Ten powerful pieces first published in The New Yorker recall the path terror in the Middle East has taken from the rise of al-Qaeda in the 1990s to the recent beheadings of reporters and aid workers by ISIS.

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 cult-like beliefs have morphed and spread. They include an indelible impression of Saudi Arabia, a kingdom of silence under the control of the religious police; the Syrian film industry, then compliant at the edges but already exuding a feeling of the barely masked fury that erupted into civil war; and the 2006-11 Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, a study in disparate values of human lives. Others continue to look into al-Qaeda as it forms a master plan for its future, experiences a rebellion from within the organization, and spins off a growing web of terror in the world. The American response is covered in profiles of two FBI agents and a chief of the CIA. It ends with the recent devastating piece about the capture and beheading by ISIS of four American journalists and aid workers, and how our government failed to handle the situation.

Listening Length

17 hours and 24 minutes
Author

Lawrence Wright
Narrator

John H. Mayer, see all
Audible release date

August 23, 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Audio
ASIN

B01FWLVKB4
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	17 hours and 24 minutes
Author	Lawrence Wright
Narrator	Lawrence Wright, John H. Mayer
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	August 23, 2016
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01FWLVKB4
Best Sellers Rank	#60,232 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #42 in Terrorism (Audible Books & Originals) #53 in Islam (Audible Books & Originals) #336 in Historical Middle East Biographies

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

194 global ratings

5 star		69%
4 star		19%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Michael Griswold

The Terror Timeline

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 19, 2018

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When one picks up a book like Lawrence Wright’s The Terror Years, they might be expecting an all-encompassing book that takes them from approx. September 11th 2001 till the emergence of ISIS. Lawrence Wright gets there, but it is far from the conventional route. Much of the first part of the book is spent in Egypt detailing the founding of Al Qaeda through a series of longer journalistic pieces rather than one unbroken narrative. Then we get the tactical evolution pieces: Africa embassy bombings, 9-11, and European Terror attacks. This is followed by the evolution? From Al Qaeda to Isis where they agree, disagree, aims, etc.

The most heart-wrenching of these pieces is the last 80-100 pages that talk about six people that ISIS beheaded or threatened to behead, their families, and the slightly madcap millionaire-billionaire who attempted to help them when the US government would not or could not up to expectation. As a reader reading page after page of vivid detail both of captivity and the desperation efforts of the families, you want everything to magically be okay, but obviously inside you know it won’t be and it just tears into your soul.

Wright may not tell the story in a conventional way, but he does piece together how we got from Al Qaeda to ISIS.

8 people found this helpful

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Megan Smith

Very insightful!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 20, 2021

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This was very educational and gives the reader a lot to consider when dealing with the complex problems of the Middle East.

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M. Brindell

Very good

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 4, 2019

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Much, but not most, of the text is repetitive from "Looming Towers." That's not bad; in fact, it was somewhat good to reinforce the information from that book.

All in all, a book most every American will benefit from reading.

With books like this on the market, it's safe to say ignorance is something you do to yourself. There's no excuse to being ill informed.

One person found this helpful

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Milo Dowling

Should be must reading for those involved in terrorism matters, military and law enforcement.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 20, 2016

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Another great read by Lawrence Wright. In my mind he is always right on top of Al-Qaeda and ISIS and his projections in the past have been right on target. This should be a must read for all military and law enforcement officers. Not to mention the general public so they might just get an idea on what has happened and what is happening.
Have read several of his books and will be ordering another one very shortly. Have recommended his book to several people I know who have been involved in terrorism investigations.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

I found the historical information about the Muslim Brotherhood informative ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 30, 2016

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I found the historical information about the Muslim Brotherhood informative. Most compelling was the stories of more ordinary people in Saudi Arabia.
The stories of the five hostages was heart wrenching. The dilemma of rescuing a religious community and putting the hostages at greater risk demonstrated for me the difficult decisions any American administration would face in the middle east

One person found this helpful

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Zen Nomad

Good book but misleading title

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 12, 2016

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Good book of 5 thematically linked essays with an outstanding epilogue about how terrorist organizations end. However this was not the book I expected. The title is misleading as it implies a continuous narrative about the origin and the development of ISIS. I am still looking for such a book.

One person found this helpful

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JMan

Very misleading title, not half as good as Looming Tower

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2020

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I LOVED Looming Tower but it's apparent within the first few chapters that the Author mails this one in. Looks like most of this is just an amalgamation of his previous work. I also bought this thinking it was a true sequel to Looming Tower about the rise of ISIS from the ashes of AQI but it barely talks about Zarqawi or Bagdhadi and is just a random sampling of stories. Just disappointed bc it could have been so much better. It was still well written and a quick read so not a total dud.

6 people found this helpful

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Winston Smith

If you are not at the forefront of this subject this is an easy reading and relatively up to date volume

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 6, 2017

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Well Written&worth the read! If you are not at the forefront of this subject this is an easy reading and relatively up to date volume.(. Does not cover the bigger picture)

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

andy rb

Well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 5, 2022

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Great book very informative the author has written 2 great books now I was impressed with the looming Towers and the same with this

thomas jackson

Eloquent, trenchant and trustworthy account of the rise of Islamic Fundamentalist terror.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 17, 2017

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I heard Lawrence Wright on Alec Baldwin's podcast talking about Scientology and this book: he sounded like he had an excellent eye for cutting through to the facts of an issue. In this book he uses the experience gained living in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and a host of brilliant sources, to inform a detailed narrative of this modern incarnation of Islamist terror, from the 1950's right up to ISIL. An enlightening read for anyone looking to learn more about the subject.

One person found this helpful

CMJ

Fascinating compelling read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 20, 2019

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Absolutely fascinating, brilliantly researched and a compelling read

pratolongo

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 27, 2017

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I appreciate the accuracy and the perfect mental organisation. I hope the Author will deliver soon a new book I strongly recommend this book along with previous masterpieces

Suman

Insightful and Enligtning

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on April 17, 2021

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One of the best insightfull naraations. How the terror organizations while each of them bigger failures have been successful in just the sadistic terrorizing process that have taken away so much of happiness, freedom and so many lives and raised only but utter despair across the victims and aggressor equally. Its hopeful to hear that a lot of old terrorists and terror sympathizers now have returned to normalcy after realizing the fruitless results and are trying to call for something called peaceful jihad - which is actually the core of many religions across the world. The book although giving sombre and painful details also gives little hope. Lets hope the hope factor keeps winning leaps and bounds in days to come.

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