“The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, by Lawrence Wright. Finished reading 30 August 2008. 3/5 stars.
A very well written account of the beginnings of the terrorist organization and its founders. The foundations are thoroughly laid with Osama bin Laden's father, along with Qutb, Zawahiri, and other major players dating back to the 1940's. Despite the excellent history and deep roots of al-Qaeda which are described, the scholarship sort of unravels towards the end of the book. Recent events are described sketchilly and with a sudden lack of documentation. The final chilling acts and immediate aftermath of 9/11 are rushed through so fast that I could not determine how the pieces laid so carefully finally came together.
Recommended reading - but I would search elsewhere for a more thorough account of recent history. ”
HeIsSailing wrote this review Tuesday, September 2 2008.
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