The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden: The Biography

The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden: The Biography

  • Downloads:7017
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-08-18 03:40:57
  • Update Date:2025-09-23
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Peter L. Bergen
  • ISBN:B08LW2QWJR
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Download

Reviews

Radhika Shendye

This is a brilliant biography on the life of Osama bin laden based on extensive first hand research and interviews with many key people including President Obama。 It's factual and provides an excellent unbiased view of the events that led to 9/11 and it's aftermath。 The author has carefully debunked any myths or conspiracy theories about bin laden or Al Qaeda wherever applicable。The author (former producer at CNN) had conducted the first and only in person interview with Osama at Tora Bora in '9 This is a brilliant biography on the life of Osama bin laden based on extensive first hand research and interviews with many key people including President Obama。 It's factual and provides an excellent unbiased view of the events that led to 9/11 and it's aftermath。 The author has carefully debunked any myths or conspiracy theories about bin laden or Al Qaeda wherever applicable。The author (former producer at CNN) had conducted the first and only in person interview with Osama at Tora Bora in '98。 He is also the only non-government person to have visited Osama's Abbotabad residence after his demise, before it was destroyed by the Pakistani govt。 The author's previous book on Osama was found in his personal library in Abbotabad。The book ends with a few opinions by the author around CIA's interrogation tactics at the time, which are controversial due to morality concerns。 Overall this is the best book I've read about Osama bin laden and the middle east。 。。。more

Barbara

Read this because I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the person of Osama bib Laden。 Was reminded with a jolt how bad the Bush administration was。

Serge

Authoritative Account of EventsBergen does a great service by correcting the many false narratives peddled by lesser journalists and talking heads for personal profit。 Bergen stitches together the quarter century that saw Bin Laden's ascent at the end of the eighties to his ignominious death in 2011。 The crafty and delusional heir to a vast Saudi fortune set the world ablaze with his self-serving martyr ideology and the West's reaction his threat ( the War on Terror) tilted US foreign policy awa Authoritative Account of EventsBergen does a great service by correcting the many false narratives peddled by lesser journalists and talking heads for personal profit。 Bergen stitches together the quarter century that saw Bin Laden's ascent at the end of the eighties to his ignominious death in 2011。 The crafty and delusional heir to a vast Saudi fortune set the world ablaze with his self-serving martyr ideology and the West's reaction his threat ( the War on Terror) tilted US foreign policy away from long term geopolitical interests。 Avery readableand persuasive book。 。。。more

Alex

First i would like to thank #simonandschuster and #netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review。Overall, i found this book very interesting as someone who studies psychology i did find it interesting his early life and how he became exile from his entire family pretty early on due to not agreeing with his beliefs And seeing how those early interactions in life caused him to think the way he did。 This book follows his entire life from soon after birth essentially and his family’s life First i would like to thank #simonandschuster and #netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review。Overall, i found this book very interesting as someone who studies psychology i did find it interesting his early life and how he became exile from his entire family pretty early on due to not agreeing with his beliefs And seeing how those early interactions in life caused him to think the way he did。 This book follows his entire life from soon after birth essentially and his family’s life to his death。 The author Peter Bergen was the first America journalist to be granted a face to face interview with him in mid 1990s for CNN, you can still find it on youtube。 It was crazy to hear all the steps that were included in getting that interview which at that point he was already well known among intelligence communities。 I also think it is important to note that the author is American and works for CNN and thus will have certain biases when it comes to talking about Osama…and thus can be seen somewhat but overall i thought it was pretty neutral and kept mostly to the facts。 I know that this book definitely is not everyone cup of tea at all i completely understand that but i did find it interesting reading the thought process, rational, and ideals that existed。 If you want to learn more about the radicalization process this is a overall pretty solid book to begin to understand it。 PLEASE NOTE:Although Osama used the religion of Islam as reasoning for his actions mainstream practices of Islam rejects his interpretations and even Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship due to this fact as well。 Islam is a very peaceful religion when practice correctly。 。。。more

Michael Richter

Peter Bergen's book is very thorough and details the complexities of Osama bin Laden as one of the most consequential individuals of the last decades。 Bergen's writing is precise and efficient, and for the uninitiated reader this is an excellent biography, spanning bin Laden's entire life, with all his social, religious, and personal metamorphosis。 My only reservation is that much of this material has already been known and covered in great detail, including by Peter Bergen himself, so those rea Peter Bergen's book is very thorough and details the complexities of Osama bin Laden as one of the most consequential individuals of the last decades。 Bergen's writing is precise and efficient, and for the uninitiated reader this is an excellent biography, spanning bin Laden's entire life, with all his social, religious, and personal metamorphosis。 My only reservation is that much of this material has already been known and covered in great detail, including by Peter Bergen himself, so those readers expecting significant new insights might be somewhat disappointed。 Still, an excellent read! 。。。more

Brandon Westlake

I enjoyed Bergen's earlier work on bin Laden; however I don't feel like I learned a lot in this book that I hadn't read before。 Bergen's mission here was to explain why bin Laden attacked the US, but I feel like that a) has pretty much been answered, and b) if this is the objective of his work, he digresses a lot。 If you are looking for a biography of bin Laden, and don't know a lot of background about him, this is a good book to begin with (especially since it does begin with his death)。 It wil I enjoyed Bergen's earlier work on bin Laden; however I don't feel like I learned a lot in this book that I hadn't read before。 Bergen's mission here was to explain why bin Laden attacked the US, but I feel like that a) has pretty much been answered, and b) if this is the objective of his work, he digresses a lot。 If you are looking for a biography of bin Laden, and don't know a lot of background about him, this is a good book to begin with (especially since it does begin with his death)。 It will connect dots that you may not have heard in popular circles or mass media。 。。。more