Picked up this book after hearing the author interviewed on PBS. Given the family's aversion to publicity this represents an exhaustive effort to pry out detail. Coll tracks the family history from their humble beginnings in Yemen to the patriarch's rise in business association with the Saudi royal family, and to the present day. Usually after finishing a book this size I am ready to switch to something els, but at the end of this 575-page volume I found myself going back to reread the first few chapters. This held my interest and is worth the time.

What an insight Mr. Coll gives to the Bin Laden family...I highly recommend this book!

Peterson's review is very good and captures the essence of the book. There is a good deal of information about the Saudi Monarchy in this book that can fill out reading from other sources. It's a poignant story at times evoking the normal tragedies of life in the early deaths of Mohamed, the founder of the dynasty and his heir, Salem. Mr. Coll has a gift for narrative non-ficiton and weaves the constant theme of aviation into the Bin Laden story as well as the destructive side of their construction business. It is a fascinating study of the Bin Ladin family and of Saudi Arabia as it grew into the twentieth century. As he did with Ghost Wars, Mr. Coll has produced another great book.

I will plug Frontier of Faith here for a further study of where the battle formed and rages between Islam's radical arm and the West.

Peterson's review is very good and captures the book. There is a good deal of information about the Saudi Monarchy in this book that fills out reading from other sources. The interconnected thread of the Bin Laden family and both the Saudi Monarchy and America would be the two guiding principles if you are looking to improve your knowledge of world affairs. It's a poignant(sp!) story at times and evokes sympathy for both Mohamed the founder of the dynasty and his heir, Salem. At the least it is a fascinating study of the Bin Ladin family and of Saudi Arabia as it grew into the twentieth century. I will plug Frontier Mullahs here for a further study of where the battle has been formed and now rages between Islam's radical arm and the West.

Must read for all Americans, gives a detailed history on living and growing up in the Middle East, most American have little understanding fo the culture and lifestyle in these countries.

Short and sweet, this is a book every American should read. It offers an insight to Saudi Arabia, the house of Al-Saud, the Bin Laden family, and the middle east as a whole. This book might be long, but it is an easy and enjoyable read.

Muhammad bin Laden was a poor construction worker from Hadhramawt Yemen, who was forced into exile to find work and prosperity. What he discovered was a gold-mine of work opportunity with the Saudi royal family, and connections that would allow him to renovate the holy mosques in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. With 54 children and over 100 living descendants, the task of writing a family history of the Bin Laden family is quite daunting. Nonetheless, Steve Coll does an exceptional job in telling not only about the most famous Bin Laden, Mohammed, but also about the most infamous, Osama, as well as some of his prominent elder brothers, such as Salem (the eldest), Bakr, Yeslam, as well as some of the female family members and in-laws, Randa and Carmen. Coll's book is an expansive history of two generations, Muhammad and his children, with some attention to the third generation, as well as insight into their relationship with the Saudi royal family. Highly recommended to those wishing to understand Osama or his family, this book will portray a quite varied and diverse family, from those most secular to those who were most religiously observant.

Steve Coll has written another scholarly, extremely well-researched book - this one about the Bin Laden family. I dare any reader to be able to put it down. For me, at least, the mark of a great non-fiction book is that the author is actually informing the reader of events, past and present, while keeping the reader so entertained, that they are unaware that they are in fact in the middle of a fantastic history lesson.

There are many lessons to be learned from reading this book and I did not want this brilliant piece of writing to end.

When one thinks of Bin Laden, of course, one thinks of Osama, Al Qaeda, and 9-11. However, this book looks at a fascinating family history, with Osama Bin Laden as only one small part of the larger familial tapestry. A genealogy at the front of the book helps to identify the family's background, from Ali (circa 1820) to Aboud, to Awadh (born around 1875) to Mohamed (born around 1905) and Abdullah, brothers who came to bring the family wealth and recognition. Finally, the 54 children of Mohamed Bin Laden, born in the time frame from the mid-1940s through 1967.

Mohamed and his brother grew up in Yemen, in poor circumstances. They suffered bad luck. Finally, they moved to Saudi Arabia and began to become more successful. Mohamed, especially, was the brother with more drive, and the story of the family takes off with the depiction of his worming his way into the royal family's graces by his hard work and willingness to do as he was bid. A "rags to riches" story. . . . The family Saud is, obviously, the central power in a country bearing the family's name (how often does that happen!?).

And that family's history is intertwined with Mohamed's family. This part of the story begins with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. After working his way upward, Mohamed had the good fortune of beginning to do projects for the royal family. What he did not know about construction, he learned or he hired people who did know what to do. Over time, he became the "go to" person for construction (whether for palaces, or roads, or. . . .) in Saudi Arabia. The quality of his work was sometimes open to question, but his willingness to do whatever the royal family wanted served him well. But enough of a simple chronology.

The book looks at the evolving views of the royal family and the development of Bin Laden's "empire." The story is also filled with tragedy--both Mohamed and perhaps his most promising son, Salem, were killed in air crashes. Osama moved on to a very different life, which is discussed pretty well here. From American support for his work against the Soviet Union to enemy of the United States. . . . An interesting tale here.

Anyway, for readers interested in the Bin Laden family, this represents a very solid piece of work. Research seems done well. Many readers will doubtless come away from this book with a different view of our Saudi "friends."

i really enjoyed the book.but what astonished me,HOW the American system works,with all the NHS,FBI,CIA And so on,but they don't react until the disaster.
the thing i couldn't and cant Understand, an ambassador of the greatest country after resigning from his civil work,he joined a company where his government has doubt about it.
well done MR COLL

A well done history of an interesting family large enough to fill a village.
It's smooth reading. Admire the research. Would have admired some consolidation even more. This book gives a really good perspective of what the Arab elite culture is really like.

I think this is an incredibly well-written and well-researched book. Difficult to put down. The story of money, religion, politics, and history. Mostly though, it is the story of the "American Dream", Saudi-style: the success of one man's sojourn in search of a better economic opportunity.

a must-read for those who missed the connections- or- those who want a insightful review of the rise to power of the el Sauds and the Bin Ladens in the Arabian peninsula in the last century

What a tale. Except it is all true. Whereas Mike Moore threw out facts without much context, Coll provides well-researched history and explanations, making our weird relationship with The House of Saud that much more clear. And Murky.

The Bin Laden Family is far more complex and interesting than I would have thought possible, and as alien and strange, when compared to western society, as you could imagine.

This is an important book, one that provide the curious with information, background, and a glimmer of understanding as to how Osama became who he was, and how his family life, Muslim marital and divorce practices, and the strange, complex, and bizarre entity we know as the Bin Laden family came to be.

The only thing worse than learning how US policies led to 9/11 is seeing how we have coddled and knowingly supported one of the most corrupt family dictatorships in the world - the Sauds. Eye-opening, fascinating and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book.

Here are 671 well written pages about the family we wish we did not know. Unfortunately, the American (and World) public know of the evil Osama even if none of the other family members rest in our memories.

Steve Coll gives us more insight into that family than we really need, but, we are craving to know. He does it so well that it does not take as long to read over 600 pages than one might think.

The reader will be "pleased" when it is revealed that Osama's father died in a plane crash in 1988.

Author of Mr. NewHeart (New Heart): Heart Attack to Transplant and Beyond


I also recommend A Step of Faith - an inspiring story to help get you through the month.

Here are 671 well written pages about the family we wish we did not know. Unfortunately, the American (and World) public know of the evil Osama even if none of the other family members rest in our memories.

Steve Coll gives us more insight into that family than we really need, but, we are craving to know. He does it so well that it does not take as long to read over 600 pages than one might think.

The reader will be "pleased" when it is revealed that Osama's father died in a plane crash in 1988.

Author of Mr. NewHeart (New Heart): Heart Attack to Transplant and Beyond

I enjoyed this book a lot - It's a fascinating history of a family's rise from nothing to high influence in Saudi Arabia. Steve Coll and his team have researched this very well and provide a high resolution story of the Bin Laden family. By their close association to the Royal Family, we find out about the secretive ways in which decisions are/were made.

The middle east is a vastly different place from any other on earth - here's a great insight into a very different culture. If you're into the history of interesting places that influence your every day life, this will not disappoint.

Not sure why a previous reviewer felt compelled to review his life in Saudi instead of the book, but for sure the book is more interesting than his life.

As someone who lived in Saudi Arabia for 12 years, and who personally knew members of the royal family, including two of their Kings, I rushed out to purchase this book the first moment I heard about it. Additionally, my friends in the royal family used to share plenty of stories about the Bin Laden family and their reputation for being the "pet company" of King Abdul Aziz and his two kingly sons, Faisal and Fahad. Therefore, I have greatly enjoyed the read which brought back many memories of my 12 years in the Kingdom. I was there when King Khalid, one of the nicest men in the Al Saud family ruled, and when he died my boss, Dr. Nizar Feteih, was in Taif with Khalid, so I heard firsthand everything that happened on the king's deathbed. Dr. Feteih loved King Khalid like a second father, and from my years of observing, I believe that King Khalid loved Dr. Feteih like a son. King Fahd then assumed the reins and I always found him to be a very kindly person who could not turn down helping anyone with a sad story. He even listened to me when I complained about the tragedy of so many homeless animals in Riyadh, even as my boss was standing to the side seething that I had brought up such a topic to the king! But, King Fahd was patient and kind and listened to me with a sweet smile on his face and later even made a few changes in the way homeless animals were treated by the municipal authorities. Now, they have King Abdullah, who is one of a kind. The Kingdom is in good hands with their current king, and I am hoping to see stability and good change in various arenas. But, enough of the memories. I would like to say that I admire the author for all the time devoted to this writing project. It's clear that he has done extensive research, and that he has written well on these two very important, wealthy, and influential families. I see where the author states that he was unable to get cooperation from the Bin Laden family, so that takes away slightly from the credibility of any personal accounts, because unless it is from a member of the family, it is delegated to "hear-say." Despite this one drawback, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the the history of Saudi Arabia and of the ruling family, as well as the Bin Laden story. I admire the author for his hard work and first rate book. Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia;Mayada, Daughter of Iraq: One Woman's Survival Under Saddam Hussein;Love in a Torn Land: Joanna of Kurdistan: The True Story of a Freedom Fighter's Escape from Iraqi Vengeance