...The Monks of Tibhirine is not only a penetrating account of recent historical events, but of ideas and ideologies driving them.

Susan Eisenhower, Director, Eisenhower Institute, editor Islam in Central Asia

As people seek to make sense of post sept 11, this wonderful book offers much needed perspective..the inward struggle and conviction portrayed ennoble those who read these lines.

Bishop William Swing of California, United Religions Initiative

An unusual and remarkable book: Part journalism, part psychological analysis, and part Judeo Christian-Islamic ecumenism, the author succeeds on all three fronts. A tour de force.

Jacques Loquin, French intelligence officer (ret.)

I could not put this excellent book down....The book touched me deeply.

Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf, American Sufi Muslim Association

This book made me want to live my faith differently.

Toohey Cameron, student, Wesley Theological Seminary

Despite being a story of tragedy, The Monks of Tibhirine is ultimately an uplifting book and an educational one. Kiser offers lengthy carefully researched history of the political turmoil in Algeria and the on-going terrorist violence in the country...

Carmela Ciuraru, San Francisco Chronicle

The Monks of Tibhirine is a work of great sensitivity...It transforms tragedy into hope for the future of Christian-Muslim relations... most inspiring!

Abdul Aziz Said, Director, Center for Global Peace, American University

This is an important book for the informed reader and for specialists interested in Islam, its relation to Christianity, and in the delicate dance of politics and religion in Muslim societies.

Dawn Chatty, Dulverton Senior Research Fellow, International Development Center, Oxford University

John Kiser Bio
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The first time I wrote for the sheer pleasure of writing was after I returned from traveling across the Soviet Union in 1969. The trip was a graduation present to myself after finishing an MBA at the University of Chicago. I became fascinated by Soviet culture, the diversity of people, their friendliness toward Americans, and their great knowledge of American literature. The complete absence of a commercial mentality was both refreshing and sometimes frustrating, especially in restaurants. My observations on everything from Russian play on the beach to their habit of starting breakfast with offerings of vodka and cognac were translated into vignettes which I read for friends-my unpublished Russian Reminiscences. I wanted to somehow put Russia on my career path.

My newly found interest in Russia was followed by a detour. America was burning-race riots and Vietnam had plunged the country into turmoil. The University of Chicago was in a war zone. I decided to get involved at home before launching myself into foreign adventures. HUD's Model Cities Program became my vehicle to do service for my country. Model Cities sent large chunks of discretionary money to cities crying for help, and sent me to Tuskegee, Alabama. After two years in Tuskegee's Model Cities program I went back to Chicago to "do consulting" using my vast knowledge of on-the-ground realities of federal grant making.

Then, my Russian siren called me. I returned to Washington where I had moved after business school. I was studying Russian and found myself writing inflammatory articles for Foreign Policy Magazine saying that the Russians had advanced technology and American companies were buying it.

I was contracted by the US Department of State to investigate, document, and explain this "reverse technology flow" phenomenon from the USSR and Eastern Europe. For four years, I sleuthed, interviewed, and finally wrote reports that provided the first comprehensive documentation of the deal flow of Soviet bloc technology to the US, mostly as intellectual property rights: patents and trade secrets. In 1980, I founded Kiser Research Inc to probe the commercial secrets of the communist bloc. We helped industry to put Russia and Eastern Europe on the map as places to seek better or cheaper mousetraps, and acted as midwives in the process. But my heart was never in technology but rather going into the unknown. I am not really a techie, but a liberal arts student with a penchant for history and languages (BA History, University of North Carolina; MA History, Columbia University). I like creating bridges to different cultures and subcultures. My first book, Communist Entrepreneurs, described how creative minds succeeded in the communist system, where its deficiencies were often prods to innovation.

After fifteen years and too much traveling, I needed a change and so did my wife. In 1994, I went with Linda and my two children to Nice in France for a year of bathing in French culture, the subject of a book yet to be written. My French sabbatical led me to a change of life style. I turned over Kiser Research to my colleagues and have since focused my life on writing.