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ncrabb's review against another edition
4.0
I read this sometime during the summer of 2015, but can't recall the specific days. The book details the careful elaborate planning by Israel's neighbors to bring down swift-as-lightning air and ground strikes which would begin on one of the holiest days of the year for the Jewish nation. There were the loan voices crying in the wilderness of the Israeli political and military establishment warning of increased military activity on the part of Israel's hostile neighbors in the days prior to the outbreak of the conflict. But for the most part, Israeli officials were relatively unconcerned about the possibilities of attack.
But the attacks came on October 6, 1973, and a surprised Israel had to scramble to save what it could of gains from the 1967 war.
I was fascinated to read about the country's concerns over pressure put on it by other world powers, especially the United States, to enter into a cease fire agreement that would have altered the country's borders significantly. Add to that the serious discussions among many in the Israeli cabinet about the feasibility of using nuclear weaponry, and you have a most interesting book indeed.
Blum puts a human face'-several human faces--on the conflict. I bogged down a bit in dealing with names and nicknames and trying to keep everyone straight. I confess it was a bit easier to keep the Israeli people straight because so many of those names were the names often heard in my geeky youth when, with my shortwave set and wire antenna hanging out my window in a rather haphazard way, I would listen to the English language service of Israel's shortwave station. In my feeble defense, it really was easier to pull that Israeli signal out of the air. Syrian and even Egyptian shortwave stations proffered weaker signals, making it much harder for the teenage nerd that I was to pull down the signal.
This book details heroism and sorrow, charisma and flat-footedness throughout on the part of people on both sides of the conflict. You'll be surprised at how quickly you'll get through this. You'll want to take the early chapters at a somewhat leisurely pace until you feel you have the names in order. Concentrating especially in the beginning will yield increasing dividends as the book draws to a conclusion.
But the attacks came on October 6, 1973, and a surprised Israel had to scramble to save what it could of gains from the 1967 war.
I was fascinated to read about the country's concerns over pressure put on it by other world powers, especially the United States, to enter into a cease fire agreement that would have altered the country's borders significantly. Add to that the serious discussions among many in the Israeli cabinet about the feasibility of using nuclear weaponry, and you have a most interesting book indeed.
Blum puts a human face'-several human faces--on the conflict. I bogged down a bit in dealing with names and nicknames and trying to keep everyone straight. I confess it was a bit easier to keep the Israeli people straight because so many of those names were the names often heard in my geeky youth when, with my shortwave set and wire antenna hanging out my window in a rather haphazard way, I would listen to the English language service of Israel's shortwave station. In my feeble defense, it really was easier to pull that Israeli signal out of the air. Syrian and even Egyptian shortwave stations proffered weaker signals, making it much harder for the teenage nerd that I was to pull down the signal.
This book details heroism and sorrow, charisma and flat-footedness throughout on the part of people on both sides of the conflict. You'll be surprised at how quickly you'll get through this. You'll want to take the early chapters at a somewhat leisurely pace until you feel you have the names in order. Concentrating especially in the beginning will yield increasing dividends as the book draws to a conclusion.
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