Overview

"More than ever, terrorist acts command enormous attention. Concerns about terrorism have led to sweeping new restrictive government policies on such matters as immigration and airline security. In an often repeated syndrome, the one lasting legacy the departed terrorists leave behind them is a grossly exaggerated overreaction by governments to their suicidal exploits. The overreaction derails the faith in liberty and the respect for diversity that characterize an enlightened civilization. Sofia Perovskaya is a fascinating case study. She came from a privileged family with royal connections. She was not victimized by poverty, class or social stigma. She was known for being kind to the sick and devoted to her mother. We have much to learn from examining her peculiar turn of personality, one that takes over people who are generally intelligent, ascetic, creative, and motivated, and makes them killers who thirst for martyrdom. This book is part of a series of profiles of historical terrorists. The profiles demonstrate the folly of the many in government and media who continue to confuse the desperate ""cause"" adopted by the terrorist with the real cause of the terrorist act. Terrorism has deep roots in an irrational facet of the human psyche. Through this series we explore how, as society itself has moved toward pluralism and respect for human life, the terrorist act of self-immolation has emerged and grown in its appeal to the dark side of the psyche."

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9780999155943

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Author Robert Riggs meticulously tracks Perovskaya's radicalization, including her intellectual influences, such as Nikolai Chernyshevsky's 1863 novel What Is to Be Done? He also examines the lives of other historically important radicals, including the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. Finally, he explores the basic characteristics common to all terrorists, effectively furnishing a synoptic profile. Overall, his study is remarkably well-researched, examining the many ways in which the Russian radicals of the period were the first modern terrorists and how they supplied a template for others. -- Kirkus Indy Reviews The parallels between Sofia and Osama bin Laden are striking. Both upper class, educated, and with plenty of opportunities. Both turned to violence to achieve their aims and created armies of followers to do the actual terrorism. Much like profiling serial killers, one can also profile terrorists. And Robert Riggs's series of books about them is off to a great start with Sofia Perovskaya and the period of time that produced and nurtured her. Recommended for students of violence and terrorism, world history, and cultural change. -- Seattle Book Review, review by Bradley Allen

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