Ariel Sharon: A Life (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gadi Bloom (Author), Mitch Ginsburg (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As of this writing, Ariel Sharon remains comatose; his physical condition has recently deteriorated, and there is no possibility of his resuming his public career. So, as Israel struggles to cope with threats from Hamas on its west, Hezbollah on its north, and Iran on its east, it is pertinent to examine the career of the charismatic Israeli warrior and politician who struggled mightily to ensure the security of the state of Israel and its citizens. Hefez is a newspaper editor and serves as a captain in the Israel Defense Forces reserves; Bloom is also a newspaper editor and an investigative journalist. They view Sharon, justifiably, as a giant figure on the political and military scene who has had an enormous effect on events for decades. But this is far from a hagiography. Sharon is shown here as possessing immense physical courage and willingness to act boldly (or recklessly) as both a military and political leader. As a soldier, he showed great devotion to his men, and that devotion was usually reciprocated. But Sharon often acted like a bull in a china shop, taking dangerous gambles that often proved disastrous, and he routinely ignored the instructions of his superiors. He displayed a lust for power and a willingness to bend the truth in that pursuit. It is too early for the verdict of history to be rendered upon Sharon, but this revealing and engrossing biography adds a great deal to our understanding of the man. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Warrior, statesman, peacemaker–few world leaders have had as dramatic and pivotal a life story as Ariel Sharon. And as this riveting new biography shows, perhaps no modern leader’s life has been as tightly woven into the history of his nation.

Born in 1928 and raised in spartan circumstances on a kibbutz, Ariel Sharon was taught by his parents to take principled stands and then to plow ahead, to “always go see what lies over the next hill.” And for decades to come, Sharon would do just that, forging a life of strength, resilience, and sometimes, according to his detractors, reckless and embittered action, indifferent to the violence it unleashed on his enemies.

Based on unprecedented access to many of the key players in Sharon’s life, hundreds of interviews, and thousands of pages of documents, Ariel Sharon presents a leader who was first and foremost a military man. Sharon fought in Israel’s War of Independence (in which he was left for dead on the battlefield); assembled Israel’s first special forces brigade, the wild Unit 101; and led the Lebanon War, the most controversial campaign in Israel’s history. As a general, he directed military campaigns that are still studied in military academies across the world.

Yet Sharon was also a political animal. This book explores his fraught relationships with prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin, as well as with legendary minister of defense Moshe Dayan; Sharon’s removal as defense minister after the massacre in the Palestinian refugee camps in Sabra and Shatila; his thirty-year championing of the settlement movement in Gaza and the West Bank; his visit to the Temple Mount in 2000, which lit the fuse for the second Intifada; and his startling decision as prime minister to initiate “disengagement,” uprooting settlers, destroying settlements, and dividing his country.

Sharon’s personal life has been equally tumultuous and dramatic, as this book grippingly recounts–his first wife, Margalit, was killed in a car accident; his eldest son, Gur, wounded by an accidental rifle discharge, died in his arms. His second wife, Lily (Margalit’s younger sister), died of cancer, concluding one of the great love stories of Israeli public life. And ultimately came the stroke that felled Sharon, removing him from power at a time when the Israeli people needed his leadership most.

Often mired in controversy and scandal, Sharon was a man of inscrutable character, and his epochal life and elusive personality are both vividly portrayed in this book. Sharon was fueled by a rare combination of qualities: courage, love of power, unbridled tenacity, pragmatism, and, above all, a creed that never changed–complete and uncondtional security for Jews.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Random House (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400065879
• ISBN-13: 978-1400065875
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #852,708 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book, November 1, 2006

By	Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is one of the first in a stream of new biographies of Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel from 2000 to 2005. He was many things. Firstly a son of rebellious Moshavniks who didn't like the reform of Kibbutz life. He fought in Israel's 1948 war of Independence and was wounded at the battle of Latrun. He led the paratroopers in revenge raids in the 1950s, famously in charge of unit 101. In 1956 he led the paratroopers at Mitle pass in the Sinai and suffered heavy losses. In 1967 he fought a set piece battle at Abu Agheila, defeating the Egyptian army, again in Sinai. In 1973 he famously crossed the canal into Egypt and helped surround the Egyptian third army, but was almost relieved for command for going to far. He helped found the Likud party, combining his own party, ShlomTzion, with Begin's Herut. He was in the agriculture ministry and also in charge of settlements at various times after 1977 and in the 1980s. He was famously discredited as Defense minister for his role in leading the 1982 war in Lebanon and the slaughter at Sabra and Shatilla. In 2000 he returned, Nixon like, from his ranch in the Negev and came to power as the country turned to him, a tough man, to wage war on the Palestinian terrorists then taking dozens of lives weekly. In 2005 he famously led the disengagement from the Gaza strip, reversing years of settlement in the territories. He fell into a coma in the late fall of that year after founding his new Kadima political party.

At one and the same time a hawk, a revolutionary, a pioneer, a warrior and a peacemaker, he was called a Nazi and a fascist by his detractors, the 'butcher of Beirut' and compared with Adolf Hitler by European leftists and Palestinian Islamists alike. But he was also purely Israeli in his long and diverse life.

This book is a good read, but it does not go deep enough into the many momentous parts of his life. His role in the Green Patrols and his ideas about the settlements as well as his role in restraint in 2001 before Operation Defense Shield are not discussed in detail, neither are his theories about demographics or the security fence. There is simply little analysis, the book seems partly pieced together from many breaking news articles, rather than an introspective history of his life, this is partly due to the events' recentness, but it harms the ability to get underneath the current events reports.

Seth J. Frantzman

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ARIEL SHARON", June 20, 2007

By	Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

With an unequivocal love and pride in my heritage, and an unwavering love and concern for the State Of Israel, I am always trying to improve my knowledge, of what "has been", "what is", and "what will be", relating to Israel. Not only for myself, but also for the responsibility, I was born with, to educate my son. We have watched DVD's on the history of Israel, and read many books, and one of the historical leaders, warriors, and character's, who shines through, among the most important, is Ariel Sharon. When I found this book, with no prior fanfare, or buildup, I briefly leafed through it. And one paragraph, caught my eye, that basically said: "An Israeli government vehicle with civilian plates, boarded an Egyptian ferry... the workers on board, easily recognized the rotund man, with the flowing white hair, in the back of the sedan. They knew him, as the most notorious, of all Israeli generals, Ariel Sharon... the man who six years earlier had crossed the same canal, at the head of a column of tanks, winning the pivotal battle in the Sinai campaign of the Yom Kippur War. He was now in Egypt on official, if covert, business, as Israel's minister of agriculture." With that passage, I purchased the 500-page book. Let me advise you, this is not an exciting, entertaining read. You're reading, not only the history of a remarkable man, but also the history of a country. Another reason, I believe the wording, isn't, continually jumping off the page, is the fact that it was translated. But, it was information, I was looking for on Sharon, and this book (Which is more like an encyclopedia!) delivered. This tome does not pull punches. Sharon, has made mistakes, and upset many people. I was raised to believe, that if you're not making somebody mad, you're doing something wrong. I learned, that there is way more infighting in Israeli politics then meets the eye. (At least mine.) But I'm sure someone from another country, seeking to learn more about America, like I want to learn more about Israel, would have the same impression. Until Sharon's recent stroke, there was not one war, in Israel's entire history, that he wasn't involved in. As a military leader, his troops loved to fight for him. He possessed "unusual, almost inhuman, courage." "Soldiers and officers who served with him in battle, all testify, that enemy fire, left Sharon unaffected." "He walked upright, impervious, his calm spreading through the ranks." Regardless of what rank he held, what command he lead, no matter what position he held, "his guiding light was always security. His creed, in its barest form" MAXIMUM SECURITY FOR JEWS." It is hard for me, to give the kind of singular rating, in 1 thru 5 stars, as listed above. But I had to. So I put 4 for the following reasons: As far as "encyclopedic" information, which is what I was searching for, this is a 5. But if you're looking for a smooth flowing, a "day at the beach" reading, this would be a 3. I hope I have provided both types of potential readers, the information you need. And I hope you will rate my review as such.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chronicles of a Typical Israeli War Hero, December 20, 2006

By	Global Viewz (McLeod-Ganj, India) - See all my reviews

His brilliance as a commander of warriors is well documented and it's obvious he'll join the other great Israeli commanders in the mythology of Israel's saviors.

The incidents that caused some serious historians to level charges of war crimes against him (such as the massacres of civilians in Beirut when he was Defense Minister) is given little notice. The dismissive 'Some mistakes may have been made' and 'Stuff happens in war' excuses gloss over this tragedy and others early in his army career involving civilian deaths. Israel did investigate this massacre thoroughly and were very critical of his role in this so there is much information available.

There is very little analysis of the wisdom of Israel invading Lebanon when he was Defense Minister and if the government really gave him the orders to do so.

The fascinating story of how he acquired a large fortune including the largest private farm in Israel is largely ignored.

If your already a fan of Ariel Sharon, you'll find this book a good read and lots of new reasons to admire him.