Bartov doesn’t go in for rhetorical extravagance; his writing style is clear, sober and deliberate ... Bartov uses all the tools at his disposal, weaving together history, personal anecdotes, even some literary criticism, including a close reading of a poem ... Bartov is more convincing when writing about his own attempts at an intervention. A more peaceful future will require more understanding and more imagination — the very things that books can provide, if we let them.
Remarkable ... Its goal is not to condemn Zionism but to explain its evolution from a dream to a nightmare ... Anyone seeking an explanation of Israel’s 'fall from grace' will find no better guide than this perceptive, sophisticated, erudite, elegantly written and strikingly fair-minded book.
An incisive perspective on the history of Israel and the devastating consequences of that history on the people living in the region ... Bartov presents a necessary look at what makes the issues so intractable.
