Revenge: A Love Story

by Laura Blumenfeld (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.29

  'My father was shot by a terrorist. I spent the next decade hunting down the shooter. And when I found him...I tried to set him free' In 1986, Laura Blumenfeld's father was shot in Jerusalem by a member of a rebel faction of the PLO. He lived, but as he recovered, Blumenfeld's desire for revenge grew. Travelling to Europe, the United States and the Middle East, Blumenfeld gathers avengers' stories as she plots to infiltrate the shooter's life. Through interviews with Yitzhak Rabin's assassin, members of the Albanian Blood Feud Committee, the chief of the Iranian judiciary, the mayor of Palermo, and Egyptian heroin smuggler, the Israeli prime minister and the military chief of staff, priests, sports fans, teenaged girls and prostitutes, she explores the mechanics and psychology of vengeance. Ultimately her journey leads her home, where she confronts her childhood, her parents' failed marriage, and her ideas about family. And in the end, her target turns out to be more complex and in some ways more threatening than the adversary she had long imagined. REVENGE is the story of family, loyalty, and home; of the private passions behind public events; and of the thin red line between love and hate.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $3.29

  'Should be required reading at the White House' - Guardian . In Jerusalem 1986, a member of a rebel faction of the PLO shot Laura Blumenfeld's father. He survived, but Blumenfeld was haunted by a desire for revenge. Travelling across Europe, the United States and the Middle East, Blumenfeld talked to Yitzhak Rabin's assassin, members of the Albanian Blood Feud Committee, the chief of the Iranian judiciary, the mayor of Palermo, an Egyptian heroin smuggler, the Israeli prime minister and the military chief of staff - as well as priests, prostitutes, sports fans and schoolgirls. Her aim was seemingly simple: to understand the mechanics and the psychology of vengeance. Ultimately, however, her journey led her home, where she found herself forced to confront her childhood, her parents' failed marriage and her ideas about family. In the end, her target turned out to be more complex - and in some ways more threatening - than the stereotypical terrorist she had long imagined. 'Her work is really two books. First, it is a personal account of her own desire for revenge on the man who hurt her father and how she resolved this issue. Second, it is a journalistic exploration of the motivation and mechanisms for revenge across the globe' - Scotsman . 'Compelling ...This is an intelligent and genuinely optimistic book' - Daily Mail'.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $3.29

  In 1986, Laura Blumenfeld's father was shot in Jerusalem by a member of a rebel faction of the PLO responsible for attacks on several tourists in the Old City. Her father lived, but Blumenfeld's desire for revenge haunted her. This is her story. Traveling to Europe, America, and the Middle East, Blumenfeld gathers stories and methods of avengers worldwide as she plots to infiltrate the shooter's life. Through interviews with Yitzhak Rabin's assassin; with members of the Albanian Blood Feud Committee; the chief of the Iranian judiciary; the mayor of Palermo, Sicily; an Egyptian heroin smuggler; the Israeli prime minister and the military chief of staff; priests; sports fans; fifth-grade girls; and prostitutes, among others, she explores the mechanics and the psychology of vengeance. But ultimately it is a journey that leads her back home -- where she is forced to confront her childhood dreams, her parents' failed marriage, and her ideas about family. In the end, her target turns out to be more complex -- and in some ways more threatening -- than the stereotypical terrorist she'd long imagined. A rare, ambitious, personal, and intellectual tour of dark urges often denied, Revenge: A Story of Hope is a beautifully written story about family, loyalty, and home, about the personal passions behind public events, and about the thin line between love and hate.