Off The Bookshelf US -Books The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage) The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage) New & Used The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage) Books CDS DVD's Nusic Electronics

Search Books - select a category

Buy The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage) online at Discounted New and Used prices. Delivered to your door with Off-The-Bookshelf.

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage)
by: Lawrence Wright

List Price: $15.95

Off The Bookshelf's Price: $10.85

You Save: $5.10 (32%)
Prices subject to change.

Used Price: $7.18
Collectible Price: $25.00
Third Party New Price: $9.00

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.931
EAN: 9781400030842
ISBN: 1400030846
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 576
Publication Date: August 21, 2007
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Studio: Vintage
Sales Rank: 1382

Related Items:

Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground

Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror

Remembering Satan: A Tragic Case of Recovered Memory

The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader

Editorial Review:

Product Description:
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.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A must read to better understand our times.
An excellent book regarding Al-Qaeda and its leaders. Here you will find what the goals are and what the funding ideas behind this organization, what the cultural background and what the deep, profund origins of this terrorist nihilist organization are. Many interesting and dramatic pages regard the unacceptable and irresponsible ideological and burocratic barriers that kept CIA and FBI from identifying and isolating the terrorists while they were in the US territory before 9/11. The personal stories of strong characters with steel personalities such as John o'neill and Mike Schauer are also told. Above all the most striking and appalling feature that comes out is how, once again in history, some influencial individuals distorted the original religious message and warped to a point that it ... Read More

Rating:

- The History of 9/11
In this superbly written book, Lawrence Wright tackles the still controversial subject of how 9/11 happened tact and aplomb. Rather than appealing to extremists on any side of the debate, Wright provides a remarkably in-depth history of how al-Qaeda came into being, and of U.S. policies during and after the Afghan war to kick out the Soviets.

On the al-Qaeda side of the story, Wright begins with the Egyptian Sayyid Qutb and very clearly traces the evolution of militant Islam all the way up to bin Laden and Zawahiri. Qutb's impact on figures like Zawahiri and other Islamists cannot be underestimated, so it is to Wright's credit that he includes a chapter on Qutb. Wright also provides a detailed account of bin Laden's history, from his days in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Sudan. ... Read More

Rating:

- Great insight into Al-Qaeda and 9/11
This is a great book for anyone wondering where Al-Qaeda came from and the events that brought us to such a terrible attack on U.S. soil. Great narrative of the early days of radical Islam as well as the events that lead to 9-11. Insight given on the CIA and U.S. side as well as the Al-Qaeda side.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the history of Al-Qaeda and a recent historical look at how this whole mess we are in today came about.

Rating:

- Get inside Osama's head
While this work is a bit didactic, Wright lays out the logic and planning of the September 11 attacks as a part of a greater plan to purify Islam. He explains the origins of this movement from the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt, and differentiates the international role of al Qaeda (if only President Bush had asked Karen Hughes to read this book and give him an executive summary). The Looming Tower is a must read for every Westerner who plans to go out in public, and for every Muslim who is not ultra devout and loyal to OBL. Once you read it you'll understand the thinking of another religious zealot, Jeremiah Wright (no relation to the author). And you'll understand why the war on terrorism will be waged indefinitely.

Rating:

- Unlocking al-Qaeda's Conspiracy Of Hate
One of many disturbing, ironic tales Lawrence Wright shares about the evolution of Islamic terrorism in his 2006 book "The Looming Tower" is about the day Ramzi Yousef, the man who tried to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993, was finally brought to trial. Arriving by helicopter, he was nudged by a guard who pointed out the Twin Towers against the Manhattan skyline.

"You see, it's still standing," the guard said with a nudge.

"It wouldn't be if we had had more money," Yousef replied.

Osama bin Laden, as it turned out, had that money, Saudi petrodollars funneled through his father's vast contracting empire. He also had zealotry, vision, and charisma to unite a disparate group of fundamentalists and nihilists and set them on a course that would knock down ... Read More

Books : The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage)