Talk about life imitating art! Screaming headlines of terrorist attacks seem to be ripped right out of these pages!

Jackals of Samarra was written in the period immediately preceding the Gulf War. It was just as comtemporary then as it is now, as borne out by today's headlines of naval vessels falling victim to terrorist bombs, and shocking and distressing events with terrorist cells on the loose wreaking havoc on American soil. The Gulf region is a perpetual cauldron, ready to boil over at a moment's notice. The book sets up shop here and uses a scenario of fact and fiction that wends its way back and forth from the Middle East to Washington DC and its suburbs. The plot employs surprise military attacks, espionage, blackmail, oil, and nuclear weapons to culminate in a gut-wrenching unpredictable situation with the Iraqis catching the West off guard, as the world holds its collective breath.

Though Jackals of Samarra is a work of fiction, it comes so uncomfortably close to being real that using a bookmark at stopping points might not work too well. After reading the last sentence of Jackals... you might just feel relieved and lucky that it is only fiction. Then again you might not. See for yourself.

"A solid well-written book. Get it to another publisher."
--Editor, Alfred Knopf publisers. New York, NY

I read jackals ... in a weekend! Because I couldn't put it down!"
--Bridget, acupuncturist. Columbia, MD

"How could this, your first book, be so well written?"
--Rodney Barker, author of 'And the Waters Turn to Blood.' Albuquerque, NM

"When will this book become a movie? It is that good."
--Jim, a navy chopper pilot who flew missions in the Gulf War. Columbia, MD

"I haven't read a novel in 10 years. Jackals ... puts you right in the Middle East. I know those names and places. I couldn't put the book down."
--Abdul, a healthcare coworker. Falls Church, VA

"My wife complained about my late nights locked in the bathroom reading Jackals..."
--Maxwell, friend. Silver Spring, MD

Ben Roberts is an avid writer. Though this novel is a first, he is not new to literary endeavors. His high school fictional stories were routinely displayed as models of what constitutued good writing. Today he publishes his own newsletter and resides in suburban Maryland.

Gazette Community News
Thursday, June 1, 2000
by Saradlsya Samashekhar
Staff Writer

Benjamin Roberts, a Laurel medical technologist, teaches sixth-graders at Oaklands Elementary School about pathogens and other scientific terms and facts Thursday during a program he designed for the students.

A Laurel medical technologist is trying to bring his life experiences to Prince George's County classrooms. Benjamin Roberts, who works in a laboratory part time at Fairfax INOVA Hospital in northern Virginia, has designed a hands-on lesson for elementary school students intended to teach them about careers in science.

"I substitute teach, and a lot of times I would talk to the kids about what they want to do when they grow up," said Roberts, 42. "And of course, they want to be a sports star or a superstar or something, and I have to tell them their chances of doing that are pretty remote." instead, said Roberts, he decided to show them a more realistic alternative.

"I love what I do, and it struck me to show the kids that," he said.

Earlier this year, Roberts wrote a proposal detailing his presentation and qualifications and submitted it to the Prince George's County superintendent's office, which subsequently approved his proposal.

For a fee of $95 to 100, Roberts arms himself with a microscope and slide projector and introduces elementary school students to the minuscule world of germs, parasites and viruses.

On Friday afternoon, Roberts worked with a sixth-graders at Oaklands Elementary School.

"First, I explain to the kids that although they think the doctor figures out what makes them sick, there are these shadow people in the labs who actually figure that out scientifically," Roberts said.

During the presentation, Roberts taught the students facts such as: Pathogen is the proper word for any disease causing organism, and meningitis is caused by pathogens infecting a person's spinal fluid.

"It can get a little technical, but the kids get some good vocabulary words out of it," said Linda Cowett, the class's teacher.

"I try to break it down for the kids, explain to them that 'path' means disease, that kind of thing," Roberts said.

He then lets them peer into his microscope at a number of prepared slides. Students get the opportunity to look at bacteria, parasites and blood cells.

"They really love to get presentations from the outside," said Cowett. "It, gives them a taste of the real world."

Cowett said once the presentation is over, Roberts will quiz them on what they learned, and Cowett will review the information with the students.

Roberts is currently writing grant applications so he does not have to charge schools for his presentation.

"I love teaching children," said Roberts, who despite studying to practice acupuncture full time, hopes to continue teaching children about the world that exists within the microscope.

"No matter what I do, I will make time for. this," he said..

Maryland

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