Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Thirteen Days in September

Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David
Jan 21, 2015lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Journalist Lawrence Wright wrote what may be the definitive 9/11 account, "The Looming Tower," and an eye-opening book on Scientology, "Going Clear." He now turns his considerable research and history as narrative powers to the Middle East, a subject which any American who cares about foreign policy should read up on. Deliberately echoing RFK's memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis, "Thirteen Days in September" is a day by day account of the historic Camp David meeting between Jimmy Carter, Israeli P.M. Menachem Begin, and Egypt's president Anwar Sadat, which stands as a diplomatic triumph for Carter, even if it was overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis and his defeat by Reagan. Since we are still dealing with the tensions, complexities, and violence of the region, any history that attempts to give context and interpretation is invaluable to the American reader. It's much more insightful and thought provoking than Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem." One of the key non-fiction books of 2014. Another important book on the subject is Tom Segev's "1967," an in depth history of the 6 Day War.