“Ken Ballen found one of the first suicide bombers in Iraq to survive his attack. Ballen also elicited a fascinating confession from a Saudi militant who was from a prominent religious family and who had a passionate love affair with his male first cousin.”

—NEW YORK TIMES

“[M]ore than a captivating read… exposing first-hand personal accounts… within the terrorist movement [that] likely will hasten its demise.” 
—FOREIGN POLICY

Terrorists in Love was also chosen by Foreign Policy as one of the twelve best books on Islamist terrorism.

“[S]ix fully drawn portraits of people often reduced to caricatures in American thinking…[The author] adds nuance to a problem that Americans have tended to understand only in terms of good and evil …a much more human–though no less terrifying–picture of [those] committed to defeating the United States and Western civilization.” 
—BOSTON GLOBE

“[A]n unusual atlas of extremism — a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at the events that turned six young Muslims into terrorists…heart-wrenching [and] haunting.”
—WASHINGTON POST

“One of the most in-depth looks at individual terrorists’ lives currently available . . . helps reverse some major misconceptions about the motives of these attackers. Engages the emotions, challenging readers…. , Ballen is bringing us closer to the real motives of terrorists, and thus closer to the truth.”
—THE HUFFINGTON POST

“The author’s dynamic with terrorists is fascinating… and he culls fascinating observations from what motivates terrorists and how they can be overcome…. An unprecedented and unusual look at Islamic radicalism.”—PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“In a ground-breaking book, author Ken Ballen seeks to dispel our mislaid conceptions of terrorism in order to show the personal struggles and inner demons that inspire an individual to dedicate their life to the jihad… The depth of emotion that Ballen captures is at times enlightening and at other times disturbing. Traveling the gradient between true love, fear, and absolute hatred Ballen shows the motivations that drive one to become a terrorist. “
—URBAN TIMES

“An extraordinarily gifted listener and storyteller, Ballen takes us where no one has dared to go—deep into the secret heart of Islamic fundamentalism. [Terrorists in Love is also] a great and fast read. Go check it out if you want some insight at what makes this Islamic extremist movement tick, as well as the religious, political and social environments that make up the radicals of tomorrow.” 
—THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES REPORT

“A former US prosecutor has found that young militants are often motivated by dysfunctional family, sexual repression or forbidden love.” 
—THE SUNDAY TIMES

“The psychology of extremism” 
—NPR

“How terrorists see the word”

—THE DAILY BEAST 

“A disturbing, intimate look inside another world.” 
—THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

“A must-read that heightens our understanding.”

—ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH 

“[The author]’s behind-the-scenes digging and socializing make for wild, weird entertainment….Gripping.”
—SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST 

“Revealing, often touching interviews with six young Islamic men. . . .[Their] stories cast a revealing light on an exotic, unfamiliar culture. … [Few] readers will deny that the [stories] illuminate the frustrations of young Islamic men living in repressive societies, alternatively fascinated and horrified by America.”

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Ballen blasts past the clichés about what animates terrorists and takes readers to places that no one has gone before.”

—STEVE CLEMONS, WASHINGTON EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THE ATLANTIC 

“The 9/11 Commission grappled with the question of what drove the 19 hijackers to their terrorist acts in 2001, but we did not have time to investigate and fully understand their motives. Ken Ballen’s exhaustive research, scores of interviews, and gripping writing make Terrorists in Lovea uniquely valuable – and sometimes chilling behind-the-scenes account of the extreme beliefs that often fuel the actions of jihadist militants.“
—LEE H. HAMILTON, FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND CO-CHAIR OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION

“Ballen not only gets beneath the skin of terrorists, but all the way into their hearts, revealing unimaginable emotional and personal secrets. He has shed surprising light on the never-ending question about militant jihadis – what are they thinking? Anyone who wants to know ought to read this unusual book.” 
—JANE MAYER, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DARK SIDE

“Ken Ballen has managed the impossible for an American. He has worked his way into the intimate thoughts and frustrations and family conflicts that drove six young Muslims toward the jihadist movement, and he presents his findings in a series of compelling narratives.”
—DAVID K. SHIPLER, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF ARAB AND JEW

“It’s simply astonishing how much Ken Ballen, an outsider, penetrated the closed world of Islamic radicals.”
—AMMAR ABDULHAMID, FORMER ISLAMIC RADICAL 

“Deploying techniques developed during his two decades as a prosecutor and investigator, Ken Ballen interviewed more than a hundred Islamist terrorists in depth, evincing from them their inner stories. Here he profiles six of these men, and the results are eye-opening and full of startling implications.” 
—DANIEL PIPES, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE MIDDLE EAST FORUM, AND AUTHOR OFMILITANT ISLAM REACHES AMERICA

“Many authors write about terrorism. Ken Ballen took the rare step of talking directly to terrorists. If you want to understand them, read their stories, in their own words. By giving them voice, this book offers a rarely-seen glimpse into another world, the world of terrorists, not just terrorism.”
—PHILIP MUDD, FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER AT THE CIA AND SENIOR INTELLIGENCE ADVISOR FOR THE FBI.

“A valuable, even-handed and insightful window into the mindsets and emotions of jihadi terrorists. Ballen draws a telling portrait of the human side of terrorists, from childhood traumas to moments of transformation to radicalism and, in some cases, to renunciation of terrorists cause. A compelling, if at times frightening study, one that should be read by anyone interested in the roots – and possible deterrents – of terrorism.”
—KAREN GREENBERG, AUTHOR OF THE LEAST WORST PLACE: GUANTANAMO’S FIRST 100 DAYS