The Looming Tower

Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

By: Lawrence Wright

Narrated by: Lawrence Wright

Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

A sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on America. Lawrence Wright's remarkable book is based on five years of research and hundreds of interviews that he conducted in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, England, France, Germany, Spain, and the United States.

The Looming Tower achieves an unprecedented level of intimacy and insight by telling the story through the interweaving lives of four men: the two leaders of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri; the FBI's counterterrorism chief, John O'Neill; and the former head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal.

As these lives unfold, we see revealed:

• The crosscurrents of modern Islam that helped to radicalize Zawahiri and bin Laden
• The birth of al-Qaeda and its unsteady development into an organization capable of the American embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the attack on the USS Cole
• O'Neill's heroic efforts to track al-Qaeda before 9/11, and his tragic death in the World Trade towers
• Prince Turki's transformation from bin Laden's ally to his enemy
• The failures of the FBI, CIA, and NSA to share intelligence that might have prevented the 9/11 attacks

The Looming Tower broadens and deepens our knowledge of these signal events by taking us behind the scenes. Here is Sayyid Qutb, founder of the modern Islamist movement, lonely and despairing as he meets Western culture up close in 1940s America; the privileged childhoods of bin Laden and Zawahiri; family life in the al-Qaeda compounds of Sudan and Afghanistan; O'Neill's high-wire act in balancing his all-consuming career with his equally entangling personal life - he was living with three women, each of them unaware of the others' existence - and the nitty-gritty of turf battles among US intelligence agencies.

Brilliantly conceived and written, The Looming Tower draws all elements of the story into a galvanizing narrative that adds immeasurably to our understanding of how we arrived at September 11, 2001. The richness of its new information, and the depth of its perceptions, can help us deal more wisely and effectively with the continuing terrorist threat.

©2006 Lawrence Wright (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A searing view of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a view that is at once wrenchingly intimate and boldly sweeping in its historical perspective...a narrative history that possesses all the immediacy and emotional power of a novel, an account that indelibly illustrates how the political and the personal, the public and the private were often inextricably intertwined." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"Important, gripping...One of the best books yet on the history of terrorism." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Comprehensive and compelling...Wright has written what must be considered a definitive work on the antecedents to 9/11...Essential for an understanding of that dreadful day." ( Kirkus)

Incredible story

Great narration, absolutely compelling recant of history. Highly recommend to anyone curious about the history of Al Qaida leading up to 9/11

Well worth the wait

I thought I had read all of the pertinent articles and books on 9/11 over the last 17 years. This book by Lawrence Wright was well worth the wait. It was well-researched, richly detailed and refreshingly opinionated. For a non-voice-over actor, he even did a decent job in the narration!

Incredible

The author does a tremendous job with the details. And the fact that he narrates it, makes it even better.

Well researched!

it's the backstory of 9-11.
Worth the listen though the written format would help with the names of those involved.

hard to keep all the names straight

still very good and disturbing how bad us intelligence messed up. worth reading, but a reference sheet of names would help. harder to keep straight while listening

I lived through it and the revelations in this book are fascinating and infuriating

I was in college when this occurred. Watched the news for the next few days just stunned. Learned later that there was no reason to be stunned. The writing was clearly on the wall. The “intelligence” services failed us from top to bottom and side to side. Upsetting and gut wrenching but well written and very detailed. Loved the book.

Unparalleled account of Al-Qaeda

This is the first book I have read on the subject of Al-Qaeda and I thought it was a masterful narrative into the history, progression, and actions of Al-Qaeda.

Wright details the foundations of Al-Qaeda, and Islamic fundamentalism and weaves it with their principles, beliefs, as well as the simultaneous American intelligence investigation. This was an unbiased, thorough, and candid piece about every detail that produced the men responsible on September 11th.

I loved this book, and strongly recommended it for anyone who looks for edification on the subject of Al-Qaeda.

Incredible.

I own the hardcover read it in 07 and now I own the audiobook. One of the best books I've read on the subject of Islamic Jihad.

Excellent and extremely well researched

Great book! Quite disturbing, but very interesting & informative. Author clearly did an incredible amount of research on this topic. Highly recommended! Further evidence that our country’s leaders need to learn how to co-exist & work together!

well written

ended too early... wanted to hear more and more .

well written and well natreted