The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden

 

The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden

Mark Bowden is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers of recent history.  Many of his books have focused on many of the key world events during recent times such as the Iran Hostage Crisis and the pivotal battles of Viet Nam.  This book did not disappoint.  It’s a rather brief (300 pages or so) account of the key players in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden post 9/11, and how the United States was able to eliminate the deranged Middle Eastern lunatic.

My guess is that most people had probably never heard of Osama Bin Laden before 9/11.  I’ve found that most citizens don’t pay attention to world events (or even local events) until tragedy ensues which causes the masses to suddenly pay attention. Due to the catastrophe of the events of September 11, 2001, it was no surprise how united the United States quickly became, and cries for justice and revenge had never been quite so passionate.  All of the sudden, Osama Bin Laden was in the metaphorical crosshairs of just about every U.S. citizen.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so thoroughly is that the author wisely focuses on many different things and he never goes into too much detail about any aspect in particular.  He spends a reasonable amount of time talking about the events of the tragic day, a history of who Bin Laden was, the politics in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, and how the United States intelligence team works and ultimately prevailed.  I found it very refreshing that the author did not give a highly technical, play-by-play, account of the actual raid.  Many books tend to do this, and I’m not the reader that enjoys such details.  The actual “killing” of Bin Laden via said raid only takes place over about two or three pages. Such “action” is welcome in feature films, but it’s hard to replicate the tension, action, and anxiety when reading about such events on the printed page.

What I have discovered is that the majority of people who did not like this book are the same people who don’t like President Barrack Obama.  I say this because Obama is a key player in this book. The author mostly paints the former president in a glowing light, yet I never found his sentiments biased. Obama realizes that, once he takes office, the criminal mastermind still hasn’t been found, and even though Bin Laden’s news presence had waned considerably over the years, the president makes it a key point to keep the clandestine hunt a main priority.  So, yes, Obama comes off as “presidential” in this book but….well… haters are always going to hate.

This book could have easily been twice the length, but the author wisely realizes he doesn’t need too much detail and too much page space to tell a gripping tale.  He succeeds here. This is a great book for anyone remotely interested in Bin Laden, the tragedy he caused, and the eventual justice that the United States of America was able to orchestrate.