CMontgomery

This is a fascinating history of Islamic Fundamentalism. It sets forth clear and balanced explanations of different theories of Islam and how fundamentalists have interpreted those theories to justify modern terrorism. At the same time, the book explains the history (over decades) of the fundamentalist movement, as well as the US government mistakes -- and successes -- in responding to the impending threat. I found the narration to be well-paced: it was slower in places discussing ideas, names, and terms with which most Americans are not familiar, which allowed me to process and remember foreign names and terms without having to backtrack to cover the same ground again. The narration's pace was faster when discussing the work performed by US agents and the government in-fighting that hampered the detection of the 9/11 plot.