Once An Arafat Man, a memoir by Taysir Saada, provides a fresh look into the changing worlds of warfare, terrorism and religious beliefs in the Middle East.

From page one, Saada draws a distinct line between his old life of hate and his new life in Christ. Born to Palestinian parents in the Gaza Strip, he lived only three years in his hometown before his family fled.

After repairing the car of a royal family member, Saadas father became the personal car mechanic for a royal prince in Qatar. While an upgrade from the unsteady flow of work, the promotion also forced the Saada family to pick up roots and move with the prince even though they had settled down in Jordan.

As Saada grew into a teen, he drove his first cars and became a daredevil of a driver, wrecking multiple times only to have his car fixed and financed by the prince. After his love of cars died down, his hatred of Israel fired up and he joined Fatah. Saada grew up in Saudi Arabia with little religious guidance. After being relocated by the United Nations, Saada channeled his anger towards the Israelis for their part in his relocation while using the religious tension between Muslims and Jews to excuse it.

While not a fierce follower of Islam, Saada felt it was his duty to fight against the Israelis for the land he believed they had taken from the Palestinians. After applying for Fatah, and much to the displeasure of his father, Tass trained as a sniper and perfected the art of killing. Eventually, Saada’s passion for the cause reached him to higher ranks as he trained other rookies. His dedication attracted Yasser Arafat, the creator of Fatah and the then chairman of Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO,) who offered Saada a position as a personal chauffeur.

Through each dangerous mission, Saada grew comfortable killing Israeli officials. However, after completing an assassination mission on an especially high profile official, he was forced to lay low. His father, living in Qatar, heard about his involvement in Fatah and tipped off customs officials, who confiscated his passport. Saada found himself separated from the fighting in Israel. Rather than quit, however, Saada applied for a visa to America, where he planned on honing his fighting skills by finishing his education.

In the United States, Saada was welcomed with open arms by the American people, surprising him because of the hatred he held for the country. Enjoying his time in the U.S., Saada looked for a way to extend his visit as his visa time allotment neared its end. One route offered a green card. However, the time-consuming route to a green card took longer than he had in America. A way to bypass the system was to get married in secure his green card.

After finding a woman and getting married Saada traveled through life and its monotonous ups and downs. He worked at a cafe and turned it around and into a popular restaurant in the area.

One of the things I wish that they had done differently in the story was share more about how his life was before he changed. I also wish that the book had revealed how it was in his early age the story felt rushed and I felt like I missed parts of his early life.

Once an Arafat Man presents a high-intensity book and moving story, softening the toughest of people. This story is for those that enjoyed Son of Hamas and In the Presence of my Enemies. Readers that enjoyed Once An Arafat Man, may also enjoy The Blood of Lambs, or Captive in Iran.

Don’t be a part of the problem, talk to the Solution. #PrinceofPeace #prayerchangesthings #planthope #prayforpeace pic.twitter.com/gdaVByAzxn

— Hope For Ishmael (@HopeForIshmael) October 19, 2015

For more book reviews read: Book Review: Son of Hamas or Book Review: Refugee

Andrew Rieker can be reached via email.