{"product_id":"the-best-kind-of-american-a-true-story-of-murder-war-and-americas-undoing-in-the-middle-east-kim-ghattas-hardcover","title":"The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East -- Kim Ghattas, Hardcover","description":"\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\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kim Ghattas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Henry Holt \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 496\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.46h x 6.42w x 1.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781250896803\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2026 pg. 67\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\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","brand":"Kim Ghattas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67584490668260,"sku":"9781250896803","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0611\/9587\/8628\/files\/9781250896803.jpg?v=1792050391","url":"https:\/\/bookandmortar.com\/products\/the-best-kind-of-american-a-true-story-of-murder-war-and-americas-undoing-in-the-middle-east-kim-ghattas-hardcover","provider":"BookandMortar","version":"1.0","type":"link"}