Entangled Lives by Imran Omer #entangled lives #imranomer #isis #fiction #johnhuntpublishingltd @absltmom

Frightening, although a work of fiction, this story about a young boy trained to be an ISIS fighter, was not only well written but mesmerizing. The things related in this book, are true, scarily true, and one could see that in many cases there was no choice for these young boys than to either die, watch their family die, or join ISIS. Coincidentally, I am reading The Terrorist Factory: ISIS, the Yazidi Genocide, and Exporting Terror, which affirms all of what Mr Omer has written.

   In this shocking and heart breaking tale, we meet Raza, a young boy, an orphan, living in the slums of Pakistan. He is sent to a madrassah where he is beaten, raped, and treated miserably. The only hope in his young life is Perveen, a young girl who Raza falls in love with. The two plot an escape and they are successful for a time. Perveen becomes pregnant and soon their life together ends as Perveen is sent back to her family and Raza is sent to ISIS where he and others are trained to kill in the name of Allah. The boys are again mistreated, beaten, and even drugged to follow the line that ISIS is pursuing. They are subjected to such brutality that it becomes part and parcel of their existence.

Rachel Brown is an American journalist sent to Afghanistan to cover the turmoil. She meets Raza and through him begins to understand what these boys have endured as they were trained to kill wantonly. She herself struggles with her need to record and be in the midst of this conflagration leaving her husband for months at a time to pursue this story. Her life is entangled with her need to find and cover the truth.

As time goes on, Raza and Rachel meet once again and the choices they have made come to fruition. War, as someone once said, is hell and Raza is living every moment in that hell. His entangled life, along with all those others whom ISIS has kidnapped over the years, and turned into killers is tragic and appalling. It certainly gave this reader much to consider and ponder.

 

Thank you to Iman Omer, John Hunt Publishing LTD, and NetGalley for a copy of this, a most harrowing story of destruction and death.

Iman Omar was born in Karachi and studied in Karachi and Chicago. A graduate of the University of Illinois and American College of Education. He teaches Art and English as a Second Language (ESL). He has taught in the United States, Oman and Saudi Arabia. I love teaching but my passion lies in painting and writing. My artwork and some of his articles can be seen at www.imranomerart.com