One Family's Response To Terrorism: A Daughter's Memoir

by Susan Kerr Van De Ven

On January 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr, president of the American University of Beirut and a respected scholar of Middle East politics, was shot in the back of the head as he stepped out of an elevator on his way to work.

One Family’s Response to Terrorism is a stunning portrait of the intimate way in which violence pulls lives apart, of an American family caught on the stage of Middle East politics, and of the moral choices required in seeking justice.

Genres: Memoir

202 pages, Paperback

First published February 29, 2008

Reviews

[Lee Ann]

The Kerr family’s passion for the Middle East began with Susan’s grandparents, who met as American humanist missionaries in Turkey at the end of WW1. Susan’s father Malcolm Kerr was a “partisan of peace and justice in the Middle East… an extraordinary human being whose contribution to understanding the Middle East was unparalleled in his generation”. This book was written in 2008, yet it’s a gut-wrenching read today, as Malcolm Kerr’s observations of 50 years ago about the dangers of human insensitivity in international politics resonate with Gaza in 2024.

[MV Conn]

A moving portrayal of how and why, after much deep thought, analysis, research and discussion, the Kerr family decided to sue the Iranian government for the assasination of Malcolm Kerr while he was President of the American University in Beirut.

[Janet]

A more factual than emotional look at the process for dealing with terrorism. Discovered this title after learning that Warrior's coach Steve Kerr's father was killed in Beirut. Appreciated the measured way in which the story was told.