A Critical Book Report On Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower.
A critical book report on Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower.
Introduction
The September 11th terrorist hijackings and attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon caught the United States largely by surprise. Once the dust had settled, and the shock and horror of such an unprecedented event had waned, the American public began to ask questions. Names such as Osama bin Laden, countries such as Afghanistan, and organizations such as Al-Qaeda were brought into the public's consciousness for the first time. Through newspapers, talkback radio and television programs the nation asked why do they hate us so much?' Others, such as those in the government and public service, asked what could we have done to have prevented this?' It is these two burnings questions that Lawrence Wright attempts to answer in The Looming Tower. In his incredibly detailed account of the events leading up to 9/11, Wright narrates the development of Al-Qaeda and it's anti-American philosophy, as well as the efforts of various personalities of the US law enforcement bureaus who attempted to prevent these attacks from occurring. Wright concludes his book by placing the blame for 9/11 on the organizational structure of the law enforcement agencies in the US, as well as on certain individuals within the CIA. While Wright presents some highly persuasive and well researched arguments as to the causes of 9/11, his bias and one-sided approach to certain issues detracts from the readers overall understanding of these events.
Summary
Wright's account takes on the form of a biography, narrating the lives of a series of seemingly unconnected individuals to illustrate how Al-Qaeda came to be, and why September 11 occurred. He outlines why the United States were attacked, stringing together events that he believed were crucial in the development of Al-Qaeda's desire to attack America. While Wright develops his argument through the medium of...
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