So my career path lies in Middle Eastern/Arab studies, but anyone can enjoy this very well written book. Wright examines and explains the various aspects, movements, and individuals that led up to fanatical Islam and our failure to prevent 9/11 with mastery and a wealth of information.

Of particular interest to me were the explanations of the roots of fanatical Islam with Sayyid Qutib, and the depiction of the psychology of leading terrorists such as Zawahiri- and how they became who they are today. Wright is also methodical and ruthless at exposing our own security shortfalls in identifying and stopping the growing threat of Bin Laden through the eyes of a lead FBI investigator.

For students of this area and those who wish to gain a better understanding of the history of our involvement in the Middle East and the factor that led up to 9/11 and the creation of the key players, this book is highly recommended.

P.S. Since this book is so well researched and written, I would recommend breaking it up into one chapter at a time to fully absorb all of the information and analyses.