Book Review: The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

'The Looming Tower' is another excellent book on terrorism: chronicling Al Qaeda's rise from Afghanistan/ Pakistan post the Afghan Soviet war to 9/11. The book should ideally be followed up with a reading of 'Manhunt' which rounds up the Bin Laden narrative.

The initial parts of the book, while insightful, are somewhat tedious reading, especially for a reader expecting Wright to jump right into Bin Laden and Zawahiri. The story of Al Qaeda, in fact, begins with Sayyid Qutb, moves on to Abdullah Azzam and then segues through Prince Turki and the CIA to land at Bin Laden and Zawahiri - two very unlikely allies.

What I loved most about the book though was the story of John O'Neill - a bullheaded Anti Bin Laden - and a host of other supporting characters, who were all blinded and hobbled by idiotic bureaucratic policies and rivalries between US security agencies such as NSA, CIA and FBI (to which O'Neill and his I-49 squad belonged). The book picks up pace with the Taliban leader Mullah Omar granting refuge to Bin Laden, becoming a veritable thriller leading up to the planes hitting the towers.

I loved the book though I trudged through the first half. For the O'Neill story alone, the book deserves to be read.