The Looming Tower
Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Looming Tower
Buy Now for $29.14
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lawrence Wright
-
Written by:
-
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 AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
Black Flags
- The Rise of ISIS
- Written by: Joby Warrick
- Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
In a thrilling dramatic narrative, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Joby Warrick traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Selective Narratives and Hidden Biases
- By Amir on 2024-09-23
Written by: Joby Warrick
-
The Terror Years
- From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State
- Written by: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer, Lawrence Wright
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
With the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright became generally acknowledged as one of our major journalists writing on terrorism in the Middle East. This collection draws on several articles he wrote while researching that book as well as many that he's written since, following where and how al-Qaeda and its core cultlike beliefs have morphed and spread.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
disappointing
- By A on 2019-01-05
Written by: Lawrence Wright
-
Fall and Rise
- The Story of 9/11
- Written by: Mitchell Zuckoff
- Narrated by: Mitchell Zuckoff, Sean Pratt
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 17
The New York Times best-selling author of 13 Hours and Lost in Shangri-La delivers his most compelling and vital work yet - a spellbinding, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting narrative, years in the making, that weaves together myriad stories to create the definitive portrait of 9/11.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
BREATHTAKING
- By laura on 2021-09-14
Written by: Mitchell Zuckoff
-
102 Minutes
- The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
- Written by: Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 15
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good detailed listen
- By Sans on 2023-02-05
Written by: Jim Dwyer, and others
-
Hitler's People
- The Faces of the Third Reich
- Written by: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
Richard Evans, author of the acclaimed The Third Reich Trilogy and over two dozen other volumes on modern Europe, is our preeminent scholar of Nazi Germany. Having spent half a century searching for the truths behind one of the most horrifying episodes in human history, in Hitler’s People, he brings us back to the original site of the Nazi movement: namely, the lives of its most important members. Working in concentric circles out from Hitler and his closest allies, Evans forms a typological framework of Germany society under Nazi rule from the top down.
Written by: Richard J. Evans
-
The Afghanistan Papers
- A Secret History of the War
- Written by: Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 32
Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well done curated information
- By Jose Amaya on 2021-10-02
Written by: Craig Whitlock, and others
-
Black Flags
- The Rise of ISIS
- Written by: Joby Warrick
- Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
In a thrilling dramatic narrative, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, Joby Warrick traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Selective Narratives and Hidden Biases
- By Amir on 2024-09-23
Written by: Joby Warrick
-
The Terror Years
- From al-Qaeda to the Islamic State
- Written by: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer, Lawrence Wright
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
With the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright became generally acknowledged as one of our major journalists writing on terrorism in the Middle East. This collection draws on several articles he wrote while researching that book as well as many that he's written since, following where and how al-Qaeda and its core cultlike beliefs have morphed and spread.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
disappointing
- By A on 2019-01-05
Written by: Lawrence Wright
-
Fall and Rise
- The Story of 9/11
- Written by: Mitchell Zuckoff
- Narrated by: Mitchell Zuckoff, Sean Pratt
- Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 17
The New York Times best-selling author of 13 Hours and Lost in Shangri-La delivers his most compelling and vital work yet - a spellbinding, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting narrative, years in the making, that weaves together myriad stories to create the definitive portrait of 9/11.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
BREATHTAKING
- By laura on 2021-09-14
Written by: Mitchell Zuckoff
-
102 Minutes
- The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
- Written by: Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 15
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very good detailed listen
- By Sans on 2023-02-05
Written by: Jim Dwyer, and others
-
Hitler's People
- The Faces of the Third Reich
- Written by: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
Richard Evans, author of the acclaimed The Third Reich Trilogy and over two dozen other volumes on modern Europe, is our preeminent scholar of Nazi Germany. Having spent half a century searching for the truths behind one of the most horrifying episodes in human history, in Hitler’s People, he brings us back to the original site of the Nazi movement: namely, the lives of its most important members. Working in concentric circles out from Hitler and his closest allies, Evans forms a typological framework of Germany society under Nazi rule from the top down.
Written by: Richard J. Evans
-
The Afghanistan Papers
- A Secret History of the War
- Written by: Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 32
Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well done curated information
- By Jose Amaya on 2021-10-02
Written by: Craig Whitlock, and others
What the critics say
What listeners say about The Looming Tower
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justin
- 2023-01-15
Absolutely Astounding!
Incredible book - Lawrence does a wonderful job narrating his own work. There are a few points near the end when he nearly gets choked up; you can really feel how much he poured into this work. Can’t recommend it enough.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-07-08
Why an Author Should Not Narrate Their Own Work
This is a brilliantly researched work, providing tremendous insight into the cultural, political, and bureaucratic background that led to 9/11. Unfortunately, I would suggest reading a print version. The author/narrator suffers from a slightly mumbling voice. He stumbles when presented with consecutive consonants and with drawn-out vowel-consonant blends. The word "modernity" is uttered an incalculable number of times in the narration, and always as if with a speech defect. The volume of the author's voice tails off at the end of sentences and tires during each chapter. I found that I had to continually increase the volume as I listened. The production team should have worked more with the author/narrator, and should have employed compression and equalization to make the book carry against the background noise of a vehicle, which is where many people will listen to it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amir
- 2024-09-19
An Unflinching Masterpiece
The Looming Tower is one of the most gripping books I’ve read in a long time. It’s not only incredibly well-researched but also superbly structured, weaving together complex historical threads with remarkable clarity. Without a doubt, this is the best account I've read on the events leading to 9/11. But beyond that, it offers a profound perspective on the ideological and philosophical roots of fundamentalist Islam.
What sets this book apart is its balance—critics have lauded its ability to humanize key figures while providing an unflinching view of the larger forces at play. Lawrence Wright's narrative style brings history to life, making it as engaging as it is informative. It’s no surprise this Pulitzer Prize-winning book is considered a masterpiece in investigative journalism and historical writing.
Overall, it’s not just a compelling read—it’s an essential one for understanding the origins of one of the most defining moments of our time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-06-27
didn't like it, just could not get into it.
it was very slow going and I could not keep myself interested for any length of time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!