As someone who's witnessed the day-to-day lives of Israelis firsthand and observed the ongoing rift between the secular and religious camps, I was extremely interested in hearing what the author had to say about the situation. This book confirmed my own observations and fears: that the split between the religious and the secular in Israel is becoming a problem that may eventually outweigh the Palestinian crisis in terms of practical consequences. Is there any hope for reconciliation? Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that way.

Minus one star for atrocious punctuation.

Well, I think this is a terrific book if you're interested
in the topic. It's full of insight, beautifully written,
and offers a novel perspective.

Also, it was written by Mother.

Hi Mom!

This study is slightly dated but provides a thorough examination of concepts such as zionism, government tendencies gender etc as they were at the time of writing. Israeli culture is continually developing, so I found that the book contributes to a study of historical political tendencies in Israel, since the current situation has changed quite a bit. The author seems to exclude the essential traits of Palestinian political culture which in my opinion cannot be ignored in reference to her type of study. However it does prove an interesting in depth read for anyone interested in the specific Israeli side of the politics of the Eighties. Very valuable statistics are also included.