Why Young Men

April 1, 2019
A personalized examination of efforts from Egypt to Europe to counter young men's drift toward violence. In his debut, Toronto-based lawyer and community organizer Jivani explores a widely considered yet vexing issue: the connections between movements, from white nationalism to radical fundamentalism, and a population of angry, hopeless men. In the foreword, J.D. Vance summarizes the author's perspective as perceiving how "today's world throws more traps and temptations in front of young men than ever before with even fewer ladders out of the ditches they end up in." Organizationally, the book balances Jivani's background and experiences with consideration of these negative influences and the forces countering them. Growing up in a multiracial family haunted by his own father's gradual estrangement, Jivani recalls his own drift toward gangster fantasies: "We saw no distinction between us and the rappers we idolized." Later, at Yale, he observed New Haven's segregation, wondering how he fit into the then-prominent narrative of a "clash of civilizations." In violence-ridden Newark, the author first engaged with organizations that "offered an alternative moral code that encouraged young men to rise above their circumstances and be better than those around them." While monitoring law enforcement in Toronto, he developed a surprising relationship with a progressive deputy chief, defusing a legacy of racial mistrust: "We weren't speaking just as a citizen and a police officer. We were speaking as two activists." Jivani went on to teach law before moving on to Brussels to research radicalization following the 2015 Paris terror attack. He notes that immigrants subject to terrorist recruitment attribute this temptation to "rejection from mainstream society through unemployment and discrimination." Yet he also points out the prominence of "faithless radicals" among those attracted to terrorist groups, with "more of a background in criminal activity than religious observance." He also argues that the American "alt-right" is at least as dangerous and fueled by similar alienation. An earnest and mostly engaging attempt at "thinking about the diverse reasons for the destruction young men cause."

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April 22, 2019
In this passionate account, lawyer and activist Jivani lays out a vision for keeping young black and Muslim men from becoming radicalized by violent movements such as the Nation of Islam, ISIS, and the alt-right. For young men’s vulnerability to radicalization, Jivani blames a multigenerational cycle of fatherlessness, the sense of belonging offered by conflict-centered organizations that “focus on fear and vengeance,” the daily realities of systemic racism, and distrust of the police. He sees the antidote in local community groups aligned with social ideals, sharing lessons he learned while working with Newark’s Fathers Now, Brussels youth organizations JES and Association de Jeunes Morocains, and Ohio’s Community Action Agencies. He also recounts his own success story of growing up in a troubled home in an immigrant neighborhood in Ontario and experimenting with hip-hop culture and the Nation of Islam spin-off the Five Percenters, before eventually finding the “capacity to aspire” and becoming a Yale-educated lawyer. He argues for building allyship with the police, criticizes Black Lives Matter for ideological railroading, and sympathizes with those who feel implicated in the “whitelash” of anti-Trump narratives. Younger and more left-leaning readers won’t find Jivani’s outlook palatable, but it will resonate for readers with more traditional, centrist views.