“I wanted to report in as much depth as possible about the fullness and contradictions of authentic Saudi lives, and about the contradictions within Osama's generation of Bin Ladens,” said Coll in a publisher’s interview. “Some of his brothers and sisters were fascinated by and enthusiastic about America, while he was repulsed.”
The book follows Osama's father, family patriarch Mohamed Bin Laden — who came to Saudi Arabia as a an illiterate bricklayer and quickly grew to become a successful, official builder in Mecca and Medina — and his eldest son, Salem, who took control of the business and extended the company’s real estate to include areas near Disney World. Coll describes the Bin Ladens’ construction company as the country’s “Halliburton,” and ultimately explains how Osama was converted to radical Islam.
Read an excerpt from this insightful, engaging book and take a look at rare photographs of the family.
";
TDY_Bin_FINAL[i++] = new Array("","1","Mohamed Bin Laden, the family patriarch and father of Osama, at a desert construction camp in the mid-1960s.
He came to Saudi Arabia as an illiterate bricklayer and ultimately became a successful building contractor for the Saudi royal family. ","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080404-bin-laden-bcol-01-9a.500;377;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Courtesy of Terri Daley", "377", "500", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); TDY_Bin_FINAL[i-1].body = "
"; TDY_Bin_FINAL[i++] = new Array("","5","A family portrait of Osama's older brother, Salem bin Laden, who took control of the family business after their father Mohamed died in a plane crash in 1967. Salem also died in a plane crash, in 1988, just outside San Antonio, Texas.
Sara Bin Laden, Salem's daughter; Salem's second wife, Caroline Carey; his son, Salman; Salem; the sister of Mehmet Birgen; Mehmet; Mehmet's bride, Margarita.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080404-bin-laden-hmed9a.500;377;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "377", "477", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); TDY_Bin_FINAL[i-1].body = "
"; TDY_Bin_FINAL[i++] = new Array("","2 ","Salem Khalid Bin Laden, a member of the family's third generation, at a horse competition in Egypt in 2005.
His grandfather, Mohamed bin Laden, reportedly married 22 times and fathered 55 children.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080404-bin-laden-bcol-02-9a.250;333;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Courtesy of author’s collection", "", "333", "250", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); TDY_Bin_FINAL[i-1].body = "
"; TDY_Bin_FINAL[i++] = new Array("","3","Osama's older brother, Salem bin Laden, skiing at Snowmass during the mid-1980s.
In a publisher's interview, author Steve Coll says people described the eldest Bin Laden as a \"very forceful and charimsatic character and they believe he would have done anything to bring Osama back into the fold.\"","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080404-bin-laden-bcol-03-9a.279;333;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Courtesy of Lynn Peghiny Mells", "333", "279", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); TDY_Bin_FINAL[i-1].body = "
";
TDY_Bin_FINAL[i++] = new Array("","4","Salem Bin Laden, Mohamed's oldest son, at an English prep school with his childhood friend Mehmet Birgen. A Westernized businessman and amateur rock guitarist, Salem married an English art student named Caroline Carey.
","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080404/080404-bin-laden-bcol-04-9a.236;333;7;70.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "333", "236", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TDY_Bin_FINAL[i-1].body = "
"; // END editorial data