Rating: 
Summary: A superb work on one of history's great mismatches
Review: This appears to be a superlative, well-researched, interesting, well-written, authoritative, insightful, well-documented (whew!) account of the Six-Day War. Just as importantly, the author gies a brilliant case study of how a democracy handled a potentially terminal situation of desperation, how an exceptionally competent but diverse group managed an emergency, what happened when an exceptionally corrupt and deceitful group managed the same emergency, and how the "law of unintended consequences" turned an overwhelming victory into a bit of a mixed blessing. The author puts us in the very middle of one of the human spirit's great moral triumphs.I had originally written more on the amazing insights this wonderful author has written, but this book has had so many good reviews I will simply suggest if you are even thinking of reading this book .... Just Read It!
Rating: 
Summary: Full of information, but could have used better editor
Review: As other reviewers have pointed out, this book is full of detailed information about the June/6 Day War. While Oren's style is slightly dry, he tries very hard to be objective, filling the book with information. Unfortunately, a better editor was needed for the book. As "Travis Bickle" pointed out, there are numerous spelling errors, including consistently spelling Gandhi as "Ghandi." The most surprising error, though, is in the photographs- one of the photographs of Moshe Dayan is flipped, so there is one photograph where his patch is over his left eye and another photograph where his patch is over his right eye.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: For someone with an interest in the Six Day War this book will prove to be extremely informative as it draws from various sources for information. Extremely well written as well, making it a pleasurable historical read as well as informative.
Rating: 
Summary: Israeli Labor party revision of history - cra...
Review: Basically, the book is smth btw socialist party version of the war and "mestechko" attitude, i.e. great Ben Gurion, great Rabin, great socialist kibbutzniks, etc. Heroic, dramatic, non-willing to fight with Israel Naser, reluctant Soviet vultures, resisting "Palestinian" terrorists, etc. Major disappointment with all the hupla around the book!!!! Not worth its money, well I would buy it for a shakel or so :)
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This is a brilliant and insightful book, meticulously researched, scrupulously impartial, and wonderfully written; accessible and compelling. A real treat.
Rating:
Summary: Political and military history at its best
Review: I was 40 years old at the time of the Six-day war and in IDF uniform. On the Saturday after the war I was wondering under what circumstances Israel (my cherished home since 1940) will get rid of the Sinai, the "triangle" (Judea and Samaria) and the Golan. So, I admit being a dove.
With infinite patience, after hundreds of hours of research, Oren has put togethere the best overall political history of the period, the detailed events of the war and its terrible aftermath. The book is coolheaded, fair, comprehensive and stands out as a gem in its genre. The first 170 pages deal with the background, about 100 with the events of six days and the rest, about 30, are an excellent epilogue. Very highly recommended to friend and foe alike.
Rating:
Summary: What a page turner!
Review: Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Today we look back at the six day war and are amazed at how everything worked out so well for Israel, but at the time leading up to the war, things didn't look so positive. The author does an excellent job in putting you into the drivers seat and living through the hard choices that were made prior to the wars begining.
Rating:
Summary: Timely and Interesting
Review: In the current debate over terrorism and Iraq, one is struck by the resonance of similar themse now and then. 1)The economic and military dominance of the West 2)The inability/refusal to accept the modern world 3)The absence of democracy and plurality and 4) The stranglehold of Islam over every aspect of Arab society. The once-grand past of Islam continues to shine and its brillance has blinded those in the region of a new reality. Oren adds complexity to an event that seems simple and direct. Considering the circumstances, war was an inevitability. The problem was compounded by Cold War rivalry and regional enmities. Arab governments, either royal (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Emirates) or military (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Libya), sought to retain support from the Arab "street" by invoking the "Jew" card and regaling past glories. But, as the Soviet embassador to the UN said, they can't work together even when their own vital interests are at stake. In the game of "who's bad?" Syria taunts Egypt for even considering peace, Egypt attacks Jordan for Western backing, Jordan rails against Syria and Iraq, Iraq tries to topple the Saudi kingdom. Provoked, Nasser ordered UN guards out, began a military buildup in the Sinai and closed the only sea port of Israel. The actions grew bolder as the cries from the "street" grew louder. Israel, surrounded and isolated, struck hard with terrifying results. Arab capitals spoke of great victories and Arab leaders casually lied to each other: Egypt was advancing, Jordan holding her own, Syria was "advancing to Tel Aviv". The Soviets, who wanted the Mideast at a constant broil, were desperate to stop the war but had to fight their own client. The aftermath was as telling as the war itself. Jews in Arab countries were killed, arrested or banished while Israel helped rebuild hundreds of Arab homes on the West Bank. There is a stark difference of interpretations between Israel and Arabs over the meaning of this war. Israel thought Arabs would now recognize that it could not be defeated and would come to terms. Arabs, on the other hand, thought of this as only one phase of an extended war of extermination of the Jewish state.
Any attempt at accomodation is seen as an act of both religious and cultural betrayal. The road is rocky.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive
Review: Few historical topics have received as much attention as the Six Day War. Therefore, I read the reviews of Oren's supposedly "ground breaking" work with a certain incredulity. However, these accolades turned out to be well deserved. Indeed, by brining new depth and breath to an old topic, Oren deserves a great deal of praise. Unlike many of the previous works on this subject, Oren does not look to analyze a particular aspect of the conflict (e.g. Herzog's excellent military analysis of the war) but looks at it from several perspectives, including military, political, diplomatic, and cultural. Moreover, Oren successfully recreates the web of relations between and amongst the major players, including Israel, the Arab States, the US, and the USSR. Also fascinating are the explanations of the internal conflicts among the actors, particularly in Egypt and Israel. The depth of research in this area has never been matched in an easily accessible work on this subject. Some reviewers claim Oren favors one side or another. I find this to hardly be the case. Indeed, he is again noteworthy for both accurately displaying the foibles of both sides as well as dispelling several old charges that continue to haunt this conflict despite evidence easily dismissing them as false. For example, Israel's early claim to Johnson that Egypt attacked first, or the Arab's patently absurd claim that the US and Britain participated in the attacks, a charge even the Soviet's refused to believe. Also rejected are many of the claims made by apologists, such as the idea that Egypt's behavior was not provocative, when indeed they launched a blockade against Israel's only southern port in violation of international law. Also, worth noting is Oren's description of the Liberty incident, which has aroused so much attention, generating much heat and little light. The author successfully points out that Israel could have had no reason for attacking an American ship and thus provoking their only ally. His description of the systemic failures that led to this tragedy is convincing while still not forgiving the mistakes that contributed to the tragedy. Most interesting is that, once the Israelis realized that this was not an Egyptian flag ship supplying the destroyers shelling Tel Aviv, that they initially worried it might be a Russian supply ship and thus risked brining the Soviets into the conflict. Good history is a rare treat to read. Oren's wonderful book is exciting, informative, and a must read for any interested in the shaping of the modern Middle East.
Rating:
Summary: A historian who knows how to write
Review: Even though I was fairly familiar with the story of the Six Day War, I found Oren's book an exciting read. He not only shows mastery of all the archival material, from East and West, he also is that rare specimen - the historian who makes history interesting.
I would say that the chapter that deals with the historical effects of the war is insufficient, and the book would have been better off without it.
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