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American ISIS

By: Trevor Aaronson
Narrated by: Trevor Aaronson
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

  • Summary

  • American ISIS tells the story of Russell Dennison, an American who converted to Islam and traveled to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. For more than six months, Russell secretly communicated with journalist Trevor Aaronson, sending more than 30 hours of recordings that detail his suburban upbringing, his pursuit by the FBI, his embrace of extremism, and his decision to live and die on distant battlefields. Russell’s recordings provide an unprecedented firsthand account of what it was like for an American to be part of one of the world’s most fearsome terrorist groups. A remarkable work of journalism and narrative storytelling, American ISIS brings listeners into a hidden world few Americans have witnessed - filled with jihadis, human smugglers, FBI agents, government informants, and nightly bombings. Trevor Aaronson, a journalist for The Intercept, tracks down the people who knew Russell in the United States and in the Middle East as he investigates and corroborates Russell’s incredible story, from his childhood in Pennsylvania to bombed-out Syrian villages thousands of miles from the life he’d once known. An Audible Original produced by The Intercept, Topic Studios, and Western Sound.
    ©2021 First Look Institute, Inc. (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC
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Episodes
  • American ISIS Trailer

    American ISIS Trailer
    Jul 1 2021
    American ISIS is an eight-episode podcast that tells the remarkable story of Russell Dennison, an American ex-convict and Muslim convert who joined the Islamic State in Syria. As US and coalition airstrikes rained down on ISIS fighters in 2018 and 2019, Dennison secretly recorded dozens of hours of audio about his past and his life with ISIS and sent them to journalist Trevor Aaronson with one condition: Nothing he said could be revealed until he was captured or - more likely - killed.
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    Less than 1 minute
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Episode 1: Death and Life

    Episode 1: Death and Life
    Jul 15 2021

    As the Islamic State collapses in Syria, Russell Dennison contacts journalist Trevor Aaronson and says he wants to talk.
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    35 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Episode 2: Beginnings

    Episode 2: Beginnings
    Jul 15 2021
    Russell’s typical suburban childhood features Saturday-morning cartoons, action figures under the Christmas tree, and a basketball hoop in the driveway. But his life takes a turn in his 20s, when he’s arrested in Pennsylvania for selling marijuana.
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    27 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
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Profile Image for chris

gripping

intimate, well narrated and gives so much context to the war and the different motivations.

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Amazing story

What a story, kept me hooked the whole time. Sad story but very interesting.

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Profile Image for barnaby sullivan

wouldn't have expected anything less from intercep

I have been a big fan of the intercept for a long time, donated at points as well. this kind of content is the reason. level headed, well thought through and explaining topics with a clear perspective of how all the parties see the matter.

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5 people found this helpful

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Very interesting listen

Recommended listen. Interesting insight into isis and why some westerners end up in the terror organisation

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1 person found this helpful

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Profile Image for Sister Luke

the most ISIS-friendly "podcast" on the net

This Jew journalist interviewing a ginger Jihadi (why is it always the redheads that go Muhammedan?) makes for him every excuse in the book, trots out the typical lines, blames Western foreign policy for Middle-eastern dysfunction (never mind that Mohammedans have been trying to destroy, subjugate and enslave us for over a thousand years, ever since their detestable cult first spawned out of the desert). And all the time I was listening I could only think about how totally different the tone and presentation would be if it were about some pro-White "extremist" group in the West.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Interesting

Good insights into Isis, factual accounts of the war. Not particularly well narrated.
xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx

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