The Best Kind of American

FROM THE EMMY-AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK WAVE
'Stunningly well researched' - The Times
'Twisty, dark and gripping, an all-too-real whodunnit.' - The Spectator
'[An] excellent book' - The New York Times
'A hugely enjoyable non-fiction thriller' -WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
In this extraordinary work of true crime, acclaimed author Kim Ghattas searches for the truth behind a murder in war-torn 80s Beirut, where the Iranian revolution collided with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
On 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 still haunts Kerr's family.
In The Best Kind of American, Kim Ghattas embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of Kerr's 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.
With the nuance, clarity, and storytelling that made Black Wave 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.

Note on Names and Spellings
People and Organizations
Maps
Introduction

Part I - War
1. I Will Survive
2. Let's Make America Great Again
3. Mission Accomplished
4. Ayatollah on the Med
5. Watershed
6. Missing
7. Little Tehran
8. Lion of Damascus
9. The Best Kind of American

Part II - Scandal
10. Surrender
11. Travel with Amal
12. Home Visit
13. Cake and Missiles
14. Brothers
15. Saddam's Gift
16. Pax Americana
17. Intercept
18. Hollow Justice
19. We Meet Again
20. Divine Impunity

Epilogue
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index