
The Looming Tower
Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
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Narrated by:
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Lawrence Wright
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By:
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Lawrence Wright
About this listen
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 AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- A Novel
- By: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 13 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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At an internment camp in Indonesia, 47 people are pronounced dead with acute hemorrhagic fever. When Henry Parsons - microbiologist, epidemiologist - travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca. Now, Henry joins forces with a Saudi prince and doctor in an attempt to quarantine the entire host of pilgrims in the holy city....
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Powerful. prophetic, with the heros we need
- By tina on 04-30-20
By: Lawrence Wright
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ISIS
- Inside the Army of Terror
- By: Michael Weiss, Hassan Hassan
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Initially dismissed by US President Barack Obama, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shocked the world by conquering massive territories in both countries and promising to create a vast new Muslim caliphate that observes the strict dictates of Sharia law. In ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, American journalist Michael Weiss and Syrian analyst Hassan Hassan explain how these violent extremists evolved from a nearly defeated Iraqi insurgent group into a jihadi army of international volunteers who have conquered territory equal to the size of Great Britain.
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Dunce Hat, Please...
- By Mel on 02-16-16
By: Michael Weiss, and others
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God Save Texas
- A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State
- By: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: Lawrence Wright
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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God Save Texas is a journey through the most controversial state in America. It is a red state, but the cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king, but Texas now leads California in technology exports. Low taxes and minimal regulation has produced extraordinary growth, but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. Texas native Lawrence Wright gives us a colorful, wide-ranging portrait of a state that not only reflects our country as it is, but as it may become.
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The best book about Texas
- By Jake Salinas on 06-07-18
By: Lawrence Wright
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The Only Plane in the Sky
- An Oral History of September 11, 2001
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down.
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This should be required listening
- By LManc on 09-13-19
By: Garrett M. Graff
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Flight 93
- The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11
- By: Tom McMillan, Governor Tom Ridge - foreword
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 have earned their rightful place among the pantheon of American heroes. Flight 93 provides a riveting narrative based on interviews, oral histories, transcripts, recordings, personal tours of the crash site, and voluminous trial evidence made public only in recent years. Utilizing new research tools, the book offers the most complete account of what actually took place aboard United 93—from its delayed takeoff at Newark International Airport to the moment it plunged upside-down into an open field.
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A Respectful and Poignant Read
- By Nathan Corpus on 10-07-22
By: Tom McMillan, and others
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Mr. Texas
- A Novel
- By: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: Steven Weber, Lawrence Wright
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Sonny Lamb is an affable, if floundering, rancher with the unfortunate habit of becoming a punchline in his Texas hometown. Most recently, to everyone’s headshaking amusement, he bought his own bull at an auction. But when a fire breaks out at a neighbor’s farm, Sonny makes headlines in another way: not waiting for help, he bolts to the farm where his heroic actions make the evening news.
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I really wanted to like it
- By Enzo G. on 09-28-23
By: Lawrence Wright
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Secondhand Time
- The Last of the Soviets
- By: Svetlana Alexievich, Bela Shayevich - translator
- Narrated by: Amanda Carlin, Mark Bramhall, Cassandra Campbell, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Swedish Academy awarded Svetlana Alexievich the Nobel Prize, it cited her for inventing "a new kind of literary genre", describing her work as "a history of emotions - a history of the soul". Alexievich's distinctive documentary style, combining extended individual monologues with a collage of voices, records the stories of ordinary women and men who are rarely given the opportunity to speak, whose experiences are often lost in the official histories of the nation.
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The Heart, Soul & Iron Fist Of Russia
- By Sara on 02-22-17
By: Svetlana Alexievich, and others
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The 9/11 Commission Report
- By: Multiple Authors
- Narrated by: Multiple Narrators
- Length: 22 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of 20 months, the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, five Democrats and five Republicans held 12 public hearings and received testimony from 160 witnesses. Dozens of government agencies and other entities provided the Commission with more than 2.5 million pages of documents and other material. The report and its recommendations can save American lives.
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Important historical information
- By The Senate on 09-09-21
By: Multiple Authors
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102 Minutes
- The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
- By: Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
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At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, 14,000 people were inside the twin towers; reading e-mails, making trades, eating croissants at Windows on the World. Over the next 102 minutes, each would become part of a drama for the ages, one witnessed only by the people who lived it, until now.
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102 Minutes--A Review
- By Leadinglove421 on 02-13-05
By: Jim Dwyer, and others
What listeners say about The Looming Tower
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- Andrew Nicks
- 02-18-18
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.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Roc Liggins
- 07-02-19
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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-16-20
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!
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- kay
- 08-15-18
well written
ended too early... wanted to hear more and more .
well written and well natreted
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- Luis
- 01-28-19
First Audible Book
The book was both well written and narrated. I enjoyed it so much I purchased the physical copy to own at home. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting an in-depth historical account of the events that followed to the horrendous day.
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- Alvin B. Howell
- 04-10-18
A More Complete Understanding the Rise of all Qued
I understand why Hugh Hewittt has almost required readithis book for interviewees
who sometimes expose their ignorance. I tried listening to this book while doing other things and have decided to listen again without distraction
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- IR
- 06-20-18
Excellent book!
This is a well written book which is captivating from start to finish. The author is also the reader, so “performance” is among the best I’ve heard on Audible.
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- Alex
- 09-13-18
Profoundly educational
I like the immense research, personal stories interwoven, pace was perfect, and detailed without getting bogged down. Will listen to it again and recommend to all.
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- John R. Herman
- 04-02-19
intense and powerful
very thorough in details. sometimes names became confusing to follow. Vivid descriptions.
painful to re-live the attacks on the World Trade Center.
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- Chris A
- 06-15-22
Great book, could not stop listening
Fans of history and those curious about the roots of 9/11 will love this book. It keeps a solid pace and weaves in interesting personal stories. Gets a bit tied up in one person’s story in particular in the last 3/4 (John O’Neil) but that gives it some interesting personal context so not too bad. Still, a high recommendation.
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