Built on meticulous, diligent research, this book is key reading for those interested in geopolitical issues.
Two respected journalists delve into Israel’s moves to counter Iran’s nuclear gambit.
The Middle East has long been a labyrinth of age-old grudges and ever shifting allegiances. In the past two decades, Iran has emerged as a player with nuclear ambitions, prompting Israel to think of the nation as one of its major enemies. Bob and Evyatar, both contributors to the Jerusalem Post, have deep connections to Israel’s security agencies and government processes, and they begin their book with Mossad’s theft of a truckload—literally—of documents from Iran’s nuclear archive in 2018. The material provided proof that the country had been systematically violating a range of treaties and agreements but also indicated how far Iran was prepared to go to attain nuclear capability. Israel’s response was a multitiered campaign, combining cyberwarfare, sabotage, airstrikes, drones, and assassinations. The authors fill out the details through interviews with numerous Mossad officers, but the most important change, they suggest, might turn out to be the willingness of several Arab states to reconsider their attitudes toward Israel. Growing Iranian belligerence toward everyone in the region made some level of acceptance start to look desirable, and a series of secret meetings took place. The outcome of these moves was the U.S.–sponsored Abraham Accords, which have evolved into a broad framework for cooperation. The problem is that Iran shows no sign of shelving its nuclear plans. It has become better at hiding and protecting assets and is building cyberwarfare and drone weapons of its own. “The Mossad’s secret war is not over,” write the authors. “Indeed, it may never end.” It is a sobering conclusion, but it is hard to see any alternatives. Throughout this remarkable narrative, the authors provide valuable context to the new Middle East picture.
Built on meticulous, diligent research, this book is key reading for those interested in geopolitical issues.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781668014561
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.
Two bestselling authors engage in an enlightening back-and-forth about Jewishness and antisemitism.
Acho, author of Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, and Tishby, author of Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, discuss many of the searing issues for Jews today, delving into whether Jewishness is a religion, culture, ethnicity, or community—or all of the above. As Tishby points out, unlike in Christianity, one can be comfortably atheist and still be considered a Jew. She defines Judaism as a “big tent” religion with four main elements: religion, peoplehood, nationhood, and the idea of tikkun olam (“repairing the world through our actions”). She addresses candidly the hurtful stereotypes about Jews (that they are rich and powerful) that Acho grew up with in Dallas and how Jews internalize these antisemitic judgments. Moreover, Tishby notes, “it is literally impossible to be Jewish and not have any connection with Israel, and I’m not talking about borders or a dot on the map. Judaism…is an indigenous religion.” Acho wonders if one can legitimately criticize “Jewish people and their ideologies” without being antisemitic, and Tishby offers ways to check whether one’s criticism of Jews or Zionism is antisemitic or factually straightforward. The authors also touch on the deteriorating relationship between Black and Jewish Americans, despite their historically close alliance during the civil rights era. “As long as Jewish people get to benefit from appearing white while Black people have to suffer for being Black, there will always be resentment,” notes Acho. “Because the same thing that grants you all access—your skin color—is what grants us pain and punishment in perpetuity.” Finally, the authors underscore the importance of being mutual allies, and they conclude with helpful indexes on vernacular terms and customs.
An important dialogue at a fraught time, emphasizing mutual candor, curiosity, and respect.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9781668057858
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon Element
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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