MARWAN: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A 9/11 TERRORIST

MARWAN: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A 9/11 TERRORIST

2008 Montaigne Medal short list finalist



How did an Egyptian city planner, a Yemeni religious fanatic, a boy from the United Arab Emirates who worshipped sex, not Allah, and a young student of aircraft design who went to a Christian school in Lebanon - four very different men with very different ideas - get involved in flying the 9/11 planes? How did the plot develop, and who developed it?

"Marwan," a novel, puts the reported facts together and fills in the details - from the group's first coming together in Hamburg, Germany, to the moments before the jets they were to hijack took off. You'll come to know the participants, and how they were motivated, what their personal lives were like and the roles they played in the plan. You will learn to know them as people- not simply as "terrorists"- because, as the author sees it, you have to understand your enemies if you want to defend yourself.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY!

A review in the Naples Sun Times:

Marwan: The Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist, is a taut, well-paced exploration of a key episode in contemporary history. Suspenseful and illuminating, Marwan is brilliantly balanced between the compelling narration of known facts and an imaginative response to unanswered questions. Who are these people who found themselves attracted to the suicide mission of flying American airliners into the towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and, if all had gone according to plan, the Capitol building? What shaped them? What made their destinies inevitable? How did they relate to one another? How did they form their opinions about the United States and its purposes? How convinced were they of the holiness of their martyrdom? How pure was their Islamic faith?

Schefrin gives us an intimate portrait of his title character's thoughts and feelings - and his frequent stretches of ambivalence and confusion. Sure-handedly, Schefrin mixes action, densely-textured setting and atmosphere, and characterization. He fashions a convincing world filled with sensory detail, that lends credence to the more speculative and abstract dimensions of the novel. Clearly, he is one of those self-published writers who deserves the status of a traditional publisher and a prestige imprint.

The author does a remarkable job of keeping the reader engaged, especially considering the fact that the story's outcome is known from the beginning. Along the way, we come to appreciate (or more likely be stunned by) the brilliant simplicity of the terrorist plan and the ease with which a series of interim goals were accomplished, leading to the ultimate objective.

Readers and listeners' comments:

"Like corn through a goose - that's how I'm going through your great podcast novels. What a treat - great concepts, great humor, and an occasional riff that Hemingway would have been proud to write - the siren sounds in The Tenth Cow, the emptiness of Marwan's mom's life at middle age, to mention but two. Not to blow smoke at you, but you have not only provided me with many interesting hours of listening, you are fulfilling the promise of the worldwide web."


"This was a freaky book. It showed me the compassion of Americans, in that I could feel for these men as a force greater than them compelled them into death .... This book shows the evil of the puppet masters in Islam, and the kind hearts of Americans.. I was upset at the brutality of this perspective, but after a week or two I saw the Good it showed in America.. Schefrin is mind boggling .... all his works are thought provoking ... A Must"

"This is a chilling story based on the documented investigation into the terror attacks. I was curious to see how the author, Aram Schefrin, managed to humanize such a monster. Could a complex individual full of misgivings have flown into the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center? Or would he have to be a complete sociopath? This book was hard to put aside, and the time flew by. "Marwan" was both sad and riveting. Schefrin succeeds at keeping your pity for Marwan separated from your horror of what he has done. And you need to do that to see the next terror attack coming."

"This podcast boldly delves into the characters and events leading up to 9/11 and shows (without excusing) what human beings are capable of. Marwan shines a light into uncomfortable corners and reveals the level of hatred of self and others that it took to carry out such a despicable act."

Available in print at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Borders.com

Available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle

Available as a Mobipocket e-book. Buy it here. It's cheaper.

Available in full-length audio at iTunes and Amazon.com.

Available in podcast audio at Podiobooks.com.

Watch the YouTube trailer!

To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, visit www.marwanthe novel.com.


Tags: Atta, Empire State Building, Ziad Jarrah, Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Times Square, World Trade Center, twin towers, Allah, 9/11, 9-11, September 11, terrorist, terrorism, jihad, Islam, Muslim, Bin Laden, novel, fiction, Aram, Schefrin, autobiography, art, blog, books, entertainment, news, religion, weblog, writing and poetry