Lawrence Wright, Understanding the Rise of the Islamic State

Lawrence Wright is a prolific author and journalist. His book, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 won a Pulitzer Prize. Although it is a difficult book to read for obvious reasons, it is a fascinating look at the historical forces that brought about Al-Qaeda. It is also an amazing history of the people trying to hunt down Bin Laden. I am posting this video because I am excited to check out Lawrence Wright’s newest book on the rise of the Islamic State. With his extensive background and on the ground experience in the Middle East, I can imagine that this book will be extremely informative and worth reading.

I think a lot of times when America wanders into regions that it so poorly understands, we don’t know what we are facing. -Lawrence Wright