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J.M. BERGER'S NEW NOVEL: THE POPE'S HITMAN
THE POPE's hitman
THE POPE's hitman
THE NEW THRILLER FROM J.M. BERGER, ARRIVING FALL 2026: When an active shooter tries to kill Father Francis Loyola, the beloved pastor of a Catholic church in Boston, he is forced to confront his long-buried past as an assassin in service to the Vatican. His quest to find answers and protect the Church will set him at odds with a globe-spanning conspiracy that runs from Boston to Bosnia to Saint Peter’s Basilica, putting him on a collision course with an army of monastic zealots and bringing him face to face with his successor, the Holy Father’s newest hand-picked killer, Sister Belina Fortis. The Pope’s Hitman is packed with compelling characters and dynamic, cinematic action sequences unlike any you’ve seen before. It will keep you guessing until the final pages of its breathtaking Christmas Eve climax.
EXTREMISM
EXTREMISM
A rising tide of extremist movements threatens to destabilize civil societies around the globe. It has never been more important to understand extremism, yet scholars and policy makers can't even define who is an extremist and why. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, J. M. Berger offers an introduction to extremist movements, explaining what extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can escalate into violence. Available in six languages, including English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Finnish.
OPTIMAL
OPTIMAL
The Algorithm Wars have ended, and the world has been optimized. Thanks to the System, everything that happens is recorded, liked, commented, shared and analyzed at scale in order to produce nonstop and ever-improving recommendations. It is a world of total information and total freedom… although things tend to go more smoothly when you follow the System’s prompts.
"Optimal is a brilliant exploration of the implications of ceding our personal responsibility and relying on algorithms to teach us how to live. But more than that, it’s great storytelling." -- Hahvi.net
"I was hooked from the first chapter - not because it's so deep, but in spite of that. ... In other words, it's fun to read. You barely notice how terrifying the implications are until you're too far in to care..." -- Amazon Vine Voice reviewer
ISIS: THE STATE OF TERROR
ISIS: THE STATE OF TERROR
"Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger's new book, 'ISIS,' should be required reading for every politician and policymaker... Their smart, granular analysis is a bracing antidote to both facile dismissals and wild exaggerations... a nuanced and readable account of the ideological and organizational origins of the group." -- Washington Post
JIHAD JOE
JIHAD JOE
The definitive book on Americans who joined jihadist movements from the 1970s through 2011.
"Berger lifts the veil on the phenomenon of American jihadists in this timely and chilling examination." -- Publisher's Weekly
"A sober, factual account of the Americans who have been lured to the cause of religious violence, offers a useful reminder that this phenomenon is nothing new, long predating the Sept. 11 attacks." -- New York Times
Recent book chapters by J.M. Berger:
"Online Extremism." Routledge Handbook of Online Violent Extremism, Routledge, 2026 (forthcoming).
"Extremism, Fanaticism, Fundamentalism, Terrorism: A Conceptual Map." Conceptualizing Extreme Beliefs and Behaviors, Oxford University Press, 2025. With Rik Peels, Ruth Rebecca Tietjen, and John Horgan.
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