My Trip to Al-Qaeda Trailer (2010)

Trailer for the HBO documentary My Trip to Al-Qaeda.

A firsthand account of Wright’s experience researching his 2006 book “The Looming Tower: al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” My Trip to Al-Qaeda sheds important light on al-Qaeda, Islamic radicalism, hostility to America and the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East overall. The riveting travelogue/performance piece combines Wright’s first-person narrative with documentary footage and photographs, while raising important questions about the war on terrorism, and questioning the U.S. stance as a role model as it engages in a war that erodes the country’s reputation and resources.

Lawrence Wright’s work in the Middle East dates back to 1969, when he taught at American University in Cairo, where future 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta would study. However, the events of 9/11 intensified his focus on the causes and consequences of Islamic terrorism throughout the region, propelling him to write a book on the subject. Wright’s acclaimed work spawned a theatrical piece that combined his journalistic insights, culled from 600 interviews and 4,100 pages of notes, with footage and photos of the places he had visited during his extensive research.