Osama bin Laden pretends to be a selfless freedom fighter seeking to rid the Islamic world of Western dominanceóand the de facto leader of the Muslim faithful. This biography tells the story of a different man, one whose troubled childhood and adolescent excesses in sex, money, and alcohol, fractures his assumed moral superiority, and renders him more human than icon. Based on information provided by the bin Laden family, extensive independent research, and an insiderís view developed during his current and longtime residence in the Middle East, the author brings a thorough knowledge of the regionís politics and society to the story, and underscores the contradictions that make up the real Osama bin Laden.