embchess's review
3.0
A worthwhile book, with some important and informative insights along with some engaging intrigue. Unfortunately, it would have benefitted from clearer thematic or chronological links. Some chapters felt very disjointed from the others while others were part of a logical sequence.
kahawa's review
2.0
I forgot to mark this finished and write a review. I found this quite boring, and difficult to follow. The stories weren't coherent narratives. He would start retelling one incident, and would jump to three other incidents and topics and never finish any of them.
lazygal's review
3.0
The author is writing an adult nonfiction book but it reads more like YA narrative nonfiction. That's not a bad thing, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was an adult book. What did annoy me more was the author's inserting himself into the story far too frequently, and some of the explanations of names could have been done in an author's note. This is also a very slim volume that attempts to both highlight the people involved in the Arab Section of the Palmach and what was going on politically (and religiously) in what we now call Israel shortly before and after the country was founded. There is some discussion of the differences between the European Jews and those from the Middle East, as well as something about how the various Arab countries felt about what was happening due to the British pulling out but a fuller explanation might have helped those who don't really know about that era.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
leahsbooks's review
4.0
This was an intriguing read. I listened to the audiobook, and Simon Vance did a wonderful job with the narration and the many terms in both Hebrew and Arabic, as well as smatterings of Yiddish, Russian, and the other languages that popped up throughout the story.
While I'm aware of what the Mossad is, I had no idea of the roots of it. And after watching a show about Eli Cohen, I was curious about the organization's roots. Today, I'm aware that more than half of the population of Israel is made up of Mizrahi Jews, but have only recently learned of the way that they were treated in the early days of the formation of the state, and this book certainly doesn't gloss over that. The Mizrahi Jews weren't treated equally and were definitely discriminated against in the early days, and that's described quite clearly in this story.
However, Jews from Arab countries offered immense value to what would eventually become the IDF and the Mossad, since they were fluent speakers of Arabic and were also well aware of Arabic customs in their own country, allowing them to easily pass amongst their neighbors as Arabs, something Ashkenazi Jews couldn't do. This was an important distinction, allowing them to pass as spies, a dangerous but vital function as Israel was struggling for its independence.
These brave men faced many struggles. Cut off from their families and communities, set adrift in countries hostile to them, far from the agency who had sent them off with little to no support, they were living lives were they weren't just pretending to be other people, but were also forced to disavow their own beliefs and profess hatred and murderous intent towards their own people. They had limited knowledge of what was actually happening in the burgeoning state of Israel, relying on only the Arab news reports of the war, and often witnessing open acts of violence towards fellow Jews.
In addition, they also saw some of their own fellow spies caught, tortured, and murdered in the line of duty. The material is well-researched, but aside from the interviews with the surviving member, it felt a little bit disconnected and dry. I struggled to feel a connection with the narrative, although the interviews made it feel more relatable, inserting the unique voice of the man behind the story.
While I'm aware of what the Mossad is, I had no idea of the roots of it. And after watching a show about Eli Cohen, I was curious about the organization's roots. Today, I'm aware that more than half of the population of Israel is made up of Mizrahi Jews, but have only recently learned of the way that they were treated in the early days of the formation of the state, and this book certainly doesn't gloss over that. The Mizrahi Jews weren't treated equally and were definitely discriminated against in the early days, and that's described quite clearly in this story.
However, Jews from Arab countries offered immense value to what would eventually become the IDF and the Mossad, since they were fluent speakers of Arabic and were also well aware of Arabic customs in their own country, allowing them to easily pass amongst their neighbors as Arabs, something Ashkenazi Jews couldn't do. This was an important distinction, allowing them to pass as spies, a dangerous but vital function as Israel was struggling for its independence.
These brave men faced many struggles. Cut off from their families and communities, set adrift in countries hostile to them, far from the agency who had sent them off with little to no support, they were living lives were they weren't just pretending to be other people, but were also forced to disavow their own beliefs and profess hatred and murderous intent towards their own people. They had limited knowledge of what was actually happening in the burgeoning state of Israel, relying on only the Arab news reports of the war, and often witnessing open acts of violence towards fellow Jews.
In addition, they also saw some of their own fellow spies caught, tortured, and murdered in the line of duty. The material is well-researched, but aside from the interviews with the surviving member, it felt a little bit disconnected and dry. I struggled to feel a connection with the narrative, although the interviews made it feel more relatable, inserting the unique voice of the man behind the story.