The Bin Ladens

An Arabian Family in the American Century

Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, Biography & Memoir, Political
Cover of the book The Bin Ladens by Steve Coll, Penguin Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Steve Coll ISBN: 9781101202722
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication: April 1, 2008
Imprint: Penguin Books Language: English
Author: Steve Coll
ISBN: 9781101202722
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication: April 1, 2008
Imprint: Penguin Books
Language: English

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 understand the family circles from which Osama sprang. In this the family has been abetted by the kingdom it calls home, Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed societies on earth.

Steve Coll’s The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century is the groundbreaking history of a family and its fortune. It chronicles a young illiterate Yemeni bricklayer, Mohamed Bin Laden, who went to the new, oil-rich country of Saudi Arabia and quickly became a vital figure in its development, building great mosques and highways and making himself and many of his children millionaires. It is also a story of the Saudi royal family, whom the Bin Ladens served loyally and without whose capricious favor they would have been nothing. And it is a story of tensions and contradictions in a country founded on extreme religious purity, which then became awash in oil money and dazzled by the temptations of the West. In only two generations the Bin Ladens moved from a famine-stricken desert canyon to luxury jets, yachts, and private compounds around the world, even going into business with Hollywood celebrities. These religious and cultural gyrations resulted in everything from enthusiasm for America—exemplified by Osama’s free-living pilot brother Salem—to an overwhelming determination to destroy it.

The Bin Ladens is a meticulously researched, colorful, shocking, entertaining, and disturbing narrative of global integration and its limitations. It encapsulates the unsettling contradictions of globalization in the story of a single family who has used money, mobility, and technology to dramatically varied ends.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 understand the family circles from which Osama sprang. In this the family has been abetted by the kingdom it calls home, Saudi Arabia, one of the most closed societies on earth.

Steve Coll’s The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century is the groundbreaking history of a family and its fortune. It chronicles a young illiterate Yemeni bricklayer, Mohamed Bin Laden, who went to the new, oil-rich country of Saudi Arabia and quickly became a vital figure in its development, building great mosques and highways and making himself and many of his children millionaires. It is also a story of the Saudi royal family, whom the Bin Ladens served loyally and without whose capricious favor they would have been nothing. And it is a story of tensions and contradictions in a country founded on extreme religious purity, which then became awash in oil money and dazzled by the temptations of the West. In only two generations the Bin Ladens moved from a famine-stricken desert canyon to luxury jets, yachts, and private compounds around the world, even going into business with Hollywood celebrities. These religious and cultural gyrations resulted in everything from enthusiasm for America—exemplified by Osama’s free-living pilot brother Salem—to an overwhelming determination to destroy it.

The Bin Ladens is a meticulously researched, colorful, shocking, entertaining, and disturbing narrative of global integration and its limitations. It encapsulates the unsettling contradictions of globalization in the story of a single family who has used money, mobility, and technology to dramatically varied ends.

More books from Penguin Publishing Group

Cover of the book There Is a River by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The Rebel Bride by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Texas West by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The Big Jewish Book for Jews by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Unshapely Things by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Odd Type Writers by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The 10-Step Stress Solution by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Painted Ladies by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The Missing Years by Steve Coll
Cover of the book In the Heat of the Night by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The Flaming Corsage by Steve Coll
Cover of the book The Seventh at St. Andrews by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Hangsaman by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Dirty Secrets by Steve Coll
Cover of the book Discover Manga Drawing by Steve Coll
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy