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• Lawrence Wright

Somebody, in the praise for this book found on the back cover, and I can not remember who it was, said this book ought to be required reading for every American. I completely agree with that statement. This is by far one of the best and most interesting Non-Fiction reads I have gotten my hands on in a very long time. And given the last few years, this is knowledge that would serve every one of us when thinking over the issues of the Middle East.

Unfolding almost like a novel, Wright takes us back to the 1940′s and gets us acquainted with Qutb, the man often said to be the father of contemporary Islamic fundamentalism. And with extensive research and precise detail, he does on to unfold a very comprehensive, incredibly detailed and surprisingly understandable history of Al-Quaeda, Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri.

Suddenly, a lot of the names that were brought up on the news all this time, gain some sort of root. Events that are often reference now make sense, everything is put into perspective in a what that finally gives the reader a sense of understanding for a topic that is not only complex and intricate but it is based on an entirely different culture that needs to be understood in order to begin to see where men like those that make up Al-Qaeda come from.

Without ruining the book by pointing the finger and placing blame, Wright simply tells the facts and does his best to give the reader an picture that will make it easier to understand a number of foreign concepts that come into play.

And added into the mix, the author also adds in a few chapters dealing with men in the FBI and CIA that played crucial roles, particularly John O’Neill who could have perhaps been the one person to prevent the calamities of 9/11.

Narrated in chronological order, this read is eye opening, suspensful, detailed and at times both frightening and sickening. It takes you from the infancy of Al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden, it tells of the creations of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Jihad and Al-Qaeda and the eventual unification that became the deadly terrorist organization we know today.

Full of revelatory moments, I can not push this book enough. If you are at all interested in learning more about the subject, look no further, this book is the best start you could get!

Rating: 5 out of 5
Category: Non-Fiction – Historical
Notes: There is one issue with this book, a LOT of foreign names, names that often are shared and can make things confusing. Thankfully the book comes with an index, a list of characters, a bibliography and a number of other tools to help with the daunting task of remembering who is who. The only thing I wish it also had was a glossary, given that a lot of times Arabic words are used to describe something and used throughout. For those of us that only get reading time in short bursts and have a less than perfect memory, it can be difficult remembering some of the terminology.