Walking Israel: A Personal Search for the Soul of a Nation
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From the much lauded author of Breaking News comes a version of Walking the Bible just for Israel. With its dense history of endless conflict and biblical events, Israel's coastline is by far the most interesting hundred miles in the world. As longtime chief of NBC’s Tel Aviv news bureau, Martin Fletcher is in a unique position to interpret Israel, and he brings it off in a spectacular and novel manner. Last year he strolled along the entire coast, from Lebanon to Gaza, observing facets of the country that are ignored in news reports, yet tell a different and truer story. Walking Israel is packed with hilarious moments, historical insights, emotional, true-life tales, and, above all, great storytelling. Library Journal Fletcher, who left NBC News at the end of 2009 after over three decades, most recently as Tel Aviv bureau chief, was always the NBC go-to man when trouble erupted in the Mideast. But he felt that viewers were getting a skewed view, especially of Israel, if they relied only on typical newscasts. He decided to take a hike along the Israeli coastline from the Lebanese border down to Gaza to find out how Israel's multiethnic society is functioning today. In each town and village, as his book shows, he interviewed everyday people, seeking to show that away from the cameras Jews and Arabs can live side by side peacefully. Fletcher also writes of his own background as the son of Holocaust refugees who found a home in Britain. He himself is married to an Israeli of part Yemeni background. VERDICT Although some readers, especially those hoping for a travel memoir, will feel that his disquisitions, as he establishes the historical setting of each town he visits, impede the book's tempo, overall they may appreciate this take on Israel in its past, current, and future contexts. Recommended for those seeking to stay informed about Israel and its diverse peoples.—Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL.
