Rating: 
Summary: As Good as Tom Clancy But This Story is True
Review: With the cooperation of all of the major players involved, Rodger Claire is able to bring to life the incredible events behind Israel's destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981. The book is a pleasure to read, with Claire providing all of the relevant underlying details and facts without taking away from a thrilling human story. The security of Israel is safeguarded through the brave actions of the eight Israeli Air Force pilots as well as the hundreds of people who helped to plan and execute the mission. This timely book serves as a clear reminder that evil does exist and that good people everywhere need to be prepared to take action to put that evil down. There was no peaceful rationale for the reactor and yet the world let the French sale go through. Our inability to take action in North Korea is the ultimate reminder that the Israeli's were absolutely right in their actions. A wonderful story, very well written and easily read in a few hours. Highly recommended, especially given current world events
Rating:
Summary: This great technothriller is a true story!
Review: Wow! This exciting little book reads like a Tom Clancy technothriller, but it's the true story of the 1981 Israeli raid that is all that stopped Saddam Hussein from acquiring nuclear weapons. Surrounded by enemies, tiny Israel has always had to be tough and resourceful to survive. When the Begin government learned that Saddam was building a reactor to enrich uranium to build atomic bombs, they tried diplomacy to convince France to stop providing the needed components. But when that failed, they fell back on their own resourcefulness, ingenuity, resolve and courage, and sent eight F-16 fighters on an astounding mission to destroy the reactor.Rodger Claire interviewed all of the surviving planners and pilots, including Ilan Ramon, the youngest of the pilots, who became Israel's first astronaut and who died in the Columbia tragedy. In 250 pages, we get the exciting action story, and the thoughts and emotions of the participants as they meticulously planned and executed this extraordinarily dangerous mission. We also get some background on France's 30-year partnership with Saddam, and a photo of Jacques Chirac and Saddam grinning at each other in Baghdad in 1974, that speaks volumes to today's world. Claire has a fine facility with language, making the book delightfully readable, and he weaves a gripping story that I stayed up until 2 AM to finish. There are occasional minor technical inaccuracies, that readers with detailed knowledge of military aircraft will notice, but they don't detract from this wonderful book.
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