Lawrence Wright Books

A gripping narrative that spans five decades, The Looming Tower explains in unprecedented detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Lawrence Wright re-creates firsthand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history. He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O’Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat. Packed with new information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is the definitive history of the long road to September 11. --back cover

Brilliantly written and highly original, this book tells the full story of Al Qaeda from its origins to 9/11. Drawing on interviews and first-hand sources, it explores the ideologues behind the organization and those who sought to stop them. Sayyid Qutb, a tormented Egyptian, was horrified by the perceived godlessness in America in 1948, and his writings made him a martyr for Islamic extremists. Ayman al-Zawahiri, a devout student, formed an underground jihadist cell by age fifteen. Osama bin Laden, a Saudi multimillionaire turned mujahideen commander, combined his interests with al-Zawahiri's to create a global terror coalition. The narrative also features John O'Neill, the FBI's flamboyant counterterrorism chief, whose warnings of an impending threat went unheeded, ultimately leading to his fate at the Twin Towers. Interweaving events like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the first World Trade Center attack, the book delves into training camps and secret meetings to uncover the complex origins of Al Qaeda's animosity toward the West. The acclaimed work includes a new Afterword addressing events since its publication, including Osama bin Laden's death.

Explores both the American and Arab sides of the September 11th terrorist attacks in an account of the people, ideas, events, and intelligence failures that led to the tragedies.

The New York Times bestselling investigation into Scientology by Pulitzer Prize-Winner Lawrence Wright now published for the first time in the UK and Australia

The book showcases an impressive range of themes and ideas, weaving together a rich tapestry of narratives that span various perspectives and experiences. It captivates readers with its expansive scope, offering deep insights into the human condition while maintaining a compelling and engaging storytelling style. The author's skillful craftsmanship elevates the work, making it a remarkable contribution to contemporary literature.

A gripping day-by-day account of the 1978 Camp David conference reveals how President Jimmy Carter successfully persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to sign the first peace treaty in the modern Middle East, a landmark agreement that endures today. With his keen insight into the region's complexities and acclaimed journalistic skill, Lawrence Wright meticulously details each of the thirteen days of the conference, shedding light on the intractable issues at play and the scriptural narratives that continue to shape the conflict. Alongside in-depth profiles of the three leaders, Wright vividly portrays other influential figures present at Camp David, including Moshe Dayan, Osama el-Baz, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. He also highlights the significant contributions of Rosalynn Carter. The narrative captures Carter’s relentless pursuit of an agreement and the extraordinary collaboration among lifelong adversaries, while also addressing the profound challenges that remain, particularly in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian struggle. This work of history and reportage offers a timely revisit of this diplomatic triumph and an insightful look into the complexities of making peace.

The narrative explores the complex and forced partnership between a Palestinian American FBI agent and a hard-line Israeli cop as they investigate the murder of the Israeli police chief in Gaza. With a blend of tension and emotional depth, it offers a fresh perspective on the intricacies of Palestinian-Israeli relations. Drawing comparisons to the works of John le Carré and Graham Greene, the novel combines thrilling storytelling with profound insights, aiming to both entertain and enlighten readers about this fraught geopolitical landscape.

A brilliant and thought-provoking examination of how the study of twins informs our understanding of free will, individual identity and human nature. Written with great elegance and with complete control of the sometimes complex issues, this is a remarkable piece of scientific writing, and one of the best and most accessible examples of how Darwinian ideas, evolutionary psychology and modern genetics are illuminating human nature.

Honoring the medical professionals around the country who've risked their lives to fight the virus, the author examines the medical, economic, political, and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic

Examines the Church of Scientology; discusses the esoteric cosmology, the auditing process for determining an inductee's state of being, and the Bridge for Total Freedom; and details how the church pursues celebrities.

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower—and a Texas native—takes us on a journey through the most controversial state in America. • “Beautifully written…. Essential reading [for] anyone who wants to understand how one state changed the trajectory of the country.” —NPR The inspiration for the HBO Original documentary trilogy God Save Texas streaming on Max Texas is a red state, but the cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king, but Texas now leads California in technology exports. Low taxes and minimal regulation have produced extraordinary growth, but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. Bringing together the historical and the contemporary, the political and the personal, Texas native Lawrence Wright gives us a colorful, wide-ranging portrait of a state that not only reflects our country as it is, but as it may become—and shows how the battle for Texas’s soul encompasses us all.

"Sonny Lamb is an affable, if floundering, rancher with the unfortunate habit of becoming a punchline in his Texas hometown. Most recently, he bought his own bull at auction, saving it from being sold to a slaughterhouse. But when a fire breaks out at a neighbors farm, Sonny makes headlines in another way: Not waiting for help, he bolts to the farm and heroically saves the familys daughter and her horse, riding the animal out of their burning barn. Within days of the event, he attracts the notice of a mysterious man named L.D. who arrives at his door and asks if hed like to run as a Republican for his districts representative seat. Though Sonny has zero experience and doesnt consider himself political in the least, he decides to throw his hat in the ring . . . and he wins. As Sonny navigates life in politics, from running a campaign to negotiating in the capitol, he must learn the ropes, weighing his own ethics and environmental concerns against the pressures of veteran politicians, savvy lobbyists, and his own party. In tracing Sonnys attempt to balance his marriage and morality with an increasingly volatile professional life, Lawrence Wright has crafted a hilarious, immensely clever rollercoaster ride about one mans pursuit of goodness in the Lonestar State"-- Provided by publisher

At an internment camp in Indonesia, within one week, forty-seven people are pronounced dead with acute hemorrhagic fever. When the microbiologist and epidemiologist Henry Parsons travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca. Now, Henry joins forces with a Saudi doctor and prince in an attempt to quarantine the entire host of pilgrims in the holy city. Matilda Nachinsky, deputy director of U. S. Homeland Security, scrambles to mount a response to what may be an act of biowarfare already-fraying global relations begin to snap, one by one, in the face of a pandemic. Henry's wife Jill and their children face diminishing odds of survival in Atlanta and the disease slashes across the United States, dismantling institutions--scientific, religious, governmental--and decimating the population.

A New York Times Notable Book for 1998 Critical acclaim for Lawrence Wright's A Rhone-Poulenc Science Prize Finalist "This is a book about far more than twins: it is about what twins can tell us about ourselves."—The New York Times "With plenty of amazing stories about the similarities and differences of twins, Wright respectfully shows, too, how their special circumstance in life challenges our notions of individuality. A truly fascinating but sometimes spooky (Mengele's experiments with twins at Auschwitz figure among Wright's examples) study."—American Library Association "Like so much of Wright's work, this book is a pleasure to read. Because he writes so well, without pushing a particular point of view, he soon has you pondering questions you have tended to comfortably ignore."—Austin American-Statesman "Informative and entertaining . . . a provocative subject well considered by a talented journalist."—Kirkus Reviews

Who would have supposed that the Romans had lagged hot-water pipes? That Queen Elizabeth I had a valve water-closet? That Louis IV had cushions in his bath? This informative and hilarious book leads the reader to believe that more may be learned about the past from bathrooms than from battlefields, and that patterns of social history are mirrored in the bathwater.

Niemand hat die Vorgeschichte des 11. September 2001 bisher so umfassend geschildert wie der amerikanische Journalist Lawrence Wright. Im Mittelpunkt seines packenden Reports stehen Osama Bin Laden und dessen Nummer zwei, Aiman al-Sawahiri, der FBI-Mann John O'Neill und der ehemalige saudische Geheimdienstchef Turki al Faisal. Kunstvoll verknüpft Wright ihre Lebenswege zu einem detailreichen Gesamtbild der Ereignisse, Wendepunkte, Versäumnisse und Fehleinschätzungen, die den Anschlägen auf das World Trade Center und das Pentagon vorausgingen. * Mehrfach ausgezeichnet, u. a. mit dem renommierten Pulitzer-Preis.

Die Sekte der Stars: Was Scientology so attraktiv und gefährlich macht Scientology ist eine der umstrittensten sogenannten neuen religiösen Bewegungen. In Deutschland wird die Organisation vom Verfassungsschutz beobachtet. Was aber macht Scientology immer wieder attraktiv für Menschen auch in Deutschland? Warum hat Scientology so große Anziehungskraft gerade auf Hollywood? In seinem neuen Buch begibt sich der Pulitzer-Preisträger Lawrence Wright ('Der Tod wird euch finden' über Al-Qaida) in das Herz von Scientology. Nach jahrelangen Recherchen im Umfeld der Organisation schildert er ihre Gründung durch den Science-Fiction-Autor L. Ron Hubbard, die bisweilen bizarr anmutenden Glaubensinhalte und die aggressiven Praktiken gegenüber Mitgliedern, Abtrünnigen und Kritikern. Seine Gespräche mit dem Filmregisseur und Ex-Mitglied Paul Haggis verschafften Wright tiefe Einblicke in die auffällig enge Beziehung gerade von Filmschaffenden – unter ihnen etwa Tom Cruise und John Travolta – zu Scientology.

The bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the history of 9/11: the basis for the original Hulu series starring Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Jeff Daniels, and Tahar Rahim. A gripping narrative that spans five decades, The Looming Tower explains in unprecedented detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Lawrence Wright re-creates firsthand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history. He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O'Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat. Packed with detailed information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is the definitive history of the long road to September 11. National Book Award Finalist Updated and with a New Afterword

Kiedy w 1979 roku wojska radzieckie najechały Afganistan, wspierane przez Stany Zjednoczone grupy mudżahedinów stanęły w obronie kraju. W konflikt zaangażował się również Osama bin Laden z grupą idealistycznych bojowników. Lawrence Wright, opierając się na setkach relacji i wywiadów, opisuje, jak chaotyczna organizacja Bin Ladena przekształciła się w najskuteczniejszą grupę terrorystyczną w historii. Równocześnie przedstawia kontekst historyczny islamskiego fundamentalizmu oraz jego ideologów. Śledzi także losy Johna O’Neilla, agenta FBI, który jako jeden z pierwszych dostrzegł rosnące zagrożenie ze strony Al-Kaidy w latach dziewięćdziesiątych i próbował mu przeciwdziałać. Wright dostarcza wyczerpującej relacji o wydarzeniach prowadzących do zamachów z 11 września. Książka zdobyła wiele prestiżowych nagród, w tym Pulitzera, a także uznanie w czołowych publikacjach. Autor ukazuje nie tylko historię Al-Kaidy, ale także błędy służb wywiadowczych. Wright analizuje sposób myślenia grupy fanatyków oraz amerykańskich przedstawicieli, którzy próbują ich powstrzymać. Jego praca to nie tylko fascynująca opowieść, ale także głęboka analiza idei napędzających radykalny islamizm.

Ta sprawa rozpaliła Amerykę do czerwoności. Paul Ingram, szanowany obywatel i zastępca szeryfa w stanie Waszyngton, w 1988 roku został oskarżony przez swoje córki o wykorzystywanie seksualne. Początkowo zarzuty dotyczyły przemocy w dzieciństwie, lecz z czasem zaczęły obejmować tortury i gwałty sprzed kilku tygodni. Nowe zeznania ujawniały krwawe satanistyczne rytuały, w które zaangażowani byli nie tylko członkowie rodziny Ingramów, ale i inni pracownicy biura szeryfa. W kraju rosły przypadki odzyskanych wspomnień, a sensacyjne doniesienia o działaniach sekt docierały z różnych stron. Oskarżenia przyjęto ze zgrozą, ale bez zaskoczenia. Nawet Paul i jego żona, którzy początkowo zaprzeczali, zaczęli przypominać sobie dziwne wydarzenia. Niewielu zauważyło, jak bardzo ich opowieści przypominały zeznania z procesów czarownic sprzed wieków. Autor z reporterską precyzją rekonstruuje przebieg śledztwa, ukazując, co się dzieje, gdy nasze pierwotne lęki przejmują kontrolę nad naukowym myśleniem. Ta historia, opowiedziana z wyczuciem, jest ważną przestrogą. Wright stawia pytania o naturę ludzkiej pamięci, a jego relacja jest napisana z niezwykłą skrupulatnością. To opowieść trzymająca w napięciu, która fascynuje niezależnie od sposobu narracji.

2 erwachsene Töchter klagen ihren Vater an, sie über lange Jahre sexuell missbraucht zu haben. Von allen Seiten bedrängt, gesteht dieser Dinge ein, die er nie getan hat.

Scientologie sama sebe prezentuje jako vědecký přístup k duchovnímu osvícení, její fungování však bylo dlouhá léta zahaleno tajemstvím. Lawrence Wright předkládá čtenáři pronikavou a hlubokou sondu do světa scientologie, postavenou na více než dvou stech osobních rozhovorů se současnými i bývalými scientology, známými i méně známými osobnostmi, a na letitém studiu archívů. Se svým mimořádným investigativním talentem autor odkrývá vnitřní systém a princip fungování scientologické církve. Kniha poodhaluje složitou scientologickou kosmologii a její zvláštní jazyk, odkrývá cesty, po nichž do církve přicházejí celebrity jako Tom Cruise nebo John Travolta, i způsoby, jak tyto celebrity v církvi pracují v zájmu jejích cílů, představuje mladé nadšence, kteří se připojují ke kléru církve, Mořské organizaci, a podepisují s ní smlouvy na miliardu let. Dokumentární film, natočený podle této knihy pro kanál HBO, je nejsledovanějším dokumentem v celé jeho historii.