Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Though many tomes have already been written about the people and events surrounding 9/11, critics are lauding Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 as the “one of the best books yet on the history of terrorism” (Publisher’s Weekly).  The Looming Tower is Wright’s important contribution to our understanding of al-Qaeda and the events leading up to 9/11.  His broad and tireless investigation has produced a book that will offer readers invaluable insight on the men behind 9/11, from both political and personal perspectives.

Critics appreciate the way in which Wright has brought four key players of the 9/11 tragedy—Osama bin Laden; Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s second in command; former FBI counterterrorism chief John O’Neill; and Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence—to life by presenting his readers with well-researched details in engaging narrative fashion.  While some critics praise Wright’s focus on the tragic story of John O’Neill, the diligent FBI agent dedicated to preventing an al-Qaeda attack who then became head of security at the World Trade Center in time to perish with the towers on 9/11, others find that Wright’s most important contribution to the already vast body of literature on 9/11 is his examination of the often overlooked influence of Ayman al-Zawahiri.  Wright, as staff writer for the New Yorker, had previously profiled Zawahiri in the New Yorker, but here offers readers an even more intimate account of the doctor and his relationship with and influence upon bin Laden and al-Qaeda. 

The combination of engaging story-writing style and clear reporting make this book an educational page-turner.  Wright, who, as writer and reporter, likes to “delve into matters in depth…to provide readers with context” (Q & A with the New Yorker's Lawrence Wright. 1/7/06. Interview by Mohammed Alkhereiji) invested 5 years of research—conducting more that 500 interviews and traveling to nearly a dozen different countries— to bring to his readers new material and offer an intimate look at the vision of al-Qaeda.