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Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East Audiobook
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(4.01) - 1,213 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War, or simply as “the Setback.” Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days of intense Arab-Israeli fighting in the summer of 1967.
Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Michael B. Oren spotlights all the participants—Arab, Israeli, Soviet, and American—that were involved in this earth-shaking clash. Drawing on thousands of top-secret documents and exclusive personal interviews, he recreates the regional and international context that, by the late 1960s, virtually assured an Arab-Israeli conflagration.
A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative, Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation.
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"important, thorough, excellent, gripping account of the six-day war. takes you minute by minute in the weeks leading up to the war, and through the six days themselves, rotating through the different perspectives and political and military maneuverings: Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, Syrian, USA/USSR, etc.... Lots of behind the scenes cold war shenanigans ..."
— Andrew (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Oren brings a novelist’s flair to recounting...the war. His meticulous research cuts through the propagandized histories on all sides.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Powerful…A highly readable, even gripping account of the 1967 conflict…[Oren] has woven a seamless narrative out of a staggering variety of diplomatic and military strands.”
— New York Times -
“First rate.”
— Washington Post -
“Six Days of War is a powerful rendering of what has turned out to be a world-historical event.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“This is not only the best book so far written on the Six-Day War, it is likely to remain the best.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“A magisterial work that is riveting reading.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer -
“Compelling, perhaps even vital, reading.”
— San Jose Mercury News -
“Phenomenal…Breathtaking history…A profoundly talented writer…This book is not only one of the best books on this critical episode in Middle East history; it’s one of the best-written books I’ve read this year, in any genre.”
— Jerusalem Post -
“With a remarkably assured style, Oren elucidates nearly every aspect of the conflict…Oren’s [book] will remain the authoritative chronicle of the war. His achievement as a writer and a historian is awesome.”
— Atlantic Monthly -
“There have been many books written on the Six-Day War; none breaks new ground like this magnificent book does.”
— Fouad Ajami, NPR -
“This is the most complete history to date of the Six-Day War of 1967.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Oren is not only a lucid, compelling writer, but reader Robert Whitfield is a master at narrative drive through intonation alone. The listener cannot put this book down. A triumph.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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Winner of the 2003 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
Six Days of War Listener Reviews
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6/13/2024
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James Doig, 1/22/2022
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" Very good military history. Oren is now Isreali ambassador to US. "
— Mike, 2/11/2014 -
" An interesting history of the war that shaped the border lines of the modern middle east. "
— Del, 1/27/2014 -
" Reads closer to a textbook than I'd have liked and could also benefit from more and better maps. Even so, this book does a great job setting the scene for the war - a much more complicated and lengthy process than the war itself and something I knew far less about. A good read if you like the subject. "
— Ari, 1/27/2014 -
" This book describes the 1967 war that changed the landscape in the Middle East, basically Israel expanded its borders. Egypt closed the straits of Tiran which Israel used liberally for trade, and Arab countries mobilized and surrounded Israel with over half a million troops. Understandably, Israel, a country of 2 million people and no where to retreat to, became quite alarmed. A few weeks later, Israel surprise attacked Egypt, destroyed most of Egypt's airforce while still on the ground, and then had no problem trashing Egypt's army. Although Jordan and Syria weren't quite as unorganized as Egypt, they didn't do much better. Egypt's media lied saying that the US and UK had attacked them and that they were winning the war against Israel. This only angered the US and UK, but it did led to celebrations in Cairo for a few days. The theme of this book is that the Arab countries spent years preparing to destroy Israel, they were completely unorganized, lied to each other and the rest of world, and were totally surprised by a surprise attack that they had successfully anticipated. The war only ended when Israeli troops were closing in on Damascus, and the Soviets threatened to intervene militarily. The author concluded the book by saying that violence in the Middle East continues to this day. "
— Jonathan, 1/17/2014 -
" An absolutely fantastic book, a must read for anyone interested in Israel and the Middle East. Deeply researched and splendidly written, Oren provides a gripping and powerful account of the causes and events of the 67 War. "
— Shawn, 1/9/2014 -
" A comprehensive if at times pedantic evaluation of the Six Day War as a catalyst for remaking the middle-east, establishing Israel's existence, and placing the groundwork for many of the problems we see today. Slightly biased towards the israeli's but not too bad. "
— Russell, 1/5/2014 -
" Very smart guy. Good writer, good thinker, good historian. "
— Paul, 12/30/2013 -
" Extremely helpful in understanding the recent history behind the modern Middle East. "
— Ted, 12/28/2013 -
" Gripping. A great history lesson as well. "
— Bert, 12/26/2013 -
" Jews v Arabs...guess who wins "
— Grant, 12/6/2013 -
" Mr. Oren has written a powerhouse of a book about a time when Israel received very little western aid and still kicked some Soviet backed Arab ass! "
— Frank, 8/3/2013 -
" Gripping book about Israel's Six Day War "
— James, 7/22/2013 -
" A well-researched and well-written account of a short war that continues to impact the world today. "
— Jason, 1/19/2013 -
" Among other things, the book charts how unpredictable the outcome of this war was, shocking parties on both sides of the conflict. "
— Sim, 9/22/2012 -
" I thought I knew this subject- i had been unaware of a great deal. The chaos and randomness of decision making- by all sides is mind boggling. Extremely well written and documented. A page turner "
— Barry, 5/2/2012 -
" Dense and detailed but excellent and balanced commentary on the Israeli/Arab conflict. "
— Scott, 12/29/2011 -
" Excellent if rather short summary account of the six day war. "
— Andrew, 12/9/2011 -
" Is up there with "The Guns of August", a great read. "
— Roger, 11/22/2011 -
" A really thorough, and fairly balanced, look at a war that unquestionably still plays a huge role in determining the reality in the Middle East "
— Benjamin, 10/1/2011 -
" Don't mess with the Jews. "
— Ted, 5/20/2011 -
" I thought it was a little heavy on details but it is probably more interesting to people who were alive at the time. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. "
— Ayelet, 12/28/2010 -
" One of the best books ever written on the Middle East. "
— Abuhatem, 12/12/2010 -
" Outstanding overview, and a helpful introduction to the central issue in the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. "
— Mick, 10/3/2010 -
" Fantastic review of history, with detail which was not available until after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Makes one think back on Biblical prophesy. "
— Julie, 7/7/2010 -
" Very good military history. Oren is now Isreali ambassador to US. "
— Mike, 5/31/2010 -
" Excellent, albeit long, and detailed account of the six day war in Israel. "
— Russell, 3/11/2010 -
" Dense and detailed but excellent and balanced commentary on the Israeli/Arab conflict. "
— Scott, 3/6/2010 -
" I'm sure that this book warrants better than my 2 star rating but I found it a difficult read. "
— Lori, 2/11/2010 -
" An excellent history of six days that turned modern Israel into an empire, the ramifications of which are still being dealt with today. The portrait of Abba Eban is fascinating. "
— Tom, 2/2/2010 -
" Incredibly fascinating book about the six day war and it's impact on the modern middle east. "
— Alan, 1/31/2010 -
" Jews v Arabs...guess who wins "
— Grant, 9/29/2009
About Michael B. Oren
Michael B. Oren, an American-born Israeli historian and author, was Israel’s ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. He has written two New York Times bestsellers—Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present and Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history and the National Jewish Book Award. Throughout his career as a Middle East scholar, he has been a distinguished fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, a contributing editor to the New Republic, and a visiting professor at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown. The Forward named him one of the five most influential American Jews, and the Jerusalem Post listed him as one of the world’s ten most influential Jews. He is a member of the Knesset and serves on its Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.