Osama: The Making of a Terrorist (Vintage) - Tapa blanda

"Detailed and fast paced. . . . Of all the flutter of bin Laden and Al Qaeda books, Randal has produced the most readable and informative." --Richard Clarke, The Boston Globe"Essential. . . . well-written and authoritative. . . . [Randal's] book isn't a conventional biography. It is more important: a contextualization and explication of the strains of Middle Eastern fundamentalism that have made bin Laden an incurable migraine for the United States." --Atlanta Journal-Constitution"With impressive perspective, the author reveals the underpinnings of jihadism. . . . A skillful, yet highly opinionated, examination of the rise of modern Islamic terrorism." --The Miami Herald"American policymakers would do well . . . to glean perceptions from [this] seasoned man-of-the-world." --The Washington Post Book World"Fascinating. . . . Better than any previous author, [Randal] explains the volatile regional milieu that enabled a minor son of a Saudi contracting potentate to become a hero." --BusinessWeek"Very worthwhile, illuminating without being alarmist. . . . The beauty of Randal's narrative is how richly it's rooted in his reporting experiences." --Christian Science Monitor"[A] meticulous account of the emergence and spread of the terror virus [and a] map of world that produced him and his fellow Islamists." --New York Times Book Review"Fascinates. . . . The main value of the book is the political background it provides of the Islamic world. Here the author . . . is in his element; he has interviewed ambassadors, security chiefs and heads of state. He has watched their maneuvers and knows their motives." --The Seattle Times"A useful primer about what we know--and all we don't know--about terrorism." --USA Today"The volume does a nimble and often highly compelling job of leading the reader through the labyrinth of information and speculation about Al Qaeda and the broader jihadi movement."--New York Times"Wonderful. . . . Randal has combined worldliness, impressive knowledge and a compelling writing style to produce a morbidly fascinating work." --The Plain Dealer"Excellent. . . . Authoritative and most informative. . . . Randal has access to key figures and offers insights that a less experienced correspondent could not provide. . . . [An] insightful analysis of the administration's current Middle East policy." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Richly researched. . . . An interesting and useful book." --Newsday"Absorbing. . . . [Randal writes] with the urgency of first-hand experience, with the authority of a man who's spent decades seeing the United States through the eyes of the Third World." --San Antonio Express-News "Irresistible. By involving the reader in his own peregrinations, Randal has produced a first-person adventure that blends analysis and reportage." --The News & Observer (Raleigh)"[An] insightful look at the world's most famous terrorist." --Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel"Compelling. . . . Arresting observations. . . . The author draws on his vast experience to produce a balanced and revealing portrait of the man and the radical Islamic movement. . . . A timely and important work of first-rate reporting that provides invaluable insight." --Flint Journal"Thorough and lucid. . . . [Randal] takes the public Osama and demonstrates the ways, sometimes openly, sometimes shadowy, that he moved through [the Arab and Muslim] world before Sept. 11. . . . Such insight is worth the price of the book. . . . A valuable addition to [Randal's] much-admired body of work." --Rocky Mountain News"Interesting. . . . Insightful. . . . Worthwhile. . . . Randal is at his best when intuiting the nuances of terrorism and the particular Middle Eastern culture [from] whence it springs. . . . American policymakers would do well to . . . glean perceptions from [him]." --Newark Star-Ledger "Both fascinating and frightening. . . . Seriously deepens the reader's understanding of bin Laden." --Santa Fe New Mexican"Fascinating. . . . [Randal] provides insight into the leader's personal life and personality. . . . [His] intimate understanding of the politics of the region make this one of the better biographies of this most elusive man." --Tucson Citizen"Prepare to be chilled: It's hard to see how one could not be disquieted by Jonathan Randal's Osama. . . . [He] refuses to sugarcoat anything." --Kansas City Star"Insightful, spare, and quite readable. . . . In this well-researched and thoughtful book, Randal offers us much to reflect upon this man whose idea, movement, and legacy will be with us for a long time to come." --Decatur Daily

A former correspondent for the Washington Post takes a close-up look at the role of Osama bin Laden in the rise of Middle Eastern terrorism, detailing the violent collision between twenty-first-century Islam and the West, Osama's estrangement from the West and his Saudi background, his terrorist activities, and the inability of American intelligence to locate him. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.