The Bin Ladens

By Steve Coll,

Book cover of The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century

Book description

The rise and rise of the Bin Laden family is one of the great stories of the twentieth century; its repercussions have already deeply marked the twenty-first. Until now, however, it is a story that has never been fully told, as the Bin Ladens have successfully fended off attempts to…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Bin Ladens as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I felt it was the most narratively satisfying of Steve Coll’s many excellent books. If others are better at tackling big issues and uncovering ‘smoking guns,’ this one reads like a fiction novel.

The story of the Bin Ladens is incredible. It encompasses those of the notorious terrorist Osama Bin Laden, but it goes way beyond that. Coll tells the reader of the Americanized half-brothers and half-sisters of Osama and of a family that incarnated globalization in the 20th century.

Overall, I got a completely different perspective on the rise of Islamism and Islamist terrorism reading this book. 

From Vassily's list on the modern Middle East and Afghanistan.

If you love The Bin Ladens...

Ad

Book cover of Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink

Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink By Ethan Chorin,

Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of…

Want books like The Bin Ladens?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Bin Ladens.

Browse books like The Bin Ladens

Book cover of Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East
Book cover of The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History
Book cover of A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,590

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden?

Saudi Arabia 24 books
Afghanistan 94 books
Osama Bin Laden 5 books