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

Rating: - The Looming Tower - a must read for those interested in knowing how we got to where we are.
The Looming Tower is a fast-paced, clearly written book that carefully illuminates the climate that spawned 9/11.

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Rating: - Why we failed to prevent 9.11
It's sad the book was ever written. We had opportunities to capture OBL, which would of completely disrupted al Qaeda. In fact, only a small faction within the CIA and FBI ever heard of the group. The were never taken serious. One of the main reasons of our intelligence failures, is rooted in the poor communication between the CIA, FBI, NSA. The book explains had there been better communication we probably would of got the 9.11 hijackers. The question I am still asking is: Have these problems been fixed?

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Rating: - The best book on the subject - period
I have read perhaps 20 books or more on 9/11, Al Qaeda, Bin Laden and thier origins. This books captures it all. Read this book if you want to understand Al Qaeda and the sheer evil the US is confronting.

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Rating: - A terrific history lesson
I wanted to learn more about Al Qaeda and, after careful research, I decided this was the book that could best teach me. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

It often read like a novel, but did not spare any of the minute details that gave me a better understanding of how we went from point A to points B through Z.

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Rating: - Informative; Necessary
While I hesitate to write much on a book that has been so thoroughly and well-reviewed, I would like to add a few points. The Looming Tower is eminently readable and informative. The "truthers" notwithstanding, the Looming Tower is destined to be the definitive text for some years to come. As scholars continue to deconstruct the events that lead to 9-11, this book will be the starting point.

With countless first hand accounts, Wright brings a wealth of personal perspectives to a story that is fairly well known; or it it? After reading several books on Bin-Laden and the formation of Al-Quaeda, I was surprised to see the depth of ineptitude of the Afgan Arabs and the bitter infighting of the various factions of radical Islam. The myth of the omnipotent Bin Laden is well exposed as is the assumption that the Saudi jihadihsts were instrumental in the defeat of the Soviets in Afganistan. The salient theme of Al-Qaeda is not their efficiency or planning, but a history of incompetence capped by one highly successful, murderous event.

This is popular history as it should be written. Highly readable and credible.