it may be in radical observance which includes violence, and generally similar to other faiths in typical contexts. Terrorist is difficult to put down, and will leave readers thinking long after the last words are read. |