First Drafts - The Prospect magazine blog

To the LSE last night to see Steve Coll discuss his new biography of the Bin Laden family. Coll is a former managing editor of the Washington Post and currently a staff writer for the New Yorker, so I was expecting an authoritative and meticulously researched account of the rise of the Saudi engineering and construction dynasty. What I hadn’t anticipated was a raucously entertaining tale of high living, eccentric business practice and clashing cultural identity. The story of the family’s flight from the US after 9/11, from which have sprouted a thousand conspiracy theories, was a particular treat. I’m looking forward to reading the book.