Growing Up bin Laden: Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World

by Jean Sasson, Najwa bin Laden, Omar bin Laden

Book Overview

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312560877
• ISBN13: 9780312560874
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Such a amazing book.

This book is easily the best book I’ve read so far. Nawja is such a amazing mother. Such a warm presence and it surprised me given the subject.

Happy to introduce the world to Najwa and her son, Omar

Hi... I'm Jean Sasson, the author of this book. Wow, what a journey this has been. And to think I nearly turned down the opportunity to tell the story of Najwa and her son Omar... When Omar first contacted me from Egypt, I hesitated, initially believing that I was not the best writer to tell his story. I felt the book might be better presented as more of a hard-driving political and/or military story and I was not the appropriate writer for such a task. But after speaking to Omar almost daily for several weeks, and after being contacted by his mother via a letter that stressed the wonderful qualities of her son, most importantly to me that he was an animal lover, I rethought my initial reaction. I realized that the book should be a personal peek into their very unique lives... I'm so glad I took on this project, for I believe it is a valuable book. I was doubly blessed after becoming friends with the family--I can tell you that both Omar and his mother are very fine individuals and I care deeply for them both. Najwa is a wonderful mother through and through, caring only for the well being of her children. I respect her for her sacrifices. Although I didn't have children out of choice, I greatly admire women who do the most important job on earth--which is raising children. Omar is a man of integrity who tells the truth even when it gets him into hot water. I have never known Omar to be anything but forthcoming and truthful. He has very sensitive feelings and sincerely wants to do good for the world. Let's hope that happens for Omar. The 15 months I spent interviewing and writing about these two people who found themselves at the center of a firestorm, felt surreal with material going back and forth. Due to Najwa's lack of English skills and my lack of Arabic skills, a full-time translator was involved. Thankfully I had a wonderful Lebanese friend who was a dear heart and worked so hard to make sure everything was translated accurately. (A good friend asked the other day why I never bothering learning Arabic... Well, it's a funny story. After I arrived in Riyadh and was working at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, I was promoted to work as the Administrative Coordinator of Medical Affairs, working directly for the head of the hospital. I had a lot of responsibilities in that position and decided that I should learn Arabic. Well, after signing up for classes, my boss, Dr. Feteih, dashed into my offices and told me in a breathless voice that he had heard I was taking Arabic lessons. I thought he was about to tell me how proud me was (smile), but instead, he said: "You can't work for me and know Arabic." I was stunned to say the least, but did understand when he reminded me that he spoke with King Khalid or Crown Prince Fahd on a daily basis. Dr. Feteih was King Khalid's cardiologist, plus he was personally very close to the king -- often having the dinner meal with the king. Therefore, he would of

The porche driving jihadi and other oxymorons

Bin Laden is just like a lot of spoiled rich kids, except that he's not. We find that he was heir to a construction fortune, but that he was a fine busnessman in his own right. He excelled at civil engineering. He likes to drive fast cars--fast. He allowed his first wife to select his third wife, as though she were choosing new decor for the living room. He takes his family from the luxury of Saudi Arabia to the poverty of a mountain cave in Afghanistan. Sasson was the first major writer to open up the veiled life of Saudi women in her blockbuster, "Princess." Many critics, including the illustrious Christopher Hitchens, dismissed it as over-written and false. Then, after the Gulf War, we found out that Sasson was right. Now she takes us into the family life of Osama bin Laden. This is an important book. If we think of bin Laden as a one-dimensional monster, we will never understand him. He's an enemy of democracy and western liberalism, but we'll never prevail over him and his followers if we remain ignorant of all aspects of his life. This is the most fascinating book I've read in a long, long while.

A Great Book!

This book is fascinating, powerful, and very interesting. It starts out a bit slow but picks up speed quickly. It is a page-turner; I read it in one night. Every American should read this book to better understand recent history, and how current events are connected and intertwined.

Growing Up Bin Laden

I was sorry when I came to the end of Growing Up Bin Laden; I wanted more. I read it slowly and savoured it as much as I could, but it is a page turner. I worked for many years in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; I have travelled overland through Afghanistan and Pakistan and can vouch that Jean Sasson has caught the atmosphere and the modus vivendi of the region. As the stories told by Nawja and Omar unfolded I could easily picture the lives they lived and was touched by their loyalty to Osama bin Laden. But I was so deeply shocked when Osama told Omar and his brothers that they meant no more to him than any other Afghani, that even now there lingers an ache for them. Maybe one day Ms Sasson will interview Osama and get his side of the story! This is an easy, informative and interesting read. Although the events are harrowing at times Nawja and Omar hold onto their hope until the very end when they are forced to accept reality.

Utterly fascinating book

I really don't know how to describe this book----it is not a book that is at all disrespectful of Osama bin Laden yet it is brutally honest. Two of the authors, a wife and a son of bin Laden, clearly love(d) the man but they have quite a saga to tell about life with him before he became a hate filled terrorist. Their description of Osama's journey from devout Muslim to a jihadist is fascinating. Their "take" on the reasons why Osama came to hate the West, particularly Americans and the British, is ---again---fascinating. Furthermore, the main reason (according to them) that he plotted, planned and committed the acts that led to 9-11 are, if they are true, shocking and seem to involve his feelings of personal betrayal by the Saudi royal family regarding certain events of the First Gulf War. The book starts off a bit slowly but catches up speed quickly and now I want re-read it and try to absorb more details.