O Jerusalem

Day by Day and Minute by Minute the Historic Struggle for Jerusalem and the Birth of Israel

By: Larry Collins, Dominique Lapierre

Narrated by: Theodore Bikel

Length: 23 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

O Jerusalem! is the epic drama of 1948, when Arabs and Jews fought for control of the city of Jerusalem. This story traverses centuries and continents, covering the time between WWII and the creation of the independent state of Israel. Based on five years of intensive research and thousands of interviews, this is a story of courage, terrorism, heroism, and ultimately, war.

©1972 Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (P)2003 New Millennium Audio, All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"A history that not only clarifies the military and political events of the war but brings its human dimensions vividly to life." (The National Observer)
"A story as dramatic, as miraculous, as full of wonder as any ever told." (New York Times Book Review)

The very definition of awesome!

It is one thing to dream, another to visualize and then execute, fail and persist and persevere and resolve to succeed under impossibly harsh conditions - Israel inspires. A must read / listen for the current generation, for even as it is made aware of the strenuous struggle that took the place at the birth of this great nation, is them that there can be no excellence without labor.

Vivid

I am reading a series of historical fiction that lines up so clearly with this time in Israel’s history. Theodore Bikel’s narration is perfect for this and it is so refreshing to hear someone pronounce each Hebrew word correctly.

Couldn't stop listening...

What did you love best about O Jerusalem?

O Jerusalem was written with a focus on the individuals in the Jewish community during the seige of Jerusalem and the events leading up to the War of Independence of 1948. It was written in a journalistic style, not unlike "And the Beat Goes On", etc. I could not stop listening.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

This narrative was a well-rounded account of the lives of the Sabras, including their romances, their jobs, such as military or intelligence, and the events surrounding the days leading up to the Israeli war of independence. Not all characters are able to be given a deep treatment, as there are so many individuals. Some of the Arab individuals are also covered, but mostly the destructive ones, such as the notorious Hajj Amin Al Huseini, the anti-Jewish Mufti of Jerusalem. The entire book had a simultaneous sense of hope and doom, which is probably what the Jews were feeling. The British had just announced that they were going to leave the area of the British Mandate, and no one knew what the aftermath would look like. This book also covered the incredible preparations made by the Jewish community under the leadership of the amazing David Ben Gurion. Also appreciated is the factual accuracy of events. However, make no mistake, this book is written from a Jewish, Western point of view. There are no Arab heroes, except perhaps for the venerable King Abdullah of Jordan.

Which character – as performed by Theodore Bikel – was your favorite?

Mr. Bikel has an amazing affinity for the Arabic, Hebrew, and Yiddish tongues. It was so genuine. Furthermore, he has a dramatic voice and intonation that makes one feel as if they are at a Shakespeare play and they just want to keep listening. I suspect he is a professional actor of many talents.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Courage under Fire

A fantastic and seemingly balanced narrative!

To take a subject as debated as the establishment of modern Israel and write what genuinely seems to be a well balanced book is in and of itself an impressive feet, but to do so in a well written narrative that holds the readers attention is amazing! Despite the length of this audio book, I never felt that it became bogged down. The readers voice and cadence well match the subject matter.
The only thing I would add if I could is that surely the print version of this book has maps in it. I wish Audible would offer those maps as part of the download. After listening for a few hours to the book I go back to the computer and try to find the locations the authors were writing about... But that is a complaint about the audio book format. I have absolutely no complaints about this book or the reader!

Epic

If you have any interest in the Middle East and what happened to make it such a quagmire at all this book is a must

Compelling story well told and narrated

Authors used continuing personal stories but never lost sight of the bigger picture. I thought the book was well balanced as to Jewish and Arab viewpoints. Bickel’s skills as a world class actor served the narration well.

Extremely detailed

Amazing history book, masterfully weaving intricate details into a colorful story. You really felt the minute-by-minute changes in the conflict

Long and wordy

I downgraded from 5 stars because for an Audiobook it's rather too wordy and long, IMO. Overall I felt the author tried to present a balanced point of view by alternating the perspective from Jewish to
Arab and vice-versa.

I agree with another reviewer that by missing some of the background conditions it give a slight Arab bias, but it's hard to present any history of such a hot topic without being accused of bias.

Good

The story is great. It took me several tries to really get into it; this is not a book you can listen to in small intervals and expect to follow along. Once I put it on for a road trip and had about two hours of uninterrupted listening, I was all in.

Definitely would recommend.

enjoyable retelling of Jerusalem's history

the narrator of this audio book was excellent. the book was very long, and because of that the style can become repetitive. but the facts covered were so interesting and the human element involved so moving, it kept my attention throughout the course of the book.