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The Looming Tower

Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

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The Looming Tower

By: Lawrence Wright
Narrated by: Lawrence Wright
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About this listen

 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • A “heart-stopping account of the events leading up to 9/11” (The New York Times Book Review), this definitive history explains in gripping 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.

One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century • A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years

In gripping narrative that spans five decades, 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 a sweeping, unprecedented history of the long road to September 11. 20th Century Americas Freedom & Security Modern Politics & Government United States War & Crisis Espionage Africa Middle East Royalty Iran Saudi Arabia War Refugee Middle Ages
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I loved learning of the origins of Islamic fundamentalist, the foundations of al Qaeda andt the lead up to 9/11 in this exhaustively researched book. The author has crafted a fascinating and engaging account. His narration of his own work was as good as any voice talent available on Audible.

Excellently researched. Captivating story.

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so much detail, background and insight into Osama and events leading up to 9/11. This book answers so many questions I had and is an amazing listen.

FANTASTIC!!

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An incredible account of this tragic tail. It's well researched, written and read by the author.

An incredible account of this tragic tail.

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Definitely a non stop page turner ! ! A haunting and some times disturbing insight into a part of history! Although for some it may be a long Journey through the immense dialogue but it is worth it ! Thanks so much to Lawrence for his amazing effort of research for this book.

A Non Stop Page Turner!

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This book/audiobook is a masterpiece. Beginning in the 60s and finishing on that fateful day of 9/11. It brings together the main players from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Afghanistan vs stateside security service’s FBI & CIA in a epic feat of story telling. Beautifully written, it captures the journey of the rebirth of Islamic fundamentalism, vs the modern world.

The subplots and character journeys could be taken from non-fiction, especially the epic tale of FBI agent John O’Neill. The book is narrated by the author, which did not distract from the story.

My only criticism is that it was a little slow to get started, but the early chapters provide the back story for Al Queda leadership and help setup the bigger narrative. The insight into the FBI & CIA rivalry is well documented and the opportunities missed by their bloated bureaucracies is fascinating.

We all know what happened on that fateful day of 9/11, but this is the journey well worth reading/listening about that delivers us to the morning of September 11th 2001

Tour de force journey to 9/11

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