Via Bookslut:

You know, thank god we have privileged old white men like John Updike and Martin Amis to help us really get inside the minds of poor Muslim young men drawn to martyrdom. Perhaps the war on terror can finally come to an end now that we truly understand where they’re coming from with books like The Terrorist and Amis’s new short story at the Guardian, following the last days of Muhammad Atta. –Jessa Crispin

On 11 September 2001, he opened his eyes at 4am, in Portland, Maine; and Muhammad Atta’s last day began. –Martin Amis via the Guardian.