Six Days of War

June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East

By: Michael B. Oren

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days of intense Arab-Israeli fighting in the summer of 1967.

Michael B. Oren spotlights all the participants: Arab, Israeli, Soviet, and American, as well as all the world leaders involved in this earth-shaking clash that transformed the world.

©2002 Michael B. Oren (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Oren is not only a lucid, compelling writer, but reader Robert Whitfield is a master at narrative drive through intonation alone. The listener cannot put this book down. A triumph." (AudioFile)

A Blow by Blow Account

In 1967 Israel launched a preemptive strike on the Arab forces posed to bring to an end the problem of a Jewish nation in the middle east. The success of their venture surprised even the Israelis in the destruction of the united air forces, and humiliated the enemy to the point that they blamed both the United States and Great Britain as the culprits, although they were never involved. In recent years documents have been declassified and in this book we find a blow by blow account of a fascinating and critical engagement of the late 2oth century. This is an important account of a war which reverberates to this day. Highly Recommended.

Better than fiction

very interesting and very detailed piece of history.
Maybe sometimes a bit too detailed.
Excellent speaker performance.

A dramatic and suspenseful historic account

A detailed account of the interplay of cold war superpowers posturing over the menacing and goading threats of Egypt's Nasser. Nasser entwines Jordan's Hussein while Syria taunts Israel with cross border artillery barrages complacent in its deep Soviet backing. Israel reaches a psychological and tactical breaking point and plunges into the stunning Six Days War. The US sadly suffered horrible and tragically accidental casualties as well in the Israeli offensive when a US ship stationed "between" Israel and Egypt is nearly sunk after mistaken identity. This book is a compilation of statesmanship, military build-up and tactical successes and failures that comprise the Six Days War.

As advertised.

If you are looking for an in-depth presentation of the circumstance and events surrounding the 1967 war this is worth a read. Perhaps there is a tinge of bias in favor of the Israelis, but if so it is not particularly noticeable or important.

Perhaps, Oren is a tad harsh on Nasser, but it is probably impossible to write a history of these events that isn't Seamlessly integrates the divergent interests and worries of the Arab States, and lays a solid and believable framework that highlights the importance of these events for the changes in the 1970's.

Tedious

The narration is unvaried and monotonous.

I had expected more interesting, engaging descriptions of battles and small unit actions. This audio is a detailed, dry laundry list of “just the facts,” which is, I suppose, of utility to academics but not so for the general public. I was hoping for less minutiae in favor of essential, simpler explanations of historical backdrop and riveting descriptions of battles and engagements.

Recommended for academics; not so for those wanting a more basic, essential understanding.

Better than a Military Novel

The way he presents the historical information reminds me of a military novel. Very engaging.

Concise, measured, and intelligently written

Really excellent book. Clearly and succinctly written, and with excellent narration. A must read for anyone interested in Middle East politics.

Bit of history will told!

This was a great account of the Six Day War. It gives excellent background information that helps one understand the dynamics of Middle East tensions then and now. Maps are helpful. I bought a Middle Eastern atlas...helpful for this book and other historical narratives as well. The narration is well-done, as is the writing. If you desire a better understanding of this period of time in the Mid-East, consider this book. It is excellent.

Great book

This is a terrific book. It gave me a ton of new insights into this war and the events leading up to it.

Now I Understand a Little Better

I have not fully understood (nor will I ever completely) the inner workings and politics surrounding conflicts between Israel and it's Arab neighbors, beginning after WWII, and culminating in the Six Day War. Actually, the war hasn't really ended and doesn't seem likely to in the foreseeable future.

It's not hard to see how the Arab world's hatred of the west, and the US in particular, spilled over from this brief and humiliating defeat, though there's no discussion of such issues. The book is quite simply an unbiased, detailed accounting of the facts. No opinions are offered by the author. More than half centers around actions by the key political players and the timing of events, often just by happenstance, that resulted in a an unpredicted outcome with world-wide ramifications.

There's a good accounting of the military actions, but this is not a "shoot-em-up" war story drama. It's much much more.

One can surmise how the seeds of present day Muslim extremism and acts of terror were sewn during the twenty years after WWII along with the creation of Israel. Utter failure and humiliation on the battlefield has led to a war of terrorism--just my opinion.

I would suggest another very good book on the birth and growth of the extremist/terror movement leading up to and including 9-11, "The Looming Tower".