9/11 is very much with us.  This September will mark the 10th anniversary of this defining event, and now we are dealing with Osama Bin Laden’s death in Pakistan.  All of the horror comes rolling back.  Bin Laden’s death has brought euphoria to many in the United States while Pakistan is reeling from an unexpected attack on their soil by another country.  How could they not have known that Ben Laden was in their midst?  Why did the US choose to go it alone to take Bin Laden down?  So many other questions still unanswered and new ones emerging.

Terrorism remains a big issue – both here and abroad.  And brings on more questions:  Will we see more home grown terrorists as a result of Bin Laden’s death?  Where, if at all, will terrorist revenge acts occur?  Are there ways to end the cycle of terrorism?  Are Americans safe anywhere?

The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library collection can help us sort through these questions if not answer them.  A few of the books in our collection on this subject (to find more search “terrorism,” “al Qaeda,” or “Osama Bin Laden” as keyword or subject):

Bergen, Peter L.  “Holy War, Inc.: inside the Secret World of Osama Bin Laden.”  New York: Free Press, 2001.

 Rieckhoff, Paul.  “Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier’s Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington.”  New York: NAL Caliber, c2006.

Riedel, Bruce.  “The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future.”  Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2008.

Stern, Jessica.  “Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill.”  New York: Ecco, c2003.

Wright, Lawrence.  “The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.”  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. (He won the Pulitzer Prize with this one.)

~ Reluctant Blogger