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koruton's review
4.0
This book was... interesting. There is no doubt that Rafi Eitan was a fascinating person who lived through a fascinating time in the middle east. It was impressive to read about how many different ventures he embarked on, from spy work to business ventures in Cuba to co-founding a political party. There were two aspects I struggled with - firstly, the book often lacks context for international readers. I guess it was written for Israeli audiences and for people unfamiliar with the details of Israeli history and politics, the sheer number of names and places (often without too much context or explanation) can be overwhelming and some aspects become unclear or get lost due to lack of background knowledge. Perhaps another format with additional sections of background information provided by the editor would have helped. Secondly, I felt like the book lacked self reflection to a certain degree. Eitan writes very clearly about his strong convictions during his youth and does not appear to examine them critically, even retrospectively. I guess that's intrinsic to autobiographies - we can't expect a critical examination of all beliefs and acts since the writer is intrinsically biased. In this vein, the description of the Pollard affair is barely a page long, when it is certainly one of the things Eitan was most known for, second only to the capture of Eichmann. I would not have understood the significance of this scandal if it had not been pointed out by the translator in the introduction, since almost the entire chapter was scrapped by Eitan briefly before his passing. I would have hoped for more explanation, more compassion and critical evaluation of what was undoubtedly his greatest failure. Overall though, an enjoyable read, describing a fascinating life centered around very conflicting work and world views.
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