Review by Booklist Review
With his father in an irreversible coma, Ariel Sharon's youngest son could hardly be expected to write a critical objective biography, and he has not. Gilad Sharon, an economist and columnist for a major Israeli newspaper, presents an uneven and often confusing account of his father's undeniably full and exciting life, from the pre-independence period to Sharon's tenure as prime minister of Israel. As expected, the son puts a positive spin on his father's personal qualities and often controversial actions. Where some considered Ariel Sharon as rash and provocative, his son sees a determined, decisive leader. Where some saw him as beligerent and insensitive toward Palestinians, his son sees an admirable defender of Jews and Israel. Still, there is much of value in this insider's account. There are illuminating descriptions of Sharon's views on both Israeli and Arab leaders and useful explanations of the motives behind Sharon's military and political actions. Those seeking a fair assessment of the man should look elsewhere, but this remains an informative look at a major figure in Middle Eastern affairs.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Israeli columnist Sharon draws on a unique set of family and documentary sources (including personal diaries) to tell the story of his father, one of Israel's great political and military leaders. Born in 1928 and struck down in early 2006 while working on Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon's life and battles paralleled those of his country. He was close to David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, who supported his military career in the 1950s, and to the eventual Oslo accord peace-maker Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister after the 1973 war, under whom Sharon served as security adviser. In 1977, he helped found the Likud Party to break the political mold of Israeli politics, and was prepared to launch such an effort again in 2006 with Kadima. His blunt views of the Israeli political and military leaders with whom he served make for surprising reading, and his disagreements with Israel's political command receive attention here. The biography vividly delineates the qualities a leader needs to excel today. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Ariel Sharon was Israel's influential and controversial political and military leader (involved in every major military conflict from Israel's founding through the 1973 Yom Kippur War), serving as his country's prime minister-elected in 2001-when a massive stroke ended his term in 2006. Now 83 years old, Sharon is under continual care at his family's farm. This is an admiring biography by his youngest son, a close political aide to his father. Using previously unpublished family records, the book is especially insightful into Ariel Sharon's family background and early life. We learn the inside story of family tragedies-both Sharon's first wife, Margalit, and his and Margalit's son, Gur, died in tragic accidents. (Gil Sharon is the younger of two sons from his father's second marriage.) Sharon's military career and his political evolution are covered in detail, with the author's own experience and opinion of other politicians such as Benjamin Netanyahu made clear. Verdict In one way, this book is an update to Ariel Sharon's own 1989 autobiography, Warrior, coauthored with David Chanoff, but this is the better introduction and surpasses the other in coverage and detail. For a more scholarly study, including both praise and criticism of Sharon, see Gadi Bloom and Nir Hefez's Ariel Sharon: A Life, also translated by Ginsburg.-Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
