Non­fic­tion

Ariel Sharon: A Life

Nir Hefez and Gadi Bloom; Mitch Gins­burg, trans.
  • Review
By – October 26, 2011

Ariel Sharon was one of the most dra­mat­ic per­son­al­i­ties in Israel’s history. 

Always a leader, Sharon was a farmer turned sol­dier turned gen­er­al turned politi­cian. He was the embod­i­ment of some of the most dynam­ic and coura­geous and excit­ing parts of Israel’s his­to­ry. He spoke his mind and did what he thought was right regard­less of the consequences. 

This new biog­ra­phy of Sharon by Nir Hefez and Gadi Bloom gives insight into the war­rior leader. The book is in trans­la­tion and despite the lim­i­ta­tions that trans­la­tion implies, impres­sive­ly trans­mits some of the great sto­ries of Sharon’s life and career, with nuance and deep understanding. 

Sharon was big­ger than life, phys­i­cal­ly and emo­tion­al­ly. He was a per­son who peo­ple loved, hat­ed, or loved to hate. This work unrav­els some of the mys­ter­ies behind the man. The authors reveal the inner work­ing of his mind, explain­ing Sharon’s moti­va­tions and prag­ma­tism as they reveal his vision. We see his pri­or­i­ties. We see his flaws. 

Hefez and Bloom pro­vide the read­er with a true glimpse of a myth­ic man.

Mic­ah D. Halpern is a colum­nist and a social and polit­i­cal com­men­ta­tor. He is the author of What You Need To Know About: Ter­ror, and main­tains The Mic­ah Report at www​.mic​ah​halpern​.com.

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