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Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It [Hardcover]

Terry McDermott
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)


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Book Description

May 3, 2005

The attacks of September 11, 2001, were a calamity on a scale few had imagined possible. In their aftermath, we exaggerated the men who perpetrated the attacks, shaping hasty and often mistaken reporting into caricatures we could comprehend -- monsters and master criminals equal to the enormity of their crime. In reality, the 9/11 hijackers were unexceptional men, not much different from countless others. It is this ordinary enemy, not the caricature, that we must understand if we are to have a legitimate hope of defeating terrorism.

Using research undertaken in twenty countries on four continents, Los Angeles Times correspondent Terry McDermott provides gripping, authoritative portraits of the main players in the 9/11 plot. With brilliant reporting and thoughtful analysis, McDermott brings us a clearer, more nuanced, and in some ways more frightening, understanding of the landmark event of our time.



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's taken three-plus years for a serious study of the hijackers, but the wait was worth it. L.A. Times reporter McDermott has dug deep, interviewing scores of friends, relatives and officials worldwide and trawling through troves of documents. Engrossing and deeply disturbing from the start, the book begins with two events Americans rarely connect: Russia's retreat from Afghanistan in 1989, followed in 1990 by Western troops pouring into Saudi Arabia after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. McDermott shows victory in Afghanistan electrifying Islamic warriors who hated Christianity as much as communism; a new "infidel" army to fight proved an irresistible challenge. For McDermott, this moment marks the beginning of organized, nonstate-supported terrorism. Not very organized, he adds, describing half a dozen plots cobbled together by clumsy enthusiasts who were often caught—though often too late. Despite the media attention paid to bin Laden, McDermott paints him not as the führer of terrorism, but as a rich leader with the most aggressive P.R. Bin Laden, for example had nothing to do with the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993—but he was inspired by it. McDermott's detailed biographies of the hijackers go far beyond the characterizations of the 9/11 report, and he is skeptical of accounts that portray them as deeply disturbed: all came from intact families, most were middle-class, few were deeply religious, none were abused or estranged. Recruited for the hijackings and informed they would die, they thought it over and agreed. McDermott's clear rendering of that decision is just one of this book's strengths. (May 3)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

McDermott’s background knowledge and exhaustive research inform a well-reasoned explanation of what moves seemingly normal men to undertake monstrous acts of violence. Even though most of the hijackers responsible for 9/11 remain murky figures, the important few whose lives and personalities McDermott carefully examines illustrate just who these people were and why they did what they did, on a level that official government reports never approached. Perfect Soldiers is an important book for the context it provides, a chilling book for the implications it leaves, and one of the most informative books written about 9/11 to date.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (May 3, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060584696
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060584696
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

I'm very glad I read this book, and I look forward to reading it again. AndrewC  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Overall this is a superbly written book that is very readable. Stuart Gardner  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Provides First-Rate Narrative of 9/11 Hijackers May 20, 2005
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
McDermott has written what is so far the definitive narrative of the 9/11 hijackers. He divides his book into three parts: First, he profiles the backgrounds and personality profiles of the hijackers, many who started as regular citizens and slowly drifted into their extremism, often by chance. Second, he explains the political forces in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan that helped to revive Jihad and give power to Osama Bin Laden. Third, he focuses on the actual plot to hijack the planes on 9/11. The reportage is remarkable and provides clues to the hijackers' personalities that have so far not been publicized. What's scary is the effective way the author shows the hijackers often came from privileged backgrounds and then drifted into the fringes of society where, needing direction and identity, they were susceptible to the extremist rhetoric of fundamentalism and violent jihad. Where I might disagree with McDermott is his characterization of the hijackers as "fairly ordinary men." Perhaps I have a different definition of "ordinary" than does McDermott who uses hundreds of salient illustrations to paint these men anything than as ordinary: They are often portrayed as sullen spoiled narcissistic brats and bullies. One of the most prominent of the hijackers, Mohamed Atta, in particular is an extreme personality study in repressed sexuality, narcissism, and sociopathic hatred of others. He cannot smile or enjoy life in the slighest so that when he eats food he mutters to himself how boring and tedious the task of eating is. Everyone who knew him, even people who shared in his beliefs, found him an obnoxious presence. Sullen, brooding, and controlling, he made the hairs on people's neck bristle whenever he entered a room. In spite of his fastidious religious adherence, he takes to the mysterious and disturbing desire to wear eye mascara. I'll let you decided if he is "ordinary" or not. In any event, Atta, like the others, is misogynistic; women are shunned and held in contempt. The total sum picture you get of these hijackers is a bunch of malignant malcontents who need an extreme cause to be a vehicle for their personal frustration and deeply-set anti-social tendencies.

For an excellent companion book to better understand the types of personalities who get drawn to extreme forms of belief, I highly recommend Eric Hoffer's slim masterpiece The True Believer.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Chilling December 23, 2005
Format:Hardcover
I've read a number of the 9/11 related books out there and this is one of the best. I learned many things I either didn't know or had misconceptions about. For example, I'd heard that most of the 9/11 hijackers didn't know it was a suicide mission- a somehow comforting thought. McDermott makes the convincing case that every one of them knew they were about to die and embraced their path to paradise. This is a must read for anyone who wants insight to what these fanatics were really thinking.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging analysis of starke evil August 9, 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Terry McDermott has made a well-written and well-researched investigation of the 9/11 hijackers. His work focuses on the pilots, plus Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the 9/11 mastermind. Osama bin Laden is to a lesser extent covered, though his 1996 and 1998 fatwas against Americans are included in the appendix. Steering clear of conspiracy theory nonsense, McDermott nonetheless supplies critical questions in the endnotes. Overall an important book, the "Perfect Soldiers" are shown really to be ordinary men, made extraordinary by the forces of radical Islam. The starke evil of the hijackers could wear an alarming human face. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Amazingly well researched, very easy to read and incredibly interesting!
A must-read for anyone with more than just a little interest in the subject
Published 3 months ago by Ilan
1.0 out of 5 stars No Evidence They Even Boarded the Planes
Atta, Jarrah and Al Shehhi could only fly single engine planes (not large Boeing aircraft) and Hanjour (Pentagon) could not fly at all and the original passenger list didn't even... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Derek Shane
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Don't read this book, thinking that this book is dedicated to get somde sympathy for the 9/11 attackers. Read more
Published 7 months ago by O. L. Mannapperuma
4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Soldiers
Well documented, you were able to visualize what was happening. You get a better sense of the radicalization that is occurring.
Published on November 27, 2010 by The Inspector
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Title!
I don't know how this guy could get all this information accurately, after the climate that exists worldwide due to 9/11///
Published on October 15, 2010 by Frank Beckendorf
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Told Account of the 9/11 Hijackers
Terry McDermott's "Perfect Soldiers" is a fascinating account of the 9/11 hijackers, focused primarily on Mohammed Attah and Ziad Jarrah, as well as Ramzi Bin-al Shibh, the... Read more
Published on October 29, 2009 by Deborah McGrane
5.0 out of 5 stars Some sad home truths on a tragic event
I read this book in 2009 based on several reviewers stating it was the best researched story of how 9/11 happened (which is where the book actually finishes) and as such it... Read more
Published on June 12, 2009 by Siriam
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I bought this book for my boyfriend and he loved it and would recommend it to anyone.
Published on January 4, 2009 by A. Lawhorn
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book - expand your mind.
Sun-Tsu says know your enemy. These guys were not crazy kooks. Fanatical? Yes. Dangerous? Yes. Read this book with an open mind and learn something. Read more
Published on August 30, 2008 by Jeffrey
5.0 out of 5 stars Watch the movie the Hamburg Cell.
The book and the movie come across very well. If you don't have the time to read the book, watch the Hamburg Cell. Read more
Published on February 20, 2008 by S. Franklin
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