I'm looking for a book (or books) that cover the stuff that lead to the attacks, the attacks themselves, and the aftermath, especially the invasion of Iraq and the war on terror. They can be simple overview books, as long as they're accurate.
Thank you
by bukkake-bill
7 Comments
The Looming Tower is the book you want.
Tell me how this Ends.
Striking Back (about the Munich attacks and aftermath, but still really relevant).
The One Percent Doctrine.
Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke.
Inside Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman (actually anything by Bruce Hoffman, but Inside Terrorism is the only book I’ve read of his. He also updates it every few years, but I think even the one I read from 2006 is still shockingly relevant).
And it’s a documentary, but – Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror (available on Netflix and very good). Also, Turning Point has a great documentary on the Cold War and the nuclear bomb.
Imperial Life in the Emerald City – Rajiv Chandrasekaran
The 9/11 Commission Report is actually pretty readable
The Only Plane in the Sky, an oral history of 9/11. It has many different stories telling the stories of people not only in NY but also the Pentagon and the plane in PA.
*Why Intelligence Fails: Lessons from the Iranian Revolution and the Iraq War* by Robert Jervis.
*Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq* by Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor.
*Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS* by Joby Warrick.
102 minutes
The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against Al-Qaeda by Ali Soufan, the FBI agent who was the first to connect Al Qaeda with the attack. Fascinating read.
As already mentioned, the Looming Tower is essential reading, as is the 9/11 Commission Report. I couldn’t make it through 102 Minutes.