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

Hosted by Professor Steven David,
Professor of Political Science,
Vice Dean for Centers and Programs

"The perfect 9/11 book....I don't know a book that does a better job—indeed a thrilling job—of illuminating the main human factors that went into producing the horrendous attack of [September 11]....An unflaggingly compelling story."

— David Klinghoffer, New York Post

 

How to Participate

Listen to the audio introduction with the faculty host
Read the transcription of the recording
Join the online discussion through JHU inCircle

About this Month's Selection

"A gripping narrative that spans five decades, The Looming Tower explains in unprecedented detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center.  Lawrence Wright re-creates first-hand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history.  He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O'Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat.  Packed with new information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is the definitive history of the long road to September 11."