NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first comprehensive account of the epoch-making Six-Day War; from the author of Ally—now featuring a fiftieth-anniversary retrospective Though it lasted for only six tense days in June; the 1967 Arab-Israeli war never really ended. Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades; from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada; is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting. Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive; Michael B. Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. Extraordinary personalities—Moshe Dayan and Gamal Abdul Nasser; Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin—rose and toppled from power as a result of this war; borders were redrawn; daring strategies brilliantly succeeded or disastrously failed in a matter of hours. And the balance of power changed—in the Middle East and in the world. A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative; Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation.Praise for Six Days of War“Powerful . . . A highly readable; even gripping account of the 1967 conflict . . . [Oren] has woven a seamless narrative out of a staggering variety of diplomatic and military strands.â€â€”The New York Times “With a remarkably assured style; Oren elucidates nearly every aspect of the conflict. . . . Oren’s [book] will remain the authoritative chronicle of the war. His achievement as a writer and a historian is awesome.â€â€”The Atlantic Monthly “This is not only the best book so far written on the six-day war; it is likely to remain the best.â€â€”The Washington Post Book World “Phenomenal . . . breathtaking history . . . a profoundly talented writer. . . . This book is not only one of the best books on this critical episode in Middle East history; it’s one of the best-written books I’ve read this year; in any genre.â€â€”The Jerusalem Post “[In] Michael Oren’s richly detailed and lucid account; the familiar story is thrilling once again. . . . What makes this book important is the breadth and depth of the research.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review “A first-rate new account of the conflict.â€â€”The Washington Post “The definitive history of the Six-Day War . . . [Oren’s] narrative is precise but written with great literary flair. In no one else’s study is there more understanding or more surprise.â€â€”Martin Peretz; Publisher; The New Republic “Compelling; perhaps even vital; reading.â€â€”San Jose Mercury News
#5783500 in Books 2001Format: ImportOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0340739126320 pages
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The incredible story of civilizing nativesBy robert stallardAn unusual story of the taking of three Fuegian natives from the tip of South America by the British captain Fitzroyand the attempt to instill 'civilization' in them with the plan to return them and see if they pass it on to the native population.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great Anthropology bookBy Ruth BlackmonWhat a treasure this book is! If anyone ever wants to find out about how culture clashes sometimes end tragically this is a great book. Poor Jemmy Button was used by the English Christian Missionaries for their own benefit and promptly forgotten when he was no longer of any use to them. Sad but thought provoking tale.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Tragic Clash of CulturesBy Rob HardyCharles Dickens wrote; "Missionaries are perfect nuisances and leave every place worse than they found it." I do not know if Dickens knew about the missionary aims of the Patagonian Missionary Society; but there he surely would have found confirmation of his opinion. In _Savage: The Life and Times of Jemmy Button_ (Thomas Dunne Books); Nick Hazlewood has written an amazing and sad story about missionaries; colonialism; and a tragic clash of cultures. Sparking the story; a shocking tale of repeated good intentions and bad results; was the high Tory captain of the HMS _Beagle_; Edward FitzRoy. FitzRoy thought it would be grand to take Fuegian specimens back to Britain. One of them; swapped for a button; became Jemmy Button; and Darwin got to see him on the _Beagle_'s trip in 1831 to take him back home (so he had influence in Darwin's _The Descent of Man_). FitzRoy's hopes were futile; as Jemmy turned native again.In 1845; the Patagonian Missionary Society; one of the many Protestant vanguards of British colonialism; made an effort to land on Tierra del Fuego and begin proselytizing. The mission lasted a week; because the natives merely stole from it; without improvement of their souls. In 1850; a similar attempt lead to the deaths of the missionaries. Newspapers warned the Patagonian Missionary Society off any future effort; but the public loved this British bravado; and the Society was emboldened to try a new venture. It would use one of the Falkland Islands as a staging ground to which Fuegians could be ferried; civilized; converted; and returned. To this end; Jemmy was found and was kidnapped once again; along with members of his family. They became homesick and resentful; and were cycled back home; with another nine Fuegians picked up. The Society's reports were glowing; but glossed over the frequent problems. One of the basic ones was that the Fuegians had little concept of property rights; and when they liked something; they took it; and they resented any subsequent searches. When this group was returned; eight missionaries were murdered. The Society blamed the work of Satan; but as one letter to the papers said; the massacre "...was produced by the recklessness of the society and their agents; and therefore I must conclude that Satan is much maligned in this matter."Hazlewood has told this astonishing and distressing story with a novelist's fluency. In the end; the efforts toward the Fuegians could not have been more futile. Ranchers and sheep-farmers soon began invading their island; and brought devastating diseases or simply hunted them down and shot them. No pure Fuegians survived. Those with intentions of greed harmed them as much as those with intentions of improvement under the guise of imposition of a strong culture over a weak one. Such were the benefits of civilization to the savages.
