The true American : murder and mercy in Texas / Anand Giridharadas.

Author's note -- Leavings -- The chore -- Outpatient -- Hospitaliano -- Frequent-flier miles -- Gadfly -- The new American -- Bro -- Uncle -- PowerPoint -- Hula hoop -- Arrivals -- Acknowledgments.

The events of 9/11 and the subsequent war against terrorism have led many to try to answer the question: What does it mean to be an American? Giridharadas (New York Times columnist; India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation's Remaking) offers one answer by telling the stories of Mark Stroman, a self-described "American terrorist" in Texas and Bangladesh immigrant Raisuddin -Bhuiyan, who survived one of Stroman's attacks. Bhuiyan came to the United States to fulfill the American dream, only to have his plans delayed when Stroman, a man so troubled by the 9/11 attacks that he believed he was a soldier fighting against those he perceived as anti-American, walked into Bhuiyan's store and shot him in the face. Not only did the victim survive the attack, he used the experience to become a crusader against the death penalty, and even fought to prevent Stroman's execution.