I bought this book on a whim because it was very cheap, and then, although I wasn't very excited about it, I thought I should read it so as not to waste my money. I'm glad I did because it turned out to be one of the most fascinating books on the craft, one could even say the art, of diplomacy that I've ever read. Eban was at the center of most of the events that led to the creation of the state of Israel and participated in its early years as a Jewish state and homeland. Eban gives an exciting picture of those times. He shows that diplomacy is a game of give and take with high stakes, the negotiations of which depend as much on the personalities of the leaders and their diplomats as the political events themselves. After reading this book, I have a much greater appreciation for the courage of diplomats who have to know when to issue an ultimatum, when to stand firm, when to compromise, and when to leave the table altogether. The work of these individuals can literally make the difference between war and peace and affects the security of us all. The book is extremely well-written and reads almost like an adventure story. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Israel or the workings of government and diplomacy.

Abba Eban is a fascinating person and his autobiography is the most enjoyable autobiography I've ever read. Although the book may seem rather long and Abba Eban may seem like not the most prominent 20th century figure, I can propose three reasons to read this book:

First, this book is about much more than just the life of Abba Eban. Abba Eban embodies a significant portion of Israeli history. In his autobiography he relates this history in first person. The book is less abstractly intellectual than his book _My People: The Story of the Jews_. Instead, Eban's autobiography focusses largely on the personalities who helped create Israel as Mr. Eban knew them. This means that one of the most sweeping and dramatic events of the 20th century comes alive through the eyes of one of its central figures.

Second, aside from being at the heart of the establishment and nurturing of Israeli statehood, Mr. Eban is one of this centuries foremost diplomats. Anyone with an interest in diplomacy or international relations will be thrilled with the inside view and personal analysis Mr. Eban gives. Eban discusses how he dealt with the down to earth Harry Truman, the volatile David Ben Gurion, the stubborn Golda Meir, and many more.

Third, Abba Eban writes in an engaging and insightful manner. Eban is a great story teller, using stunning descriptive writing, clever analogies, and plenty of dry wit. This may sound like an excessively strong endorsement, but I think the point is that Mr. Eban's command of language makes the stories he relates, fascinating in their own right, all the more powerful.

In conclusion, if you would enjoy a well written book with unique insights into the establishment and development of the State of Israel from the perspective of Israel's foremost statesman, then I believe you won't be dissapointed by Mr. Eban's splendid autobiography.

Known as the man with the "golden tongue," Eban recounts his years in Washington and at the U.N. as Israel's first envoy, and later as foreign minister. As the saying goes, he has been there, seen it and met with everyone who is anyone among the world's leaders in Israel's formative years.

This is an easy fascinating read by an incredibly eloquent writer. He had interesting insights on the major forrign policy issues of the last 50 years. Not knowing all the details to many of these events, Mr Eban does a great job of suummerizing the events in a short but helpful fashion.

This is a must read for anyone interested in how foreign policies are formed. Loved the section on the inherent contradiction between what is good for he country vs what is good for oneself.

Looking back on his long and distinguished career, Eban has a unique perspective which he shares with the readers. He's strongest when describing personal anecdotes such as the one in which Harry S. Truman was gifted with a torah from the Israeli delegation and had no idea what a torah was. He thanked the Israelis profusely though and said "I've always wanted one of these." I have to smile. Politics sure have changed. I can't believe an American president today would not have a cadre of handlers briefing him on his every move.

I particularly liked some of his analyses of the United Nations and the challenges it faces because human beings see themselves as part of a nation-state, not as citizens of the world. He gives the example of the first men to walk on the moon who planted an American flag. Nobody thought about planting a flag from "Planet Earth".

Like a true talmudic scholar Eban is quick to see both sides of an issue and a central theme of the book is that you can't look to the past to predict the future. He gives example after example where surprises occurred in recent history that nobody had ever expected or predicted, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As I'm not that acquainted with many details of history I found some of the book a little dense. I had to read the chapter on the Oslo Accords twice with a yellow highlighter in my hand to finally understand. This was a peace accord negotiated in Norway in 1992 which led the historic photo of Arafat and Rabin shaking hands. It worked because the Norwegians are neutral. He feels that when the U.S. tries to broker a peace agreement, it creates problems because everyone knows that Israel is a U.S. ally. We have all see the latest peace negotiations on American soil fall apart in the past few months which definitely illustrates this point.

The book whetted my appetite to learn more and that is good.

Abba Eban writes about his experiences as an Israeli diplomat by beginning with a description of his first encounter with Harry Truman. He describes Truman's small- town middle America appearance understating the most powerful man in the most powerful country ever in history. When presenting his diplomatic credentials to Truman, Truman states to Eban, and subsequently to another diplomat, that he "never lost any sleep over bombinb" Hiroshima and Nagasaki-- which leads Eban to conclude that Truman likely lost much sleep over the decision. He goes on to note the remarkable influence that Truman and his advisors-- Marshall, Acheson, etc, had on the shaping of post- war events. This book, however, is about diplomacy, and it's goal is to present the "realist" position. In it, he argues that countries make decisions that are in their own interests, and that any attempt to alter that by introducing supranational rules is likely to fail. The book is clearly more complicated than the simple summarizing statement, and is therefore a remarkably interesting book, especially from an individual who has been involved in international relations for over 50 years.