Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai by Matti Friedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A wonderful book. Friedman ably balances Cohen's personal story in Israel with a history of the 73 Yom Kippur war. Cohen is an enigmatic figure; and through this unique personality, Friedman is able to show us a different side to Israel. Friedman's book tells us how the 73 war played a pivotal role in Israel's "national personality" much as it did on a personal and professional level for Cohen. This is neither a complete biography of Cohen nor a history of the war; but through it one will learn a lot about both in an intimate and charming way.
The audio version does a great job; with a voice actor portraying Cohen when Cohen's unpublished account of his time in Israel during the war. Otherwise the author reads it; and does so as skillfully as a professional reader.
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