The book is part history, part historical fiction. While much of the book is based on outstanding research and first-person interviews, some of the book is told from a perspective which the author himself wrote but relied on historical information for reference. A most interesting way to write the book and a brave decision by the author (who states his method in the forward).
The author presents each person as a human being, something that’s missing from today’s fast paced, 24/7 world, each person is his or hers own universe, not a bullet point or a statistic. The book celebrates those who survived, learned and some even flourished from their tragedy.
Ruth Perlmutter, a retired Mossad agent and owner of a travel agency, has been asked to investigate the murder of Arthur, and ex-colleague from the Mossad. The death leads Ruth to investigate her colleagues, find ex-lovers and
historical letters written by Theodor Herzl (the founder of the Zionist movement).
The Angel: Ashraf Marwan, the Mossad and the Surprise of the Yom Kippur War by Uri Bar Yosef is a non-fiction book in which Professor Bar Yosef outlines why he believes Marwan was the best spy who worked for Israel, ever. Mr. Bar Yosef is a professor in The Department for International Relations of The School for Political Science at Haifa University, specializing in national security, intelligence studies and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The lives of the seven paratroopers keep interlacing throughout their lives, whether in war or peace, while they seven maintained different views on what’s good for the state of Israel and society, they mostly managed to keep a friendly and supportive relationship despite their differences.
Seven Mothers by Yochi Brandes is a fascinating book which turns some of the Jewish bible stories on their head by infusing new thinking from a modern woman into the stories which are much beloved. Mrs. Brandes writes about Moab’s mother, Tamar, Miriam the Prophets (Moses’ sister),the Pharaoh’s daughter, Ruth, Michal and Queen Ester.
The author provides a good historical background of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and provides examples of how the leadership failed its people by not developing a political culture and infrastructure that could support startup state. While Mr. Schanzer does not absolve Israel of blame, he lays most of it at the feet of the United States and Europe who are, according to the narrative, major contributors to the failure.
My family members heard the story and were amazed. “You have to write about it,” my mother determined. I had my doubts. This is the problem with true stories: they aren’t credible. Readers would consider the story absurd if they read it in a novel. “Give me a different story,” I asked my sister. “That’s all I’ve got,” she said, and took a bite of chicken.
Lineup by Liad Shoham is the American debut of the Israeli author. A quiet Tel-Aviv street is rocked by a brutal rape which leaves the police baffled since no eyewitnesses, clues or suspects exist. The victim’s father refuses to admit defeat and starts his own investigation when he notices a man acting strangely in the vicinity of his daughter’s apartment.
The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti is a debut novel by this accomplished woman. The novel looks at the Middle East problems through a pro-Palestinian point of view.
