Lawrence Wright

The Terror Years is a collection of ten powerful pieces by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright, first published in The New Yorker, charting the path of terror in the Middle East from the rise of al-Qaeda to ISIS.

Originally published in 1983, this book is about the way we see things – or think we do, which is by no means the same – and about the ways in which we have tried to reproduce that visual concept in diagrams, pictures, photographs, films and television. Whatever the medium, if any degree of realism is intended, some use of perspective is inevitable, and some understanding of it can aid the appreciation of the result. But here the technicalities of perspective geometry are treated as far as possible non-technically, by a common-sense approach. Students, would-be artists or architects, are warned in the Preface that they will travel second-class in the author’s train of thought (the ‘general reader’ coming first), but they may well find the journey worthwhile in that it provides a background to a subsequent, more detailed studies. Lawrence Wright shows that every form of perspective representation has some innate falsity, but that most such forms offer an adequate makeshift; that rules of geometry often need to be bent; that labour-saving dodges and shortcuts exist. As he says, perspective drawing, like politics, is an art of the possible. In reading this book, beginners may find it all simpler than they had supposed, though the established expert may in some interesting respects find just the opposite. The general reader may thereafter find himself seeing things – and representations of them – in a new light.

The New York Times bestselling investigation into Scientology by Pulitzer Prize-Winner Lawrence Wright now published for the first time in the UK and Australia

In September 1978, President Jimmy Carter met with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to broker a peace agreement between the two Middle Eastern nations. After thirteen tumultuous days a treaty was forged which would go on to last for more than three decades. With his hallmark insight into the forces at play in the Middle East, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright takes us through each day of this historic conference, illuminating the issues that have made the region’s troubles so intractable and exploring the scriptural narratives that continue to frame the conflict. Featuring vivid portrayals of the three leaders and other key participants, Thirteen Days in September is a riveting depiction of an unprecedented diplomatic triumph. Named as one of the best books of the year by the Financial Times, Economist, The New York Times and The Washington Post, it captures the extraordinary and profoundly difficult process by which an agreement was reached, providing us with a timely reminder that peace in the Middle East is possible.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower--a timely revisiting of a diplomatic triumph between two Middle East nations and an inside look at how peace is made. - "Masterly.... Magnificent.... Wright reminds us that Carter's Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage." --The New York Times Book ReviewIn September 1978, three world leaders--Menachem Begin of Israel, Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and U. S. president Jimmy Carter--met at Camp David to broker a peace agreement between the two Middle East nations. During the thirteen-day conference, Begin and Sadat got into screaming matches and had to be physically separated; both attempted to walk away multiple times. Yet, by the end, a treaty had been forged--one that has quietly stood for more than three decades, proving that peace in the Middle East is possible. Wright combines politics, scripture, and the participants' personal histories into a compelling narrative of the fragile peace process. Begin was an Orthodox Jew whose parents had perished in the Holocaust; Sadat was a pious Muslim inspired since boyhood by stories of martyrdom; Carter, who knew the Bible by heart, was driven by his faith to pursue a treaty, even as his advisers warned him of the political cost. Wright reveals an extraordinary moment of lifelong enemies working together--and the profound difficulties inherent in the process. Thirteen Days in September is a timely revisiting of this diplomatic triumph and an inside look at how peace is made.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2014 PICK A TOP TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR PICK BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY A gripping account of the 1978 Camp David summit when President Jimmy Carter persuaded Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to sign the first peace treaty in the modern Middle East, one which endures to this day. With his hallmark insight into the forces at play in the Middle East, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright takes us through each of these historic thirteen days, illuminating the issues that have made the problems of the region so intractable and exploring the scriptural narratives that continue to frame the conflict. What emerges is a riveting view of the making of this unexpected and unprecedented peace treaty.

An up-close account of the experience of inner city New York kids--black and Latino, from ghettos and projects--who spent a summer in an Amish and Mennonite farm community in Central Pennsylvania in the late 1970s, sponsored by the Fresh Air Fund. City Chidren, Country Summer follows these children as they navigate two very different worlds, from Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST - From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower comes "an utterly necessary story" (The Wall Street Journal) that pulls back the curtain on the church of Scientology: one of the most secretive organizations at work today. - The Basis for the HBO Documentary. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the CenturyScientology presents itself as a scientific approach to spiritual enlightenment, but its practices have long been shrouded in mystery. Now Lawrence Wright--armed with his investigative talents, years of archival research, and more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists--uncovers the inner workings of the church. We meet founder L. Ron Hubbard, the highly imaginative but mentally troubled science-fiction writer, and his tough, driven successor, David Miscavige. We go inside their specialized cosmology and language. We learn about the church's legal attacks on the IRS, its vindictive treatment of critics, and its phenomenal wealth. We see the church court celebrities such as Tom Cruise while consigning its clergy to hard labor under billion-year contracts. Through it all, Wright asks what fundamentally comprises a religion, and if Scientology in fact merits this Constitutionally-protected label.

Clean and Decent is a comprehensive and insightful book written by Lawrence Wright, which explores the history of the American pornography industry from the 1940s to the 1970s. The book examines the social, cultural, and political factors that shaped the industry and its impact on American society. Wright provides a detailed analysis of the various genres of pornography, including pin-up magazines, stag films, and underground pornography, and how they evolved over time. He also delves into the legal battles and censorship controversies that surrounded the industry, and the role of feminists and religious groups in shaping public perception of pornography. Throughout the book, Wright presents a nuanced and balanced view of the industry, examining both its positive and negative effects on society. He argues that while pornography can be exploitative and harmful, it can also serve as a form of sexual expression and liberation for some individuals. Clean and Decent is a well-researched and engaging read that provides a fascinating insight into the history of American pornography and its impact on society. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of sexuality, media, and culture in America. The Fascinating History Of The Bathroom And The Water Closet And Of Sundry Habits, Fashions And Accessories Of The Toilet, Principally In Great Britain, France And America. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower comes an intimate memoir of one man's coming-of-age, and a universal story of the American experience of two crucial decades. - "A wonderfully readable, thoroughly absorbing memoir of a twenty-five-year span of wrenching change." --The Philadelphia InquirerWe first meet Larry Wright in 1960. He is thirteen and moving with his family to Dallas, the essential city of the New World just beginning to rise across the southern rim of the United States. As we follow him through the next two decades--the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the devastating assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., the sexual revolution, the crisis of Watergate, and the emergence of Ronald Reagan--we relive the pivotal and shocking events of those crowded years. Lawrence Wright has written the autobiography of a generation, giving back to us with stunning force the feelings of those turbulent times when the euphoria of Kennedy's America would come to its shocking end.

THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING BESTSELLER, NOW AN ACCLAIMED TV SERIESThis is the definitive account of the run-up to 9/11: from the man who lit the spark of radical Islam in 1948, to those who built up a terror network, and to the FBI agent whose warnings of 'something big' coming were ignored until the Twin Towers fell.'The Looming Tower is a thriller. And it's a tragedy, too' The New York Times'The most detailed (and thrilling) account we have of the events that led to the destruction of the Twin Towers' Observer, Books of the Year'Possibly the best book yet written on the rise of al-Qaeda ... beautifully written and wonderfully compelling' William Dalrymple'We meet some formidable schemers and killers ... fabulists crazed with blood and death' Martin Amis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - PULITZER PRIZE WINNER - A "heart-stopping account of the events leading up to 9/11" (The New York Times Book Review), this definitive history explains in gripping detail the growth of Islamic fundamentalism, the rise of al-Qaeda, and the intelligence failures that culminated in the attacks on the World Trade Center. One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century - A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century - A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Last 30 Years In gripping narrative that spans five decades, Lawrence Wright re-creates firsthand the transformation of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri from incompetent and idealistic soldiers in Afghanistan to leaders of the most successful terrorist group in history. He follows FBI counterterrorism chief John O'Neill as he uncovers the emerging danger from al-Qaeda in the 1990s and struggles to track this new threat. Packed with new information and a deep historical perspective, The Looming Tower is a sweeping, unprecedented history of the long road to September 11.

In this fascinating work of historical fiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright captures all the gripping drama and black humor of Panama during the final, nerve-racking days of its legendary dictator, Manuel Antonio Noriega. It is Christmas 1989, and Tony Noriega's demons are finally beginning to catch up with him. A former friend of President Bush, Fidel Castro, and Oliver North, this universally reviled strongman is on the run from the U. S. Congress, the Justice Department, the Colombian mob, and a host of political rivals. In his desperation, he seeks salvation from any and all quarters -- God, Satan, a voodoo priest, even the spirits of his murdered enemies. But with a million-dollar price on his head and 20,000 American soldiers on his trail, Noriega is fast running out of options. Drawn from a historical record more dramatic than even the most artful spy novel, God's Favorite is a riveting and darkly comic fictional account of the events that occurred in Panama from 1985 to the dictator's capture in 1989. With an award-winning journalist's eye for detail, Lawrence Wright leads the reader toward a dramatic face-off in the Vatican embassy, where Noriega confronts his psychological match in the papal nuncio.

This is a detailed and amusing look at the place where we spend a third of our lives - bed! Examples include a Neolithic stone bed from Skara Brae in the Orkneys, ornate early Renaissance beds, a mid-18th century bed from Chippendale's Chinese period and American metal folding beds.

In 1988 Ericka and Julie Ingram began making a series of accusations of sexual abuse against their father, Paul Ingram, who was a respected deputy sheriff in Olympia, Washington. At first the accusations were confined to molestations in their childhood, but they grew to include torture and rape as recently as the month before. At a time when reported incidents of "recovered memories" had become widespread, these accusations were not unusual. What captured national attention in this case is that, under questioning, Ingram appeared to remember participating in bizarre satanic rites involving his whole family and other members of the sheriff's department. Remembering Satan is a lucid, measured, yet absolutely riveting inquest into a case that destroyed a family, engulfed a small town, and captivated an America obsessed by rumors of a satanic underground. As it follows the increasingly bizarre accusations and confessions, the claims and counterclaims of police, FBI investigators, and mental health professionals. Remembering Satan gives us what is at once a psychological detective story and a domestic tragedy about what happens when modern science is subsumed by our most archaic fears. "A fantastic case reverberating with questions about the nature of memory itself.... A thoughtful and gripping book."-- The New York Times"This is a cautionary tale of immense value, told with rare intelligence, restraint and compassion. Remembering Satan catapults Wright to the front rank of American journalists." -- Newsweek