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A true story that few ever believed would come to light, Growing Up bin Laden uncovers startling revelations and hidden secrets carefully guarded by the most wanted man in our lifetime, Osama bin Laden.  These secrets are revealed by the only people who could know such private details, his wife and son. 

Najwa bin Laden, who married her cousin Osama bin Laden at the age of 15, is his first wife and the mother to eleven children, seven of Osama's sons and four of his daughters.  Omar bin Laden is the fourth son of Osama bin Laden.  Together, they narrate spine-tingling details about the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. No writer or journalist, even the most respected, has ever gained access to close members of Osama bin Laden's family, until now.  But after Omar and his mother approached bestselling author Jean Sasson, a trusted collaboration slowly formed. 

This uniquely human document is the result.

Growing Up bin Laden tells the story of a young girl who married her gentle and kindly first-cousin, enjoying a happy early marriage with the groom of her choice.  But world events thrust her husband into a frenzy of militant activities, altering his once pleasing behavior in the process.  Thus Najwa's life, and the lives of her innocent children, became a maze of escaping from one country to another.  Osama's fourth-born son, Omar, describes his early years, the son who wanted nothing but his father's love, but Omar's quest for his father's attention won him nothing but his father's cruelties. 

Together, their powerful story as mother and son give us an extraordinary view of a man hated by so many, yet both loved and feared by his family, including:

Through their frank accounts, Omar and Najwa dispel the many myths about Osama bin Laden that are currently circulating, including:

Since September 11, 2001, journalists have struggled to uncover carefully guarded information about Osama's private life, and his wives and children.  All have failed.  But Growing Up bin Laden reveals the names and background of all Osama's wives, and the names and ages of his children.

With unprecedented access and insight, Jean Sasson, author of the bestselling Princess:  A True Story Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, takes us inside the secret world of Osama bin Laden.