Striking Back

The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel's Deadly Response

By: Aaron J. Klein

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

1972. The Munich Olympics. Palestinian members of the Black September group murder 11 Israeli athletes. Nine hundred million people watch the crisis unfold on television, witnessing a tragedy that inaugurates the modern age of terror.

Back in Israel, Prime Minister Golda Meir vows to track down those responsible and, in Menachem Begin's words, "run these criminals and murderers off the face of the earth". A secret Mossad unit is mobilized, a list of targets drawn up. Thus begins the Israeli response, a mission that unfolds not over months but over decades. The Mossad has never spoken about this operation. No one has known the real story. Until now.

In this riveting account, Aaron Klein peels back the layers of myth and misinformation about the "shadow war" against Black September and other terrorist groups.

©2005 Aaron J. Klein (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Non-Fiction, Unabridged, 2007

Fascinating and pulse pounding.

What made the experience of listening to Striking Back the most enjoyable?

This books reads like a good LeCarre novel and had me driving the long way home to hear more of it on my car's iPod. Loved it.

Striking Back

Excellent read. Clearly a well researched and well written book. After seeing Munich I had many unanswered questions and tried reading up on the events after 1972. This has been the best source so far.

Very, very good book. When researched.

I picked up this audiobook when I saw the previews for the movie "Munich". (I've not yet seen the movie)

It's packed with details and really does grab your interest. On the basis of entertainment value I give this book five stars. I'd definitely recommend it.

I took off a star because it is somewhat biased. While it is written in the tone and manner of a journalistic research book (lots of facts, dates, times, references and quotes to specific interviews) it is written from an Israeli perspective. While it does relate many details that negatively reflect on some of the actions taken by the Mossad, it is easy to see the writer has a bias. When the Mossad ordered a killing it is a "counter-terrorism mission, when it is a Palestinian killing it is called terrorism.

Again, I do not say that the author condones/condemns the Mossad, it's just that the book was not researched from a balanced Israeli/Palestinian perspective.

I'd really be interested in reading (listening) to a book detailing the same subject but from the Palestinian perspective. I think they balance would be great and that would help me make my mind up for myself.

All in all great book if you're interested in the subject.

WOW...What a story!

Would you listen to Striking Back again? Why?

I think so because I often miss things the first time around.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of Mossad. I have a deep admiration for those men and women and the work they do. I could never do it but it is work that must be done and they did it. So everyone that had to strike back basically.

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

It was very "official" sounding. I am not sure how to explain it but his voice and delivery were perfect for this story

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That Germany was not really interested in bringing the terrorists to justice

Any additional comments?

There are many who question Mossad and this operation but Israel is in a unique position. A tiny country surrounded by countries that want to destroy it, retribution must come into play (it also does in other middle eastern countries) as a kind of deterrent. We can question the morality of it all day long but that is not what this book is about. It does make you question it and examine it but it is about a group of men and women with a job to do and the trials of tribulations of doing that job.

Jews dying on German soil only 18 years after the end of WW2 was something Israel could not have simply ignored, no matter what anyone might think otherwise.

Steve Bannon cohort and apologist

The book seemed like a good narrative of events... Though disturbed occasionally by its heartlessness... Then saw author bios connected to his two books about Barack Obama... I don't know

engrossing!!

This tale is like a real-life James Bond story without the silly stuff. Justice is applied violently (and sometimes erroneously) as the reader rollercoasts through two decades of Israeli-Arab conflicts. I could barely turn off the recording, doing so only when I had to. I let a friend listen to it (he is not big on audiobooks) and he was enthralled. Can you tell I liked it? One of the best I have heard. You do need some working knowledge of current affairs of the latter 20th century though. The quality of the narration is also superb.

Wow

To say that I was more than a little shocked at the mistakes and incompetence of the Israeli government and security would be an understatement. I chose this book after seeing the movie "Munich". The movie delt with the aftermath and payback of the Munich massacre and this book delt with the actual massacre and how the Israeli athletes were put in a risky situation with not much thought to their saftey. To much trust and too much "passing the buck" quashed any chance these men would have had at survival. A real eye opener!

Excellent Account

Excellent account of events surrounding the massacre. Some great insights about how islamic terrorist have been around for decades.

Insight into the last 50 years of Israel-Palestine

This book provides insight not only into Israel's response to the killing of 11 athletes at the 1972 Olympics, but also reveals allows the reader to see the influence the policy decisions had on the succeeding generations of Israel's leaders-those who became Prime Minister over the next 50 years were a part of the policy decision or the instrument of it. The policy to exact vengeance against those who planned and carried out the attack clearly had mixed results and those mixed results continue into today. The policy on both sides of rejecting co-existence will continue to consume the region, and the innocent will continue to die alongside the combatants of both sides.

History of the Israeli Secret Service

This is less a story of the Munich Massacre, than of the Israeli hunt for those involved in that event. Having just listened to the CIA history, Legacy of Ashes, the difference between the two secret services is striking. While the author notes that mistakes were made, and questions whether the assassinations made any difference, the Mossad at least had the appearance of competence, unlike the CIA.

The recording is very good. While I cannot vouch that all of the foreign names were properly pronouced, Mr. Rudnicki did a credible job; is there anything that he can't read? I think I would listen to him reading a phone book!

In all, I enjoyed the book. It is very specific regarding names places and dates, so its it good for those who enjoy history. The pacing is good. It is written from an Israeli standpoint, but is fairly balanced, noting the mistakes that were made and some of the motivations involved. I found it a fascinating listen.