pickDefinitely a hefty and dense read, but it was illuminating, intriguing, horrifying, and well worth the time and effort spent keeping the timeline and active figures straight. I don‘t know why I expected there to be so much more behind these beliefs, these people, and their hatred, but Wright deftly pulls back the veil to reveal that they are just men, weak men.
pickThis Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the formation of Al Qaeda is a must-read for foreign policy buffs. Wright details the absurd intelligence failures, particularly by the siloed CIA, that led to catastrophe. The book also serves as a fascinating biography of Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, illuminating their personal lives beyond the headlines. Their chief adversary, tenacious FBI agent John O‘Neill, is given a poignant rendering.
pickWhile the draw here is the firsthand account of the 2011 raid that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden, I was more interested in the nuts and bolts of daily Navy Seal life - especially the mindset and the details of their private culture. Owen (an alias) has seen and done grim things and doesn‘t sugarcoat his warfighting experiences. While sobering and at times gut-wrenching, I appreciated seeing history through his night vision goggles.
pickThis was one of the easiest military reads I have ever had. There was not a ton of military lingo that a civilian wouldn't know, or isn't clearly explained. It was also a very quick read.
Photo of the skittles is just because I am incredibly happy to have the lime back.
Interesting & informative. Bowden always good.
pickWrapping up my August reads with this movingly written book, The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden by Peter Bergen. This is a great follow up to Jean Sasson‘s opus Growing Up Bin Laden. Mr. Bergen has produced a narrative that is both deftly constructed and meticulously researched. With the recent withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan, the war on terror narrative is 👇
pickBreaking my reading slump with this book: Growing Up Bin Laden by Jean Sasson. Gripping and heartbreaking, Ms. Sasson takes us to the domestic world of the infamous Osama Bin Laden through the eyes of his first wife Najwa Bin Laden and their fourth son Omar Bin Laden. What life was like for the first and most important wife of Osama? What kind of father and husband had Osama been? Had he love his wives (5) and children (24)? 👇
