The fourth book in the “All My Love, Detrick” series.
Elan Amsel understands what it means to be an Israeli. He’s sacrificed the woman he loved, his marriage, and his life for Israel. When Israel went to war and Elan was summoned in the middle of the night he did not hesitate to defend his country. Even though he knew, he would pay a terrible price for his decision. Elan is not a perfect man by … perfect man by any means. He can be cruel. He can be stubborn and self-righteous. But he is brave, and he loves more deeply than he will ever admit. This is his story.
However, it is not only his story; it is also an account of the lives of the women who loved him. Katja, the girl who he cherished but could never marry, who would haunt him forever. Janice, the spoiled American that he wed to fill a void, who would keep a secret from him that would one day shatter him. And…Nina, the beautiful Mossad agent who Elan longed to protect, but knew that he could not.
“To Be An Israeli” spans from the beginning of the Six-Day War in 1967 through 1986 when a group of American tourists are on their way to visit their Jewish homeland.
This book is a saga of a people who to this day live under the constant threat of war and terrorism. It is the story of a nation built on the blood of her people, a people who understand that if Israel is to survive they must put Israel first. These are the Israelis.
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Incredible. This is book three in a series following Jews in Nazi Germany. It’s written in first person and explores the unbelievable horror that beset the Jews during that period. It’s nothing anyone who has any education doesn’t know about but hearing through the eyes of the Jews characterized in the novels then also hearing the incredible explanations, or rather justifications by the Nazis is nothing short of remarkable. How can anything so ungodly as the proposed extermination of an entire ethnic group have been conceived and acted upon under the watching eyes of the world as well as non-Nazi German citizens.
Loved this whole series by Roberts Kagan!!! This is #4 in the series and gives a lot of insight into the development and pride in Israel. After reading this book…you can’t wait for the next book to be published. Robert Kagan is an amazing historical fiction writer who you can tell does in depth research!
Wonderful book..excellent series!!
I couldn’t put the book down. It was part of series and I read all of them in a 2 week period.
How wonderful to find one’s roots. The books in this series from Kagan is great for all.
The fifth book in the ‘All My Love, Detrick’ series..all the books were wonderful, historically accurate, heart wrenching at times, yet heartwarming overall. Great character development, whether you liked the characters or not, they all felt like people you knew well as the stories developed. Some were hard to read, as they described the holocaust, the flight of the Nazi perpetrators, and the ongoing lives of the survivors, or the families of those who didn’t survive. A testament to human resilience in the face of devastation. I won’t forget these stories for a very long time.
This was the first book in the series that I read. Even so, I had no problem following the story. The characters are well developed and it was fun to see Katja in particular grow throughout the story.
This is not a feel good book. It is not an exercise in pumping up Israel… Jewish faith or customs It is a realistic look at real Jewish people who make life and death decisions to “stand for Israel.” “To be an Israeli” means to offer yourself, at any time, to protect your country…Everyone is for everybody. And that slogan proved, in real life, and in real conflicts, to be the ultimate protector against powerful foes….Black September terrorists in the Olympics, and the foreign consortium of countries who waged a disasterous 4 day war against an Israeli foe they vastly underestimated.
The most gripping scene for me is one where a powerful Israeli Layer is called to serve…and to die in an infantry suicide squad on the Golon Heights. Yet an Israeli street vendor flies a jet, shoots down six MIGS, and lives on to work in Israeli secret service.
There are gripping accounts of women and men in love and in war. There is nothing more humbling, and nothing more important than “to be an Israeli,”
LOVED THE SERIES.
great reminder of lessons we must learn and retain from history!!
The series is recommended- she is a good writer and the books are really engaging. I rarely get wrapped up in a series- but I would read more!
I read them all and it is a very tragic tale but got boring after the second book
A bit long but very interesting and deep
okay
This is another series of books I have read by this author and will read all of them.
Loved the parallels in history.
Read from the first book.
inside glimpse of what is like to be involved totally with a country that is young and yearning to grow and survive and be a leader amongst the nations.
“To Be an Israeli” was hard to read, skipping from one character to the other. It often was just telling historical facts.
Difficult to read at times but wonderful story.