Description
Book Synopsis#1 Best Seller - Over 50,000 Copies Sold
Hailed by Israel’s founder David Ben-Gurion, Days of Lead is a gripping best seller recounting the author’s life on the front line during Israel’s War of Independence.Exquisitely written with a poetically beautiful touch,
Days of Lead is the page-turning true story of a young soldier’s brave escapades during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. This incredible account is a story of determination and heroism, but also a stinging portrait of life on the battlefield—of looking an enemy soldier, also wide-eyed and only eighteen, in the eyes and knowing that it’s his life or yours, either you take a life or you lose yours. Far from a regular coming-of-age story, this is a firsthand account of a young man trying desperately to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, but watching them taken down one-by-one until he’s the last man alive on his platoon. It’s heartrending, but enthralling.
This new edition of
Days of Lead , published in English for the first time, provides an up-close view of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv long before they became the bustling cities we know today. It also presents fascinating, never-before-shared context on the making of the book and its enduring relevancy, as Israeli soldiers continue to fight for Israel’s right to exist.
In a personal letter to the author, Israel’s founder and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, one of many well-known celebrators of the book, writes, “I started reviewing your book without the intention of reading to its end, but from the first pages I was captivated and I read it to the end through excitement and astonishment. From where all of a sudden pops up such mighty expression, truth telling, and wonderful description? It seems to me that until now I have not read such a precise and true story of combat from the War of Independence. . . . You have contributed a valuable asset . . . to our literature at large.”
Trade Review“I was captivated by this book and I read it to the end, through excitement and astonishment… Until now I have not read such a precise and true story of combat from the War of Independence. I was glad that such a thing finally appeared.” —David Ben-Gurion, Founder and First Prime Minister of Israel
“I read your book with excitement. It was nice to meet a true author who was revealed in such a humane light in a time of battle.” —Shimon Peres, President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of Israel
“The greatness of this book is to be found in its atmosphere, which enables the readers to identify deeply with the author, as if they themselves were on the battlefield.” —Max Cleland, Senator from Georgia
“This is a memoir on a very personal level.” —American Israelite
“Days of Lead tells the story of the hardships suffered by Israeli soldiers. But in a larger sense, it chronicles the suffering of all soldiers in battle everywhere…If you want to understand the sacrifices Israeli soldiers made in 1948 and the horror of war in general, read Days of Lead.” —Washington Jewish Week
“An example of a convincing personal story of war and battle.” —Ha’aretz
“This is a story of the lonely combat soldier, facing one of humankind’s defining experiences: battlefield and the danger of death.” —Davar
“A war book that if you start reading, you won’t be able to put down.” —Yedioth Ahronoth
Table of ContentsForeword
Preface
Chapter 1: The Hill
Chapter 2: The Camp
Chapter 3: The Convoy
Chapter 4: The Trap
Chapter 5: The Road to Jerusalem
Chapter 6: Sight
Chapter 7: Night
Chapter 8: The Stains
Chapter 9: The Few
Chapter 10: Nightmare
Chapter 11: The Order
Chapter 12: A Fading Twilight
