Michael Oren Bücher

Though it lasted for only six tense days in June, the 1967 Arab-Israeli war never really ended. Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades, from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada, is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting. Michael B. Oren’s magnificent Six Days of War, an internationally acclaimed bestseller, is the first comprehensive account of this epoch-making event. Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. Extraordinary personalities—Moshe Dayan and Gamal Abdul Nasser, Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin—rose and toppled from power as a result of this war; borders were redrawn; daring strategies brilliantly succeeded or disastrously failed in a matter of hours. And the balance of power changed—in the Middle East and in the world. 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.

Michael Oren served as Israel's ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013 during a transformative period marked by violent revolutions in the Middle East. This era saw hundreds of thousands killed and millions threatened, while Israel and America faced complex issues like the peace process, terrorism, and the Iranian nuclear program, all of which strained their alliance. The friendship between the two nations was tested, with commentators questioning its future and the fabric of their relationship appearing close to unraveling. Oren's narrative explores this alliance and its divides, reflecting his deep American identity while proudly serving Israel. In an age where leaders communicate directly, the ambassador's role may seem less clear, yet they represent not just leaders but the peoples of their nations. This memoir intertwines a quintessentially American story of perseverance with an Israeli tale of responsibility. It serves as a record, chronicle, and confession about love for two countries and the commitment to represent one to the other. Ultimately, it stands as a testament to an enduring alliance that remains vital for Americans, Israelis, and the world.