Hope (Vol. 1)

Rating:
Summary: The Hope
Review: the hope is an exciting book that tells of the fight to make and keep the israel statehood alive. the book is not set as a history book like high school books are but a story.

Rating:
Summary: Epic Story set against remarkable backdrop
Review: This epic work by Herman Wouk takes place in Israel from the 1948 War of Independence to the 1967 Six Day War .Both remarkable testaments to the strength of the Jewish people and The State of Israel
We meet real characters who played a key role in the history of Israel such as David Ben-Gurion,Moshe Dayan,,Rafael Eitan,Yitzhac Rabin,Ariel Sharon and other great leaders
Against this backdrop we read about the lives of several men and women who are the key characters in the story:
Zev Barak-Viennese Jew who becomes an Israeli General and military attache to Washington
His strong and long suffering wife Nakhama
Yael Luria-ambitious and energetic blonde beauty
The mercurial paratroop commander -Don Kishote
The good hearted and religious Shayna Matisdorff
Sam Pasternak-the cynical Mossad supersleuth
Benny Luria the solid and committed Airforce commander
And Emily Cunningham-the intelligent and mysterious daughter of a CIA bigwig
The history of Israel during this period is traced in fascinating detail but the personal interactions do tend to be overplayed a little
Nevertheless the message remains loud and clear about the remarkable beleaguered and tiny State of Israel who continues to survive against overwhelming odds and the immoral machinations of the international establishment

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Novel
Review: This is an amazing novel. I picked it up wearily, thinking it would not be as good as other novelists such as Leon Uris or James Michner. This was far from the truth, this story is incredible. The novel tells the story of the beginnings of Israel right up through the end of the Six Day War in 1967. The one thing that I loved about this book, besides the stories being so vividly portrayed, was that all of the characters are so human. The reader can easily relate to not just a few of the main characters, but all of them. This is an amazing story, and I would reccommend it to anyone interested in a novelized version of Israeli history.

Rating:
Summary: ISREAL. ONE TOUGH NATION
Review: To be honest this was not the novel, I excepted to read. I was hoping there was (not to sound shallow) a little more "action." But it turned, out to be more of a humanistic and political look at the underpinnings of Israeli's fight for independence. And I must admit, I did enjoy the story and learned alot about the Israeli people in the process. I am neither pro-Arab nor pro-Israeli, but I do have a new found sympathy and respect for the Israeli people after reading this novel. Yes, I know the history of Israel, but I feel as though I now have names and faces to put to that history. I'm can honestly say I'm proud of the Jews who fought their hearts out, while the non-Jewish world quietly hoped they failed. It is sad to say that it took 3 wars, just to get some respect from the Americans. They're some of the strongest people I know, and being the only democracy in the Middle East,I'm glad there on our side.