Product Description

A zealous freedom-fighter who has galvanized Islamic fundamentalists into a fighting force capable of toppling evil Western civilization, a simple man, pious, upstanding and principled - the moral leader of the faithful. This is the image Osama bin Laden wishes to project to the world. This volume examines the life of the renegade prophet, revealing a past laced with prostitutes, hedonism and alcohol abuse. With information provided by members of his family, this book traces the roots of his discontent, exploring his privileged childhood riven by jelousies and family politics. It paints the picture of a youth desperately seeking acceptance and a man whose need for attention and adulation set him upon an unbelievable course, ultimately leading to the catastrophic events of 11 September 2001.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #820370 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
'The killing of Americans and their civilian and military allies is a religious duty for each and every Muslim.' Osama bin Laden; 'There is nothing hidden about Bin Laden's agenda, he openly espouses the language of terror.' Prime Minister Tony Blair; 'an evil man... who doesn't mind destroying women and children.' President George W. Bush

Customer Reviews

Nothing new and badly written.
This book tells us nothing new about Osama Bin Laden and is very badly written, with words missing or spelt incorrectly. It also repeats facts and information several times throughout the book thus making it longer than it needs to be and a bit tedious to read.
The grammar in this book is so poor it actually makes it difficult to read!

The end of civilisation as we know it?
It's true that the book was clearly a rush job brought out in 2001 to feed the information appetite of the time. Nevertheless, you don't buy a book like this for the elegance of it's prose and it's a useful primer. It provided me with the potted background you need to have some form of view round the events that mark the milestones in terror over the last twenty years. The prognosois is horrific and the sheer complexity of cross cutting national interests, the influential sub cultures, the economics of terror, the religious hysteria and extremism are a toxic cauldron. The West has been bumbling around since the end of the second world war ineffectially trying to contain the rivalries of the middle east. The history of repeated intelligence failures and the inability to act intelligently and creatively have allowed terror to develop and thrive. It's difficult to see how the situation can do less than get worse - catastrophically so, with well resourced and supported movements intent on the destruction of all things American and with potential nuclear and biological capabilities. The degree of 'real and prsent danger' shows how mispaced was the obsession with a comparatively minor crook like like Saddam Hussein and his regime. The continuing failure to curb the destructive activities of the Israelis and to create a two state 'solution' in Palestine does nothing to undermine the doomsday prospect presaged by nine eleven and the undoubted capabilities of Bin Laden's organisations. These are the things the book makes you think about. I thought it was useful.