In Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, Joby Warrick has written an informative and intriguing book that gives insight into the creation and evolution of the world’s most destructive terrorist group, ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. This is an eye-opening book for those who may have had trouble seeing the difference between al Qaeda and ISIS, tracking the changing power struggle that now characterizes the extremist Middle East, and understanding the changing relationships among the terrorist leaders grappling for control of the region. Warrick explains it clearly, showing how ISIS drifted away from the less extremely violent al Qaeda, documenting the relationship between Osama bin Laden and al-Zarqawi and describing how American inaction helped pave the way