Bombshell: The Many Faces of Women Terrorists - Softcover

'An explanation of the unexplainable', this lucid and comprehensive study of the historical roots and contemporary motivations of suicide terror is a major study. Bloom's historical range is formidable. * Publishers Weekly * The 9/11 team was all-male, led by Mohammed Atta, fastidious in his concern that no woman should be allowed to touch his dead body or appear at his funeral. But as Mia Bloom sets out to illustrate in 'Bombshell', female suicide bombers have rivalled their male counterparts as death-dealers and were doing so long before 9/11. * Toronto Globe & Mail * A highly readable analysis of why and how women become suicide bombers, and the reasons why some terrorist organizations deploy them as a weapon of last resort. Bloom's case studies will provoke passionate debate. -- Professor Paul Wilkinson, former Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence Mia Bloom's Bombshell is a genuine contribution to our understanding of women and terrorism. It demystifies the myths about female terrorists, who often form the invisible infrastructure of terrorism. -- Professor Marc Sageman, author of 'Leaderless Jihad' and 'Understanding Terror Networks'

The ultimate stealth weapon, female terrorists kill on average four times more people than their male counterparts. In Bombshell Bloom seeks to understand what motivates women and to redress the gap in our understanding of women's roles by interviewing women previously involved in terrorist groups. Bloom provided a unique and rare first hand glimpse into the psychology, culture and social networks of women who become terrorists. Bombshell takes an in-depth look at women involved in terrorism in Chechnya, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Why are more women drawn to terrorism than ever before? Do women volunteer to be terrorists, or are they coerced? Does women's participation in terrorism have any positive impact on their place in society? Drawing on secondary literature and primary research, Bloom examines the increasing role of women in terrorism, and considers what it means for the societies from which they come.