Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 | 
pickDefinitely a hefty and dense read, but it was illuminating, intriguing, horrifying, and well worth the time and effort spent keeping the timeline and active figures straight. I don‘t know why I expected there to be so much more behind these beliefs, these people, and their hatred, but Wright deftly pulls back the veil to reveal that they are just men, weak men.
pickThis Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the formation of Al Qaeda is a must-read for foreign policy buffs. Wright details the absurd intelligence failures, particularly by the siloed CIA, that led to catastrophe. The book also serves as a fascinating biography of Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, illuminating their personal lives beyond the headlines. Their chief adversary, tenacious FBI agent John O‘Neill, is given a poignant rendering.
pickA depressing look into how 9/11 occurred, its a on-depth look at the specific religious and political reasons, as well as the intelligence failures, that ended in the largest terrorist attack on US soil. 4/5
If you're like me and wanted to read this because you were interested in learning about the intelligence failures that lead to 9/11, but didn't want to read an overly detailed book about the entire history of Al Qaeda first (which is what Wright does in this book), then I recommend skipping this book and reading John Duffy's "The Watchdogs Didn't Bark" instead.
pickIf you want to know what events and ideologies led to the 9/11 attacks, there‘s some great insight here. I was hoping I‘d have clearer thoughts on how to eradicate terrorism when I was done reading, but sadly I just have a better understanding of how complicated it is and how hard it will be to dismantle these political and religious beliefs.
I have a tough decision to make. Do I read "The Looming Tower," which will send me into a psychotic fucking rage, BEFORE I watch the Hulu series, which will also send me into a psychotic fucking rage?
Yes. It's probably best that I do both of these things. #CantHelpIt #PoliticalJunkie #Bibliomaniac
Some thoughts triggered by @BookishFeminist 's post: I have yet to bring myself to read these kinds of books. 9/11 just still seems fresh to me. I'm not worried about triggers, but the images & news & magazine & Internet stories are still vivid in my mind.
I was co-running the email discussion list (listserv) for the Editorial Freelance Assoc at the time. So many personal stories from New Yorkers & difficult moderation issues. Maybe some day.
It's hard to believe that 15 years ago I sat in a classroom & watched the World Trade Center fall in smoke & then see/smell smoke from the Pentagon later that day. My memory of that day is crystal clear & I'm grateful my life wasn't impacted beyond a few days off school.
Books help shape our consciousness of collective events & trauma. Here are some choices—the top row is nonfiction, the bottom fiction. 🇺🇸
What are some other reads about 9/11?
#Augustphotochallenge #day11 #historyandpolitics I'm slightly obsessed with this genre, especially Middle East Politics. The events of September 11 forever changed the world. The more I read, the more I learn, the more my heart breaks over the inane hatred💔
pickA great introduction to the rise of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. If you've read a bit, not a lot of new information but well told and adroitly explained. The last third is almost exclusively the intel mistakes made by the U.S. which is thorough but not as engaging.
How have I not already seen a movie of this guy's life story??
"Saudi Arabia, which constitutes only 1 percent of the world Muslim population, would support 90 percent of the expenses of the entire faith, overriding other traditions of Islam."
Drowning my French Open sorrow in listening to the rise of jihadism in Saudi Arabia & Afghanistan.
