Summary of The Looming Tower

The Looming Tower is a Pulitzer-winning nonfiction book by Lawrence Wright that documents the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. It traces the political and historical context of the terrorist group, from its religious and ideological roots to its present-day involvement in international terrorism. The book also investigates the role of the U.S. government in the events leading up to the September 11 attacks. It also looks at how the rivalry and animosity between the FBI and CIA, as well as the bureaucratic turf wars between them, impeded progress in the fight against terrorism. The Looming Tower examines the cultural, political, and religious forces that led to the attack and the failure to prevent it.