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Growing Up Bin Laden
Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside their Secret World
Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
As the western world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden has fought to keep his personal life a mystery – loyalty and fear keeping those who know him from speaking out – until now.
For the first time, two of Osama’s closest family members, his first wife Najwa and their fourth son Omar, go behind the headlines to reveal the truth about the character and life of a man feared and revered around the globe.
In gripping detail, they recount the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. Married at fifteen, Najwa describes the transformation of the quiet, serious young man she fell in love with into an authoritarian husband and stern father, an entrepreneur, and – finally – the leader of a complex international terrorist network. Uprooted from a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege in Saudi Arabia, they suddenly found themselves living life on the run, fleeing from country to country under assumed names and fake passports. Omar describes how he and his siblings were brought up in remote ranches and fortified Afghani mountain camps, handling Kalashnikovs and learning desert survival skills. Their eventual escape from Afghanistan would come just days before the terrible events of 9/11 changed the world forever.
With unprecedented access and exclusive family photographs, Jean Sasson, author of the bestselling Princess, presents the story that we were never meant to hear.
For the first time, two of Osama’s closest family members, his first wife Najwa and their fourth son Omar, go behind the headlines to reveal the truth about the character and life of a man feared and revered around the globe.
In gripping detail, they recount the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. Married at fifteen, Najwa describes the transformation of the quiet, serious young man she fell in love with into an authoritarian husband and stern father, an entrepreneur, and – finally – the leader of a complex international terrorist network. Uprooted from a life of extraordinary luxury and privilege in Saudi Arabia, they suddenly found themselves living life on the run, fleeing from country to country under assumed names and fake passports. Omar describes how he and his siblings were brought up in remote ranches and fortified Afghani mountain camps, handling Kalashnikovs and learning desert survival skills. Their eventual escape from Afghanistan would come just days before the terrible events of 9/11 changed the world forever.
With unprecedented access and exclusive family photographs, Jean Sasson, author of the bestselling Princess, presents the story that we were never meant to hear.
Product Details
- Publisher: Oneworld Publications (November 1, 2009)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781780740249
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Raves and Reviews
“A compelling look at the intimate family life of a notorious man, as told by his wife and son.”
– Booklist
"Despite her neutrality, her story is still an indictment -- showing us a terrorist leader who is embarrassed easily, obsessed with a long-dead father, terrified of women, and who thinks of his children as nothing more than cannon fodder."
– New York Post
"Despite her neutrality, her story is still an indictment -- showing us a terrorist leader who is embarrassed easily, obsessed with a long-dead father, terrified of women, and who thinks of his children as nothing more than cannon fodder."
– New York Post
“A compelling look at the intimate family life of a notorious man, as told by his wife and son.”
– Booklist
”Always interesting and highly readable, this is recommended for the many people who will wish to learn more about this man.”
– Library Journal
"The psychological portrait of the world's most wanted man is all the more devastating for being written by two people who apparently once revered him."
– Culture (supplement to the Sunday Times)
"The psychological portrait of the world's most wanted man is all the more devastating for being written by two people who apparently once revered him."
– Culture (supplement to the Sunday Times)
“Lifts the lid on the secretive life of the world's most wanted man… It is certainly fascinating, if deeply unnerving, to read such vivid first-hand accounts about life within Osama bin Laden's family.”
– Daily Mail
“The most intimate portrait yet of the al Qa’eda leader.”
– The National
“Fascinating”
– The Sunday Times
“The thrill of being a fly on the wall of the bin Laden family.”
– Time Magazine
"Their accounts cannot be subject to normal verification. Even so, they have been woven into a fascinating narrative by an American writer, Jean Sasson"
– Catholic Herald
"this thoughtful, well-researched book"
– The Good Book Guide
”Always interesting and highly readable, this is recommended for the many people who will wish to learn more about this man.”
– Library Journal
"GROWING UP BIN LADEN is a critical missing corner piece of the Osama bin Laden puzzle, filled with astonishing secrets that could only be told by the al-Qaeda leader's loved ones."
– Dalton Fury - 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'Kill bin Laden'
"Fascinating! Worth far more than dozens of intelligence reports, this enthralling portrait of Osama bin Laden, sharply drawn by his senior wife and favored son, captures as no other work has done--or could do--the degeneration of the world's most-notorious terrorist from a loving, if stern, teenage husband to a fanatic who covered his cherished faith in blood. Skillfully framed by Middle-East authority Jean Sasson, this book will grip you, make you shudder..."
– Ralph Peters - author of 'Beyond Terror' and 'The War After Armageddon'
"Growing Up bin Laden opens up a rare window into a hidden culture, giving the reader much to contemplate…A fascinating example of how, in a family sharing genes and environment, fathers and sons emerge with different life missions. Osama, a compassionate and fun-loving young boy, becomes today’s most sought-after terrorist. Omar, raised in a world of violence, longs for peace. This is an unforgettable story.”
– Betty Mahmoody - author of the international bestselling book 'Not Without My Daughter'
"Growing Up bin Laden opens up a rare window into a hidden culture, giving the reader much to contemplate…A fascinating example of how, in a family sharing genes and environment, fathers and sons emerge with different life missions. Osama, a compassionate and fun-loving young boy, becomes today’s most sought-after terrorist. Omar, raised in a world of violence, longs for peace. This is an unforgettable story.”
– Betty Mahmoody - author of the international bestselling book 'Not Without My Daughter'
"Fascinating! Worth far more than dozens of intelligence reports, this enthralling portrait of Osama bin Laden, sharply drawn by his senior wife and favored son, captures as no other work has done--or could do--the degeneration of the world's most-notorious terrorist from a loving, if stern, teenage husband to a fanatic who covered his cherished faith in blood. Skillfully framed by Middle-East authority Jean Sasson, this book will grip you, make you shudder..."
– Ralph Peters - author of 'Beyond Terror' and 'The War After Armageddon'
"Growing Up bin Laden is a critical missing corner piece of the Osama bin Laden puzzle, filled with astonishing secrets that could only be told by the al-Qaeda leader's loved ones."
– Dalton Fury - 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'Kill bin Laden'
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