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The Looming Tower
- Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
- Narrated by: Lawrence Wright
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
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The Looming Tower
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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.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about The Looming Tower
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tim Watkins
- 13-01-2019
Excellently researched. Captivating story.
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dave T
- 11-01-2021
Gripping and enlightening with brilliant narration
What a privilege to read the insight into the lead up to 9/11 and the lives of the individuals with such obviously well researched information. Troubling in parts and an emotional story, I cannot fault the author/narrator in his diversification of characters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-2020
Compelling
Great history told brilliantly. I appreciate wright narrating this himself, it definitely adds to the authority of the narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 25-05-2017
FANTASTIC!!
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Johncox1977
- 13-03-2022
An incredible account of this tragic tail.
An incredible account of this tragic tail. It's well researched, written and read by the author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ellen young
- 30-01-2021
A Non Stop Page Turner!
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Reif Hand
- 07-08-2020
Tour de force journey to 9/11
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
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- Amazon Customer
- 13-10-2018
best book i listened to all year.
the characters live and breathe. Amazing how the roots for islamic fundamentalism are drawn out
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