Terrorism Explained to Our Kids, takes the form of a dialogue between the author and his teenage daughter. Using her ill-defined fears as the starting point.

Exploring all forms of terrorism in both a historical and contemporary context, the book addresses complex and pressing questions in an everyday, accessible language. Because Ben Jelloun understands that terrorist acts come from the perpetrators' deep sense of inadequacy, his arguments are all the more powerful. The author, himself a Muslim, places a high value on the importance of secular values, with which he believes Islam is compatible.