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The Looming Tower:

Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Front Cover
133 Reviews
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Aug 21, 2007 - History - 540 pages

UPDATED AND WITH A NEW AFTERWORD

National Book Award Finalist

A Time, Newsweek, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year

A gripping narrative that spans five decades, The Looming Tower explains in unprecedented detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Lawrence Wright re-creates firsthand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history. He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O'Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat. Packed with new information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is the definitive history of the long road to September 11.

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Outstanding, well written and researched book. - Overstock.com
It can not have a good ending. - Goodreads
The book was interesting and well researched. - Goodreads
The scope of Wright's research is vast. - Bookreporter.com
... they] will not ask you for explanations. - Goodreads
Lots of research done for the book. - Goodreads

Review: The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

User Review  - Bernard - Goodreads

Extraordinarily valuable insight into the world of Al-Qaeda, including its origins, its leaders and their lives, and its mission. The author provides historical context for the growth of global jihad ... Read full review

Review: The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

User Review  - Jason Dearen - Goodreads

For anyone interested in the origins of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, this book is a must read. Where Steve Coll's brilliant Ghost Wars spent a lot of time on the US intelligence establishment's ... Read full review

All 133 reviews »

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About the author (2007)

Lawrence Wright graduated from Tulane University and spent two years teaching at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker and a fellow at the Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law. The author of five works of nonfiction—City Children, Country Summer; In the New World; Saints and Sinners; Remembering Satan; and Twins—he has also written a novel, God's Favorite, and was cowriter of the movie The Siege. He and his wife are longtime residents of Austin, Texas.

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