{"product_id":"the-best-kind-of-american-a-true-story-of-murder-war-and-americas-undoing-in-the-middle-east-by-kim-ghattas","title":"The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East by Kim Ghattas","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"A sophisticated exploration of political violence. . . an excellent book.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"By centering her narrative on the murder of Malcolm Kerr, the president of the American University of Beirut, Ghattas has written both a geopolitical whodunit and a masterful investigative history of the forces that have torn apart Lebanon for the past 50 years. \u003ci\u003eThe Best Kind of American\u003c\/i\u003e is not only a riveting book, but a very important one by one of the most astute chroniclers of the modern Middle East.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Scott Anderson, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eKing of Kings \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLawrence in Arabia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A miraculous achievement. Ghattas takes you inside a murder mystery and then reveals, layer upon layer, the maddening complexity of the ongoing wars of the Middle East. This is essential reading for anyone concerned about the region's tragic trajectory. But it is also a counterintuitive story of hope for both Lebanon and the whole region's best and brightest, symbolized by intellectuals like Malcolm Kerr and Samir Kassir, martyrs to the liberal possibilities of the modern Arab world. A deeply moving and brilliant book.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eKai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and Director of the Leon Levy Center for \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eBiography at CUNY's Graduate Center\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Spellbinding. The book's core is a harrowing account of an American family's tragedy, set against tectonic clashes in the heart of the Middle East. Readers caught up in the search for mysterious assassins will be mesmerized by the larger drama as Lebanon is torn apart by competing gangs of terrorists, religious zealots, warlords, and the governments that secretly backed them. With exquisite reporting and bracing clarity, Ghattas exposes the malevolence, miscalculations, and fanaticism that set the stage for a half-century of destruction and chaos.\" \u003cbr\u003e-- \u003cb\u003eJoby Warrick, author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Flags: The Rise of ISIS\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Brilliant, disturbing, honest, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, this is the best kind of book on the Middle East. Unlike many books on the region, it does not take sides, is not ideological or self-righteous. Kim Ghattas allows each character, even the \"villains,\" space and voice, giving the reader a chance to try and understand them and not simply judge. Ghattas takes us through wars, assassinations, and terror, to the edge of despair and back, all while resurrecting Malcolm Kerr, a great human and Middle East scholar who was murdered while serving as president of The American University of Beirut. His assassins were never found, and now, after 42 years, another great scholar of the Middle East, Ghattas, resurrects his story and legacy.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Azar Nafisi, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eReading Lolita in Tehran \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Republic of Imagination \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Gripping, authoritative, compassionate and perceptive, \u003ci\u003eThe Best Kind of American\u003c\/i\u003e is a vital contribution to our understanding of the recent history of the Middle East--and of today's conflicts that continue to cause such tragedy and suffering. Ghattas draws on her deep knowledge and understanding of Lebanon, Iran, and the US, to tell an important story with the energy and rigor it deserves. This book should be required reading for scholars and general readers alike.\" \u003cbr\u003e-- \u003cb\u003eJason Burke, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Revolutionists\u003c\/i\u003e and International Security Correspondent at \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"It's rare to read a book about the complex and fraught recent history of the Middle East and your first reaction is: I can't wait to see the movie version. Kim Ghattas, a masterful writer, brings to life the compelling stories of fascinating, often remarkable people and makes us care about them deeply. A triumph.\" \u003cbr\u003e-- \u003cb\u003eDavid Rothkopf, \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eauthor, columnist, and former editor of\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eForeign Policy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In \u003ci\u003eThe Best Kind of American\u003c\/i\u003e, Ghattas reveals the very worst of the Middle East: the schemes and machinations of leaders determined to cling to power, the impunity surrounding kidnappings and killings, and the shattered lives left in their wake. This is a profoundly brave book--a moving tribute to the forcibly disappeared, and to the enduring grief carried by those who loved them.\" \u003cbr\u003e-- \u003cb\u003eEmma Sky, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq, \u003c\/i\u003eDirector of Yale's International Leadership Center\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Ghattas has done incredible research into a painful history that sheds light on the past and illuminates the present. The result is a page turner that unmasks, holds accountable, and humanizes. A true feat!\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Tarek El-Ariss, author of \u003ci\u003eWater on Fire: A Memoir of War\u003c\/i\u003e and Chair of Middle Eastern Studies at Dartmouth\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Kim Ghattas is one of the best-informed, most intelligent, and eerily prescient writers on the Middle East, remarkable for her ability to bring clarity to the most complex scenarios. She is also a wonderful storyteller. \u003ci\u003eThe Best Kind of American\u003c\/i\u003e is a brilliant, tightly focused, and intricately plotted piece of non-fiction, a Levantine In Cold Blood. It is not just essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the toxic confluence of rival forces at work in the region, it is also that rarity: a hugely enjoyable non-fiction thriller.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e--William Dalrymple, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Anarchy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Damning history of American bumbling in the Middle East . . . [a] wide-ranging narrative . . . of great importance to anyone seeking a clear view of a bewildering geopolitical arena.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Kirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(*STARRED REVIEW*)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e''Highly recommended. Ghattas's forensic reconstruction of the origin of U.S.-Iran-Israel enmity details personalities, interactions, events, and decisions that carry forward to 2025, offering readers a nuanced and timely backstory of the 2026 war in Iran.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e(*STARRED REVIEW*)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Ghattas' account will resonate today as Israel, Iran, and the United States raise their global hostilities even higher.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Booklist\u003c\/i\u003e (*STARRED REVIEW*)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"An epic history... An ambitious overview of the last four decades that shows how the foundations of today's pressing conflicts were built in 1980s Lebanon... A comprehensive, dramatic immersion into a brutal decade that reshaped the Middle East.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA work of true crime following one American family's search for answers after a 1984 murder in war-torn Beirut, where the Iranian revolution collided with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, setting off the geopolitical conflagration that burns to this day\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOn January 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr, president of the American University of Beirut, was assassinated by a pair of gunmen outside his office. His murder, in the wake of the bombing of the US Marines' barracks, Palestinian guerrilla warfare, and the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, was just one more shocking headline in a city ravaged by the chaos of nine years of war. There was no investigation. Four decades later, the question of who killed Malcolm, and why, is still not fully resolved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Best Kind of American\u003c\/i\u003e, Kim Ghattas embarks on a quest to shed new light on Kerr's forgotten assassination, weaving together the family's story with that of Lebanon's warlords and peacemakers, Hezbollah hostage takers and Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and American presidents from Reagan to Trump. She also tells the definitive story of how Beirut came to be the point of origin for the policies and people who went on to shape the Middle East for decades, from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was then assassinated in a joint US-Israeli strike in the opening salvo of their 2026 war against the Islamic Republic. With the nuance, clarity, and storytelling that made \u003ci\u003eBlack Wave\u003c\/i\u003e an era-defining work on the Middle East, Ghattas delivers a riveting, deeply human saga--a must-read for understanding why this conflict continues to shape today's world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKim Ghattas\u003c\/b\u003e is a Middle East expert, author, and Emmy-award-winning journalist. She's a contributing writer for \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, a contributing editor for \u003ci\u003eThe Financial Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and a regular guest on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. She was a Distinguished Inaugural Fellow at the Columbia University Institute for Global Politics. She previously reported for the BBC from the Middle East and Washington, DC. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Wave\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e notable book on the Saudi-Iran rivalry, and of \u003ci\u003eThe Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller. She splits her time between her hometown in Beirut and writing desks around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardcover \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2026\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Henry Holt and Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67770225721629,"sku":"9781250896803","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-10-14at10.51.35am.png?v=1791989513","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/the-best-kind-of-american-a-true-story-of-murder-war-and-americas-undoing-in-the-middle-east-by-kim-ghattas","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}