We took one look at the title and came very close to a slam-ban for potentially anti-semitic content. Instead we checked the “Look Inside” and found something quite different to our expectations.

Written by a Jewish author, it is an examination of the history, development, and possible future of Israel. Well-written and abrasive, the author – a blogger – is not afraid to raise controversial topics, disagree with the modern-day direction of Isreal, and tackle hot political issues. In the first few pages the book walks straight into the Gaza strip and the Palestinian issue, and while the author is upfront about his own bias, he has vitriol to spare for those on both sides of the divide.

I can’t say it is an easy read, or that I agree with every point raised, and I will say that it is a book that is best read with an inquiring and questioning point of view. With any writer whose charisma comes through in his words, offering well-thought out arguments and not just polemic, it would be very easy to read without questioning, and in my opinion it is always very unwise.

It deals with the origins of policy from the 1800’s onwards, including the world wars and comparison to African American persecution in America in the early twentieth century. With quotes from everyone from 11th century rabbis to modern-day African American Nobel Prize winners, it tackles the relationship between Israel and America, Judaism and other religions and Israel’s place on the world stage. The book ends with a short future history drawn from current trends, telling of the fall of Israel, the flight of educated individuals – Arab and Jew – from the remains and the eventual annexation of the land by various local powers. How accurate this ending is remains to be seen.

The history section does get slightly dry and it’s not light reading, particularly if – like me – you’re not that familiar with the subject matter. The section on Arab-on-Arab violence may actually be out of date already given recent events. I would be very interested to know when in 2015 it was written.

There are more issues however: the author claims slavery ended in 2014, a claim which many people would disagree with. While the content would fit a blog, in a non-fiction book I expect cites for allegations of the type made here, and there are few. I also expect cites to not be from wikipedia.

Loc 3462 and loc 2627 contain virtually duplicated content – look for the paragraph containing “69% of American Jewry” about the 2012 American elections. There may be other cases but without “Search Inside” enabled, it is hard to tell.

Without taking sides on the content and author’s views, I would have to give this a three. It states facts that I would like to check, but to be honest, don’t have the time as they have no footnotes. Excellent writing is let down by virtually duplicayted content, and at points I wasn’t sure what I was reading. As a political piece, it is a useful insight into the history of Israel as long as you remember to allow for bias. I would not recommend this for light reading however: set aside some time if you are going to tackle it, and brace yourself for several controversial comments and views.

As a historical piece, I can’t rate it for accuracy as I don’t know enough. As a political essay and opinion piece, I’d give it a three.