Still Life with Bombers: Israel in the Age of Terrorism [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

~ David Horovitz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like many of his fellow Israelis, journalist Horovitz (A Little Too Close to God) has had his optimism for peace quashed by the past three years of Middle East violence. "I am much more immediately conscious than I was just a few short years ago of the evil that men are prepared to do, and especially the threat posed by the death cult that is extremist Islam," he writes. In this work, a mixture of personal and political reportage, Horovitz eloquently depicts the anguished state of life in one of the world's most vexing trouble spots. In well-constructed vignettes and interviews, he also shows how the violence has affected personal life in Israel and the West Bank—whether it's his own family and friends on edge, waiting for the next terror attack, or Palestinians, who have to deal with Israeli checkpoints, raids and air attacks. He details the political events of the past few years—the failed peace offers at Camp David and Taba, the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada and the subsequent carnage on both sides. The editor of the news magazine the Jerusalem Report, Horovitz constructs a strong case that while Israel has not been blameless, it is the Palestinians, specifically Yasser Arafat, who are primarily to blame for the current impasse. Horovitz's political arguments aren't new, but he lays out his case clearly and without stridency. This is one book that anyone who wants to learn about the current depressing state of affairs in the Middle East should read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

For the past three years, both Israelis and Palestinians have lived under the constant daily threat of horrific violence while they attempt to carry out mundane, everyday tasks. Horovitz is a Jerusalem resident, author, and frequent commentator on CNN and BBC television. He has provided a grim, frequently depressing, yet oddly hopeful portrait of a land and people under siege. Beyond the sheer savagery and bloodstained streets one glimpses on television, Horovitz captures the chronic tension Israelis endure in the face of random violence. He puts a human face on both the terrorists and their victims. This is no one-sided effort to justify Israeli policies, since he vividly describes the grinding hardships and petty humiliations Palestinians endure under occupation. Ultimately, however, Horovitz staunchly maintains that all scenarios for a revived peace process will smash futilely against the wall set up by terrorists and Yassar Arafat's cynical manipulations of both men and events. This is a brutally frank appraisal of a people at war and of the chances of resolving the conflict. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400040671
• ISBN-13: 978-1400040674
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Centrist Manifesto, April 29, 2004

By A Customer

As an Israeli resident whose heart is on the left but whose head is somewhere else, I found David Horovitz's book a superb narrative of what happened to those of us who thought we had found a formula for peace. The disillusionment I and others like me feel has led us to a new place on the Israeli political spectrum, one that never really existed before -- the Center.

David Horovitz explains why and gives a voice to the sensible, rational, middle-of-the-road Israel that is rarely depicted on television. He explains how it is possible to distrust Arafat and the rest of the Arab leadership without sounding like a rabid, drooling, racist "settler." While he describes what it is like to live close to the scene of repeated terrorist attacks, he does not rely on the reader's sympathy to persuade; rather, he uses sound, fundamental and highly articulate factual argument to substantiate his views.

Anyone who considers himself well-versed on the situation in Israel MUST read this book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Telling it like it is, March 12, 2004

By A Customer

Horovitzes book accurately portrays the struggle of trying to lead a normal life in Israel. We choose restaraunts or cafes by deciding which are less likely to be blown up. We avoid sending our kids on buses at all costs. We get nervous when a car driven by a Palestinian pulls up next to us.

Horovitz goes to great lengths to describe how on the one hand we deal with terror, yet on the other we worry about our careers and doing right by the kids. He describes our frustration at often being painted the bad guys, or oppressors by a seemingly biased (and often ignorant or anti-semitic) world opinion. On the other hand, he really tries to show the Palestinian point of view, and describes the misery of their lives.

The conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is tragic. The author explains why it turned out like this and how possibly it could be resolved.

The book gives a fascinating insight and is brilliantly written. A must read for anyone interested in Middle East affairs.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible eye opener!, July 31, 2005

By	T. Hessler (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is absolutely incredible! Thank you so much David Horovitz! I want to read your day-to-day accounts of life in Israel beyond the end of this book.

I have been a religious right-wing supporter of Eretz Israel, anxiously awaiting the time that I am in a financial position to make aliyah. I have strongly supported the anti-disengagement fighters.

Your book has made me think. It has opened my eyes to the Arab side of the story, as well as details of politics on both sides that I was not previously aware of.

This book has filled me with hope of someday living in the holy land and at the same time has made me cry, and evoked terror. Reading the chapter on Yussuf makes me wonder if there is ever any hope for peace - on the political side there is, but on the religious side it seems hopeless, as religious Jews can never voluntarily relinquish the Temple Mount or any of Jerusalem.

There have been times that I have had to put it down and walk away for a while to digest what I have just read (and cry) - and I'm only on page 166!

For a long time I have thought the solution to this problem was for millions of North American religious Jews to make aliyah and change the government in Israel, now I'm not so sure... More to come...