David Ben-Gurion (World Leaders Past and Present) (Library Binding)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

ea. vol: 112p. maps. photogs. reprods. bibliog. chron. index. (World Leaders Past & Present) CIP. Chelsea House. 1987. PLB. $15.95. Grade 7-12 These volumes can be viewed as recent histories of Egypt and Israel, re spectively, which highlight the achieve ments of Nasser and Ben-Gurion, rather than as biographies. Not many more facts about these men are given than can be found in an encyclopedia. What made them influential and charismatic leaders and why they have continued to be revered is never really shown. While mentioning some of their shortcomings and failures, both are presented favorably. Little per sonal information (although somewhat more about Ben-Gurion) is provided. The books are attractive, with clear print and wide margins. Quotations by and about their subjects are in the margins, thus illus trating without interrupting the narrative. Very good black-and-white photographs are in profusion. The chronology and bibli ography are both useful. These fill a need for report and background material as there is a dearth of books about Nasser for this age group, and Ben Gurion updates Comay's Ben-Gurion and the Birth of Isra el (Random, 1967; o.p.) and Samuels' Ben- Gurion, Fighter of Goliaths (Crowell, 1965; o.p.). Meryl Silverstein, Meyer Levin Junior High School, Brooklyn
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Surveys the life and career of the first prime minister of Israel.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea House Pub (L) (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087754509X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877545095
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,609,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars concise retelling, May 6, 2009

By	A.C. "inferiornarcissist" - See all my reviews

After putting this on hold at my library and waiting for weeks and weeks to have it delivered, I was pretty amused to find that this was a book aimed at a YA audience. The library's website did not make this clear! As a college graduate I was a little embarrassed to be checking this book out, but being as I was interested in a biography of David Ben-Gurion, I went ahead and did it anyway.

There is a (frankly boring) introductory essay about leadership by Arthur Schlesinger Jr., which contains some ideas that are of a more advanced nature than I would expect from a YA book. The book itself contains about 100 illustrated pages; I was able to read it in less than a day. As someone who doesn't usually read books with a lot of pictures, I found that I really appreciated all of the great photographs depicting war, politics, and daily life in Israel/Palestine. The only illustration missing was a map of Israel and the surrounding region, which would have been helpful to readers not familiar with the area.

The text itself was concise and well-written. When I was done reading it I felt very enlightened about the subject. Its biases and implicit assumptions were clear to the critical reader, but despite that it was not as one-sided as I was expecting it to be with regards to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although the index only mentioned Palestinians once, the conflict is actually discussed several times throughout the book. It is also occasionally critical of Ben-Gurion's policies and strategies, though overall he is praised for great leadership.

Not only was this book helpful to me as an adult seeking to learn more about the history of Israel, it should be helpful to the high-school audience at which it is most obviously aimed. Although the index isn't up to snuff, it should be a valuable resource for any high-school student doing research on the subject of Israel or world leaders.