In his new book, "The bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in The American Century," two-time Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Steve Coll takes a look at the epic story of the world's most famous terrorist and his family to find out what makes Osama bin Laden tick. Of Osama's 53 brothers and sisters, Coll argues that Salem, who loved rock music, America and airplanes, may have had the most influence on Osama, and he may have skewed his impression of Western culture. In a recent speech featured on Word for Word, Coll says,
"The only Americans and Europeans that I can document that osama ever met were these shaggy-haired, chain-smoking, slightly hippie-inflected rock'n'roll entourage members of Salem's international jet-set business piloting sort of world."
What does hearing about Osama's family and his relationship with them add to your understanding of him? What kind of role does family play in our actions and world views?
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Larissa Anderson
Producer, Word for Word
MPR | APM
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