Books like Revenge by Laura Blumenfeld

In 1986, Laura Blumenfeld’s father was shot in Jerusalem by a member of a Palestinian faction. Though he survived, the incident left Blumenfeld haunted by a desire for revenge. She travels to Europe, America, and the Middle East, gathering stories and techniques from a wide range of avengers—including an Israeli assassin, members of an Albanian Blood Feud Committee, the chief of an Iranian judiciary, the mayor of Palermo, an Egyptian heroin smuggler, an Israeli prime minister, a military chief of staff, priests, sports fans, fifth‑grade girls, and prostitutes. Through these encounters she examines the mechanics and psychology of vengeance. Ultimately, her journey returns her home, where she must confront childhood dreams, her parents’ failed marriage, and her own ideas about family. In the end, the man she seeks turns out to be more complex—and in some ways more threatening—than the stereotypical terrorist she had imagined.

First publish date: 2002