And Sadat at Camp David - Thirteen Days in September

Everyone who is interested in the root causes of the chaos and violence in the Middle East should read this book. Wright alternates a great story --the day by day unfolding of the Cape David Israeli-Egyptian peace conference convened by President Jimmy Carter -- with the history of Israel. Wright is a lucid writer who does meticulous research. You will have a new understanding of today's news if your read about those 13 days in September.

Superbly written with lots of wonderful personality sketches.

I've never thought much of the Carter Presidency but this book cast it in a new light for me.

Sadat and Begin really come to life off these pages.

It is an excellent book, nevertheless the copy I received seems that it was printed and then given to a 6yo to cut it. Really a bad quality copy. I usually prefer my hardcover paper books, but given the quality of this copy will be preferable a digital e-book

What a tense, informative read. I had just graduated high school when President Carter hosted the Camp David Accords with President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin, and I remember how the signing of the accords was such an historic event. Later I read President Carter's memoirs of his presidency, and him saying how difficult it was to talk to Begin, and that Begin was so infuriated about having to make any kind of concession to the Egyptians.

What is all new to me is the background of the Accords. Lawrence Wright did such a splendid job blending the meeting with the biographies of the three leaders and the history of the Sinai/Israeli region from both a biblical and archeological perspective. This made the fervent passion of the three leaders much better to understand. All three leaders were presented with both strengths and flaws. Both Sadat and Begin had committed terrorist acts against the British. Even Wright opines that "The transformation of terrorism as a primarily local phenomenon into a global one came about in large part because of the success of [Begin's] tactics. He proved that, under the right circumstances, terror works. Many years later, American forces would find a copy of Begin's memoir "The Revolt" in the library of an al-Qaeda training camp. Osama bin Laden read Begin in an attempt to understand how a terrorist transformed himself into a statesman (82) ."

Wright does not leave out those players in the sidelines. Interesting is also the advisors that both Begin and Sadat brought with them. While the advisors were not at the meeting with Carter, both Sadat and Begin would go back to their cabins and discuss with their advisors what had been talked about earlier with Carter. Begin was steadfast on refusing to pull out any Jewish settlements from the Sinai. Wright emphasizes several times that without the recommendations of Ezer Weizmann and Yechel Kadishai, Begin may never have agreed to anything. The same goes with Sadat and his main advisor, Egyptian foreign minister Mohamed Ibrahim Kamel.

Each day at Camp David is its own chapter, and each day the tension builds. Wright records everything fluidly and in an easy-to-understand manner. What was meant to be a three-day summit turns into 13 days, and it consumed President Carter's administration up to that point. So much else was happening at the time, as issues with the Iranian shah Reza Pahlavi and the American hostage ordeal was still to come.

What I also appreciate about this work is the solid analysis Wright provides. How successful was the Camp David Accords? In hindsight, not that much. Sadat pays with his life a few years later, and Palestinian uprisings increase as well. The Accords' one positive outcome was a lasting peace between Egypt and Israel, but the Palestinians were not invited to this meeting and King Hussein of Jordan refused to participate. If readers get anything out of this book, is the fact that peace in the Middle East will be slow and bloody, and terrorism is an innate part of that region's history. We can expect more to come over the years before true peace, if ever, comes to the Middle East.

This book is definitely a recommended read for anyone who is fascinated by the Middle East, current events, and history.

The author proves to be a good reporter in recounting the historic facts of the 13 days at Camp David. However, his interjections of historic events as he sees them reflects a definite bias against Israel. I found his casting of total blame for the lack of an agreement between Israel and Palestinians upon Israel to be both inaccurate and calculating. In essence what could have been a very good account of an historic conference was colored by the author's anti Israel bias

Numerous noticeable mistakes in this too enjoyable read makes me wonder about the accuracy of Wright's other engaging books, including The Looming Tower. For instance, Rabbi Ammon was Rabbi Amnon, ultra-orthodoxy (think black coats, curly side locks) did not at all spearhead the secular and modern orthodox settler movement and calling it a "cult" is a pejorative inappropriate to a supposedly historical work. More troubling than the various errors though is the author's clear bias against the Israeli camp and his desire at every opportunity to throw in disjointed irrelevant accounts of Israeli massacres and air his disdain for Jewish claims to the land. Deir Yassin is thrown in, out of place, unrelated to the remainder of the chapter - clearly, too tempting a story of Israeli depravity to leave out; Wright cites evidence disproving the biblical story of the Exodus - we need hardly wonder to what end - it is so obvious an attempt to show the Jews "don't belong" that you need not even bother going to the back of the book where you will see the work of career Israel basher Norman Finkelstein referenced. The Israelis involved are subject to moral scrutiny (were Moshe Dayan's decades old extra marital affairs of any possible relevance?) whereas Carter virtually walks on water and Sadat is turned into Ghandi, his Nazi sympathizing past hardly mentioned. A dangerously inaccurate and downright stupid book. And I'm not even on the Israeli right by the way.

A sense of pending doom permeates Lawrence Wright’s magnificent history of President Jimmy Carter’s 1978 Camp David summit that resulted in the first and up till now the only peace treaty between Israel and one of its Middle East neighbors. Despite the summit’s triumphant successful conclusion, we now know looking back that Carter was soon to be driven from office in the wake of the Iranian hostage crisis, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s was to be assassinated in 1981, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin eventually resigned his office following Israel’s incursion into Lebanon and spent his remaining years in seclusion alone and largely forgotten. And, above all, the doom present day readers feel stems from our recognition that the hard won optimism for the future that Camp David represented did not result in a comprehensive peace treaty between Israel and all its neighbors, nor was the seemingly intractable Palestinian/Israel conflict finally ended – instead, a series of new and wider conflicts, including several major wars, ensued throughout the region, with the threat and the reality of Middle East based terrorism spreading world-wide eventually to our own shores in September, 2001.

As Wright so aptly describes, however, none of this future could have been known to the participants who journeyed at President Carter’ behest to the isolated wooded hills of Camp David, about 62 miles west and north Washington, D.C. in September of 1978. Here Wright portrays the difficult and at times protracted negotiations between Sadat and Begin, between Carter and both foreign leaders, and most tellingly, internally within both the Israeli and Egyptian delegations. Carter quickly realized that his original intent to serve as a neutral mediator between the two nations that had fought three major wars beginning in 1956 needed to be superseded with his active participation and guidance in the form of draft American proposals to be hammered out by all three parties. Wright skillfully portrays the roller coaster ride of emotions amongst all the participants, especially Carter, as from one moment to the next hopeful progress was dashed by violent vituperative disagreements and threats from the Israelis and the Egyptians to abandon the summit.

Wright, in addition, provides three overlapping mini-biographies of Carter, Begin and Sadat, illustrated with several of their surprisingly similar experiences as children and young men but ultimately describes lives clearly shaped by the very differing worlds from which each man came. This, as well, helps provide context for the positions that each nation insisted upon at Camp David and, too, helps explain why President Carter, with his presidency at stake, was willing to risk so much on such an unlikely venture.

In the end, with the summit participants facing a disastrous conclusion with no successful agreements of any kind, Wright describes Carter’s successful suggestion to separate the issues of Palestinian/Israeli overlapping claims to the same land (especially including Jerusalem), from the possibility of forging a new relationship between Israel and Egypt through the Israeli withdrawal of its troops and settlements from the Sinai peninsula (won by the Israelis after a bitter and costly struggle in the 1973 war) in exchange for a permanent peace and normal relations between these two nations. While looking back this sounds simple enough, at the time it meant that Begin had to give up his long time vigorous support for the belief that Israelis ought to be able to live anywhere in the region that they chose, and Sadat had to abandon his claim to represent the rights and grievances of the Palestinians who had looked to Egypt for such leadership since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.

Finally, Wright concludes with an excellent and balanced account of the missed opportunities and misunderstandings that produced what turned out to be a flawed Camp David conclusion that while leading to decades of peace between Israel and Egypt left the issue of the Palestinians and their pursuit of a homeland unresolved. In the end, despite this crucial flaw in the Camp David accords – the flaw that continues to bedevil the region – Wright emphasizes that considering the history between these nations, the personalities of the major participants, and the climate of mistrust and fear in the Middle East, President Carter was equally or perhaps more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize jointly awarded to Sadat and Begin later in 1978.

I have only vague memories of headlines proclaiming “Peace in the Middle East” in 1978. I was very much involved in the drama of my own youth. I know there was a brief period of semi-quiet in the Middle East, before the histrionics of a series of Gulf Wars and the resulting chaos that has grabbed headlines since the 1990s. The politics of the Middle East confound me. I’m not well versed in Biblical or academic history of the area. For this reason, I appreciate the careful historical background information that Lawrence Wright uses to flesh out the narrative of Thirteen Days in September.

The book is thoughtfully structured with a prologue that explains the circumstances leading up to President Carter’s historic attempt to hammer out a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel at the Camp David conference. Chapters dedicated to each of the thirteen days follow and within each of those chapters, another layer of history and political background is revealed. Wright wraps up the book with an Epilogue that sums up the successes and failures of the Camp David accords and briefly explains what happened to each of the key participants after the historic meeting. I made frequent use of the maps of the region at the beginning of the book. Included at the end of the book are extensive notes and a Bibliography that would make an excellent reading list to increase my understanding of the region.

The human frailties and personalities of the key players are well described. Given the personal and historical vendettas and petulant egos of Both Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin, it was a miracle that anything was accomplished during those thirteen days. Surely these men’s opinions of each other were not softened.

Locked away from the press in the serene Camp David compound, Begin and Sadat and their respective contingents of administrative staff, locked horns over every word of the documents that they threw back and forth at each other. Carter, attempting to reach middle ground, inserted his own document as a road map, but that, too, was picked to pieces. What was originally intended as a weekend conference dragged on, sidelining Carter from national affairs that needed his attention and resulting in multiple fits of exasperation which almost upended the entire process. As the days piled up, Sadat comes across in the book as more thoughtful and more trusting of Carter than Begin. Begin comes across as petulant and moody, self-aggrandizing, and utterly unwilling to compromise. In the end, a highly watered down agreement was signed by all three men.

Wright’s final paragraph perplexed me. “The unresolved issues of Camp David have not gone away, but the success of the summit is measured by its durability.” He goes on to point out that none of the terms of the 1979 peace treaty have been violated. “It is impossible to calculate the value of peace until war brings it to an end.” But what kind of a peace is he talking about? And perhaps none of the terms of the treaty have been violated because it was written with so many loopholes and vagaries. Just two months after the document was signed, Begin was on the move, expanding Israeli settlements and bombing neighboring Iraq. The seeds of the Muslim Brotherhood had been sown and nourished by concessions made by Egyptians who felt they’d been sold down the river by Sadat. I’m no historian, but it seems that the aftermath of this agreement became the kernel of the raging Fundamentalism which is currently ripping our world apart. “Hatred is easier than reconciliation.” Indeed.

I have previously read Lawrence Wright's books "The Looming Tower" and his latest work on scientology. I found both of these books excellent and well-written accounts. And after hearing Mr. Wright discusses how religious interaction interests him, one might question what the Camp David accords has to do with religious interaction. After having read this book, I think I see the angle: Begin, Carter and Sadat represented the three dominant so-called Abrahamic religions in a certain way and they certainly intersected during the summit at Camp David.
The Camp David accords that resulted from the aforementioned 13 days that is discussed here is perhaps Jimmy Carter's singular great achievement. And what Wright does here is really explore the summit at Camp David, and more interestingly, the history and biography of the major players.
I simply love how Wright breaks down the Summit into 13 separate days and then explores Biblical history, and contemporary Israeli/Arab history. I learned so many interesting things about so much I thought I knew. The background information on the players was absolutely riveting. I barely remember Moshe Dayan, the eye-patched Israeli defense minister. Who knew he lead such a swashbuckling life? Begin does not come off well, though to be fair to Wright, other accounts have certainly indicated that Begin was not a particularly altruistic person.
This is a fast read, and this is really one of the best books I have ever read on the Middle East (it really should rank up there with Thomas Friedman's book "From Beirut to Jersualem") as it just provides so much insight.
I can see that this book is not a blow by blow account of the mechanics of the summit. Nor will those who believe the Israelis are perfect in their aspirations for peace (there is an honest account of the many failings here). Critics of Jimmy Carter will inherently believe Wright engages in too much defense of his presidency (in this regard) as well. Of course, Jimmy Carter is one of the only major figures still alive. It is rather poignant to realize that Sadat and Begin would be dead within a relative few years after the summit (Sadat by assassination). On the other hand, this book is just so informative that it is a very worthwhile read. It is a towering work of history in the regard that you will be challenged to find a single volume that has so much insight into the Middle East.
On balance, this is an eminently readable book. Even with the valid criticisms, this book should not be ignored. Highly recommended.

On September 5, 1978, the leaders of three countries met to discuss peace. They each were coping with political pressures and dissatisfied citizens back home -- people who were more concerned about the immediacy of domestic economic problems than the unlikely prospect for peace between Egypt and Israel.

Thirty-six years on, the Camp David Accords developed by Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, and Menachim Begin continue to avert war, but tensions in the Middle East remain. Thus, the insights Lawrence Wright knits together in his chronology of that September not only document a key moment in history, but also have a perennial immediacy because they contribute to a fuller comprehension of the ongoing situation and historic tensions.

This book succeeds on many levels -- as a day-by-day chronology of events; as a profile of Begin, Carter, and Sadat as individuals and leaders; and as a primer on the region's history. Because of its content, source materials, and approach, this book is both history and a work of journalism. Wright's interweaving of interviews, published works, and archival materials gives the book a richness and veracity from a variety of perspectives, and adds to the sense that you are immersing yourself in unfolding events as you read.

Wright starts with an overview of how volatile the relationship between Israel and its neighbors was in the decades leading up to the conference, as well as biographical thumbnails of each of the three men, including their inner motivations and moments that defined their future political choices.

One example of Wright's attention to context is his care in setting the stage for the low expectations of the talks' success. He provides a concise exploration of the 10 months before they began. Sadat visited Jerusalem in November 1977, the first leader of an Arab country to do so. That brief visit had the opportunity to humanize each side to the other -- the Israelis who saw Sadat and their local coverage of his visit, as well as the Egyptians who followed their leader's visit on television. Wright uses this unexpected visit to provide an overview of the historic significance of Jerusalem that is specific and detailed, and illustrative of the innate tensions at work in the region. Although that visit offered a hint of the possibility of peace, subsequent actions by Israel and retaliations by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) against both Israel and Egypt.

Throughout the book, Wright stays on course with a daily chronology of events. Although he takes readers on a number of side journeys, each one appears at a logical point in the unfolding story of the 13-day odyssey. Wright is careful to keep these side trips brief and focused, and to ensure that they add to readers' understanding of the character, background, and motivation of the leader it is about.

Wright's narrative is clear, comprehensive, and explicit, and provides readers with enough detail for them to make thoughtful connections and inferences. If you don't have much background on the subject, he makes sure you are not adrift, and yet he the variety of resources he taps should keep the book from being a rehashing for those who are more familiar.

In a book published five years after the peace talks, Jimmy Carter described feeling "a curious fatalism" on the day those talks began. As you visit that historic September along with him, Anwar Sadat and Menachim Begin, you may well feel the same way.

THIRTEEN DAYS IN SEPTEMBER is a pleasant and provocative surprise.

It was some time ago, but I do remember the President Carter invited Prime Ministers Anwar Al-Sadat and Menachim Begin to Camp David to negotiate a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

I also remember the flack that he (being President Carter) received domestically about concerning himself with "foreign affairs" when we had a growing economic crisis, and particularly with gas prices and the so-called shortages that we had to endure--never mind not being able to buy gas until it was your day of the week.

There were also other issues that seemed to be on the back-burner including the Right's scapegoating organized labor and the school system as being the cornerstones of our moral decay.

What I didn't realize until having read this book (and having read most of President Carter's memoirs) is intimate and fascinating details of how the Carters had focused on a single issue from Day One.

***
Messrs. Begin and Sadat were well-known military leaders by the time President Carter was elected. And, it was because of their backgrounds that pundits warned President Carter that pursuing a peace accord or, more accurately, re-engaging Sadat's offer to meet with Israel's president as futile.

Lawrence Wright's book reads like a fly on the wall. The prologue, which is fairly long and could easily be considered 4 full chapters leading up to the breakdown of the thirteen-day summit.

Wright gives fascinating (and sometimes, blunt) descriptions of each man, their history, shortcomings and ideals. But as Wright is academic in his exposition, this does have the feel of sensational weekly tabloid: the description of Mrs. Carter's upbringing and her relationship with her father is one such example.

There's a lot of grit in this book, especially concerning Begin and Sadat and, at times, Carter who comes off as being atypically naive. It's hard to imagine left-leaning Carter speaking in conservative Christian terms to Golda Meir about Israel and God in their first and only meeting.

This book is gripping and for many of us who knew of the details of the Summit by newspaper reports and from President Carter's retelling of it in his memoirs, there's a lot here that's fresh and new.

Lawrence Wright’s latest tome, a study of Jimmy Carter and the 1977 Egypt-Israel peace talks, is an excellent overview of a time and a place and a “how the sausage gets made” peek at politics. Wright, a journalist knows for THE LOOMING TOWER and GOING CLEAR among others, traces the roots of Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat and Jimmy Carter and their paths to the now-historic peace summit. It is so amazing that three world leaders were able to take thirteen days away from their tasks as world leaders to travel, with their delegates, to rustic Camp David in the Maryland wilderness. With today’s technology a feat such as this seems unthinkable, and with a history of leaks would most likely never have been accomplished. In addition to the prologue and the epilogue, the book is broken down into thirteen chapters, one for each day. The minutiae of camp living, the arguments over the Sanai Peninsula, the personality battles of the chief characters would all make for a fascinating book, but Wright has gone several steps further, tracing the history of Israel and the Biblical wars raged, as well as the 20th century wars (Six Day War etc) that led up to Jimmy Carter’s historic proposal. The path to September is also fleshed out in the fascinating back stories of the three men, as well as delegates such as Israel’s Moshe Dayan and the US’s Cyrus Vance. Wright has tackled a complicated world event, one whose fall-out is still being felt today in the Arab world, and spins it into a most entertaining read.

What an excellent work! The author reminds us of the historic event itself, and the stakes involved in its success or failure. This is put in the context of the personalities of the three men, and the history of the region itself. The author shows how the childhood experiences of each man contributed to their position in these talks - and takes us on a tour of both Biblical and more recent history to understand the tensions that exist in the region. I am left feeling doubtful that anyone short of a visionary will ever be able to bring peace to the Middle East. Carter may have had the vision, but he did not have the willing partners in carrying it out, including the electorate of the U.S., who turned him out of office not long after this outstanding achievement. This book is well-researched, and informs the reader of so many salient points in the text. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand the politics (personal, national, and international) that make this region such a tinderbox - and such a difficult area for progress.

In a planned 350 pages, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has produced a stunningly researched report on the 13 days President Jimmy Carter was gambled his presidency on bring peace between Egypt and Israel.

Whatever the political persuasion of readers, this book provides an exhaustive evaluation of the leaders who met and haggled for 13 days in September 1978.

Lawrence Wright spares no detail in showing us the histories of Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat and Jimmy Carter. To fully understand how it was possible for Carter to accomplish the impossible, you really do need to get inside the heads of these three men. Until reading this book, I had no clue as to just how great the gamble was for Carter. Until Camp David, there probably was no possibility he could win re-nomination, let alone re-election as President.

I especially appreciated the bits about Carter's impression regarding Sadat's intelligence. I doubt many of my Egyptian friends would concur with Carter, for most I spoke with were disappointed that Sadat agreed to the peace. Myself, though, I hope that one day Egyptians shall see the wisdom of the leader who opened the doors not just to peace with Israel, but to the progressive West.

That is one bit of information that I wish the author, Lawrence Wright had included. I am confident that, if the Palestinians could be reminded of all the commercial progress that came to Egypt, they might better appreciate what could come to their country.

I hasten to add, even knowing how impossible peace now appears for the Palestinians and Israel, it can come if their leaders are able to reach a point where they can bury the past. Sadat's legacy, regardless of any faults he might otherwise have had, will forever be a beam of light for peace.

The same can be said for Begin and Carter. Each of the three took enormous risk. One would suffer humiliating defeat in his bid for re-election. A second would pay with his life. Further, A future Israeli leader who dared attempt peace with the Palestinians would pay with his life, just as did Sadat.

Thirteen Days in September is a book no serious historian or political science student will dare not read.

I was expecting a historically-accurate account of the Camp David Accords and events leading up to it. Instead, I got a creed against religion and a one-sided contradictory account. The narrative was easy to read and structuring it day by day was genius. But, because of the many errors and biases, it was difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Wright opens the book with a screed against religion – not history, not competing claims, but blaming religion for conflict – claiming that Begin and Sadat were “solving a dispute that religion caused” – but it was not religion that had the Jews living in the Middle East for thousands of years, nor religion that caused a secular Arab republic to attack the small Israel in 1948, 1967, and 1973 and in-between. Neither Sadat nor Dayan, as Wright points out, were particularly religious men.

The book was very one-sided. Sadat, the benevolent dictator who wants what is rightfully his (Sinai) against the land-grabbing Begin and Israel. It refers to the bible as ethnic cleansing and attacks Menachem Begin for referring to the Psalm, written thousands of years before Modern Egypt was established, that every Jewish person says at his/her wedding “If I forget you O Jerusalem” and the Biblical book of Joshua. Is Wright calling all believing Jews (and Christians, perhaps?) ethnical cleansers?

He ends the book referring to Carter’s need to “free himself of his Christian-inspired conception of human nature and accept a more tragic Old Testament view.” This is false and this canard of the evil vengeful Old Testament has been used to persecute Jews for millennia and has no place in a historical book. Here, again, the Jews and Israel are biased from the start in Wright’s world.
Wright also ignores historical scholarship. In referring to the origin of the Palestinians (which he erroneously claims are descendent from the Philistines), based on the pseudoscholarship of Shlomo Sands, yet he then contracts himself, reluctantly conceding that David Ben-Gurion and Yitzchak Ben-Zvi are right in recognizing the continual Jewish presence in the land of Israel (along with many other presences and migrations over millennia) conceding that “Archaeological finds and genetic studies would eventually bear out their theory.”
It should be noted of course that recognizing scientific evidence that the modern-day Palestinians are not descended from the ancient Philistines should in no way prejudice the policy debates of a two-state solution or Palestinian nationalism.

There is a need for a good, easy to read, unbiased, and scholarly account of the Camp David Accords. Unfortunately, this book is not it.

Lawrence Wright, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, in his book "Thirteen Days in September" describes the difficult and complex negotiations at Camp David between Egypt and Israel that took place in September 1978. It is a day-by day account of the developments at that conference motioned by the first lady, Rosalyn Carter, and convened by the President. Wright provides historical background and portraits of the principals: President Carter of the United Sates, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin, the prime minister of Israel. It is a compelling and fascinating story of how three men from different religions and cultures forged a historic peace treaty which put an end to a war; it led to the establishment of diplomatic relationship between Egypt and Israel. It has been a cold relationship; nevertheless the Israeli-Egyptian peace is enduring.

Wright presents himself to be objective in his observation and judgment. However, Begin is definitely not being portrayed as sympathetically as Carter or Sadat is. Wright doesn't sound to be sympathetic to Israel, as a haven for the oppressed. I was expecting more compassion, more understanding and above all more support for the Jewish nation that has lost one third of its people during the Holocaust. Begin's family was murdered by the Nazis, who also murdered 123 members of my extended family. I had been a captive in Nazi camps for three years, my school-years. Beating the captives became a way of life for the SS as routine as eating breakfast. I witnessed many of my co-inmates being tortured to death. Begin saw many Jews being tortured to death by the Nazis as well as by Stalin's cohorts of the USSR. Begin was a man of strong convictions and not a swaggering strongman. I often felt like I would have been better off dead. Begin often felt like fighting back; he took the oath "Never again!"

Wright deserves a lot of credit for his extensive research. However some pertinent events are not mentioned. When the Jewish Agency in Palestine, in 1947, accepted the Partition Plan adopted by the U.N. Resolution 181, the Arab counterparts did not. Not only did they reject it but they also vowed to oppose it by force. Azzam Pasha, the Secretary of the Arab League declared, "THIS WILL BE A WAR OF EXTERMINATION AND MOMENTOUS MASSACRE WHICH WILL BE SPOKEN OF LIKE THE MONGOLIAN MASSACRES AND THE CRUSADES." The pro-Nazi Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, who was a staunch admirer of Hitler, proclaimed: "ALL JEWS WILL BE THROWN INTO THE SEA." It was reminiscing of Heinrich Himmler's order to throw Jewish children alive into furnaces in the extermination camps. In the Middle East, hatred is as ancient as the deserts. There are few oases. Israel became one of those oases, despite so many obstacles. Today, Israel is begrudged for turning a strip of arid land, marshland and treeless mountains, into a blooming garden. A dot of undeveloped land morphed into a technological giant. It became a cultural beacon and a vibrant democracy in a sea of dictatorial states.

I remember seeing slogans on placards or scribbled on walls in my hometown Chrzanów, Poland, declaring, "Żydostwo do Palestiny, JEWS GO TO PALESTINE!" NOW THE ARABS, THE MUSLIM WORLD, AND THE JEW-HATERS SHOUT: "JEWS GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM. GET OUT OF PALESTINE." The historical fact is that the Jews had been there before the Arabs, and when they trickled back in, they paid hefty prices for every parcel of land. Tragically, blind hatred transcends any just cause. Had there been a Jewish state during World War II, the gates would have been wide open for hundreds of thousands of refugees who were not let in by other countries, including the U.S. and Britain. Disasters like the loss of the Struma, a ship carrying 769 Jews from Eastern Europe attempting to flee to Palestine, might have been avoided. Instead of finding freedom, they found a world that didn't want to give them shelter--a world that cast them out, defenseless, into the raging seas. Now, when Jews in Israel refuse to be walked upon like grass, and be led like sheep to the slaughter, as the Nazis led six million Jews during the Holocaust, Israel's adversaries are acrimonious!

I am unable to forget the dark landscape, to cross the river of grief. I still carry the physical and mental scars of the Holocaust. I literally hear the sound of the SS boots hitting the pavement, and then me. Menachem Begin heard the same. Wright often attributes intransigence to Begin's conduct; phobia would have perhaps been a more appropriate term. Begin was remarkable for his intellect and his genuine modesty and humility. I wish to be wrong, but to my ears, Wright dances to the tune of Israel's adversaries. The Holocaust legacy is difficult to learn; the enormity of the Holocaust crime defies comprehension. The above capitalized quotes are ominous and squeamish but undeniable true; they horrified Begin as they horrified me. The threat of genocide fuels the deepest existential questions. Ignoring a fact doesn't change the fact, and should never be ignored or intentionally omitted.

"Thirteen Days in September" is a very well written book; comprehensive and detailed analysis of what happened at Camp David. If "Thirteen Days in September" would have been more balanced, Mr. Wright might have deserved another Pulitzer Prize.

A well researched book that brings the Camp David negotiations really out into the light. I saw one review claim it was anti Israel but as someone very attuned to that I did not feel that way. If anything I felt it put the issues that Israeli politicians have with making peace even today very much into the forefront. Overall a very well balanced book. I think anybody who wants to understand how history and geography and everything play into the Middle East.

This intense account revealed a lot of the behind-the-scenes detail of this peace treaty that has faded into the past - hard to believe it was 35 years ago, and sad that it's never been superseded by anything else as long-lasting.

Lawrence Wright does a good job balancing the history of the 13-day summit with backstory history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It provides enough information about the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War to provide necessary context into the Egyptian and Israeli relationship. What surprised me was learning that Anwar Sadat visited Israel before the summit, on account of what might have been a misunderstanding - but it worked.

Jimmy Carter probably comes across better than than anyone. By sheer force of will, he keeps the parties together - sometimes by losing his temper, other times by begging, cajoling, etc., but it works. I think he lets himself be 'played' a little bit by Begin and Sadat - but to good effect.

Begin holds the line, and is willing to go far enough for himself, but not far enough for everybody else. In the context of 1978, it's hard to blame him for playing this as hardball as he could, though it's a shame he couldn't go further.

Sadat is the most forward-thinker, and it seems he was willing to do almost anything to secure the peace with Israel as long as he regained the Sinai peninsula (lost in 1967). Of course, since he was later assassinated, some of the accolades are partly martyr-based - he died because of this treaty, after all. Begin left office in 1983, after leading Israel into the catastrophe of the Lebanon war, so his reputation has been harmed over the years.

Even though the book describes 13 days of meetings, it's intense - the stakes are high, the leaders know the futures of their nations depend on the results, and there are equal measures of pride, hubris and humility on display. All three men had plenty of flaws, but they stepped up at a crucial time.

It's amazing that this treaty has held up, despite everything that has come after. That's a rare moment of mid-east triumph.

There is an excellent prologue in `Thirteen Days in September'. It not only explains the mind set of Jimmy Carter and why he set out to make these peace accords, but also the political set-up and background of the countries involved
Lawrence Wright was given Jimmy and Rosalyn's diaries to help write this book. He leaves over 50 pages of notes, bibliography and an index .

This is an interesting historical perspective written in a very readable style about one of the more unusual peace conferences. It is pointed out that perhaps one reason why it worked was that they were all cut off from the press and `trapped' together in the Camp David compound.

There is a frank look at all 3 leaders, Carter, Begin and Sadat and even the men and women who accompanied them to Camp David. All the minutia is included...Begin insisting on wearing a suit, even though others were in casual clothes and Rosalyn preparing a prayer that would be used, by consulting several interfaith groups.
The book works through the preparation and the 13 days to the last minute problems that almost wrecked the signing; giving the reader an appreciation of how staggering the treaty ratification was.

However an epilogue also brings back the reality of what occurred in the following time period. The assassination of Sadat and the Palestinian question are also addressed.

This is a very comprehensive and detailed analysation of what happened at Camp David. Anyone interested in the recent history of politics and of Israel and the Middle East and political science would learn a considerable amount by reading this book.

In reading Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Sadat, and Begin at Camp David by Lawrence Wright one literally feels like they were a fly on the wall witnessing all these discussions in September of 1978. What creates this feeling is the detail that Wright gives to not just the main characters, but the other representatives at Camp David. All three men had political constituencies to answer to and strong religious convictions that both motivated and strained their ability to negotiate at Camp David. Carter staked his entire presidency on the outcome, Sadat endured the scorn of virtually the entire Arab world, while Begin had to be mindful of not giving away the historic Jewish homeland because it would be a political disaster.

Regardless of ones opinion of long term peace between Israel and Egypt, one cannot ignore the depth of this book. One really feels the emotions of the participants as they ebb and flow as an agreement many thought impossible comes closer and then drifts further away often within the course of a few minutes. This applies to all of the main characters. It is easy to visualize President Carter growing annoyed with Began’s tying the proceedings up in trivial details and sitting there late at night convinced that his grand Middle East peace mission had failed because the principles could not agree.

One also feels the intransigence of Began and while I may not agree with it, I can appreciate the considerations that he was facing. Sadat was facing pressure from his own negotiating party who found peace with Israel a dubious process, even though they had lost two wars against Israel in recent times. With all these forces in effect, deadlock was fairly well assured. These leaders had to push against these interests and their own biases to produce an agreement that more or less has held over the ensuing decades.

With the pacing of the greatest Hollywood thriller and a gift for historical scholarship, Lawrence Wright transports the reader to Camp David 1978 and allows them to feel the fists hitting the table, the sweat pouring off the brows of these three grand leaders who put their political futures and lives on the line for peace.

Lawrence Wright's "Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David," is a wonderful addition to the field of diplomatic history and sheds light on the ongoing troubles in the Middle East. Begin is portrayed as the tough statesman who, more than anything, wanted a peace treaty with Egypt. Sadat, mindful of his potential political enemies at home but determined that Egypt should recover lost territory, reluctantly moved forward with the plan. Carter is shown as a president desperate to bring peace to the troubled region, as much out of political calculation as out of sincere humanitarianism. The book makes for engaging and often tense reading. Even knowing the outcome, readers will wonder throughout just how two states with so much bitter history between them, could manage to come to an agreement. The peace process nearly died several times, and only the hard work of men of good will ensured its completion. Though the narrative does slow down at a few points, "Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David" is nevertheless a wonderful, well written book of diplomatic history.

I was a teenager when the Camp David Accords were announced. It was unimaginable that Israel and Egypt could come together for what was the framework of an eventual peace treaty between the two nations. This book details the behind the scenes activities that led to this accomplishment.

The author looks not only at Sadat, Begin and Carter but also others who played a part in the negotiations or whose actions and political power influenced those involved. The book also looks at the negotiations in a historical context both from there beginnings in biblical times to the creation of the Middle East borders by the colonial powers. Finally the book looks at the politics of the times and the interests of each party at a time when the Cold War was very much a reality.

I found the book to be fairly balanced. It portrays Egypt as having more of an interest in the talks than Israel at first and President Carter as being a bit naive when the talks started. Yet all parties involved come out looking good. While much has happened since the Accords were signed and Middle East peace never occurred Israel and Egypt are still at peace.

This is a great reminder of a momentous time in history and the hope it brought. It is a very good history of not only the Camp David Accords but also the politics of the time. It was fun going back in time and learning what happened during thirteen days in September 1978.

what a gripping well-written paget turner

Author masterfully highlights the complexity the tension, the complexity, and the conclusion of one of the most complicated negotiations in world history

Really demonstrates Carter's courage and authority, Sadat's vision for peace.

It also puts Begin an unfavorable light. And it makes one wonder how the world would be different had he been more compromising.

"Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin, and Sadat at Camp David" by Lawrence Wright is a well researched and balanced account of 1978 Camp David conference. President Jimmy Carter managed to convince Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to sign the first ever Middle East peace treaty.

I didn't have too much of an interest in politics at this time. Since I was busy with two little babies still in diapers and going to college full time you might say I had my mind on other things. So reading this book was a great history lesson that filled in the blanks about what I heard bits and pieces about at the 1978 Camp David Conference.

This book is well written and an engaging read. Not at all dry or boring. A must read for any history buff who remembers this event taking place or younger people who are looking to learn more about US - Middle East relations and President Jimmy Carter.

Very well written and engaging. I never would have voted for Carter but the Egypt-Israel peace agreement has stood the test of time. Wright is an excellent writer and his book The Looming Tower is a masterpiece.

I read this book like thriller - although much of events described in the book is public knowledge. History will pass judgement on the three principals - only one, Carter, seems to have come on top. And Begin at the bottom. The vicious cycle of power play has only made things worse for people of the Middle-East. Where are the Gandhi and Mandela of the Mid-East!

Wright is more or less telling two stories here: the story of Camp David and the story of the creation of Israel. The chapters are broken up into 'days' and each chapter dips back into history to provide you context about the events and the people which eventually led to Camp David. Wright immerses you in these stories. His writing is impeccable.

Readers who want to learn about the creation of the Jewish state as well as gain insight into why the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians continues to this day will find this a fascinating and sobering book.

Good background on the Arab-Israeli conflicts that were essential to the Camp David talks and the portrayals of the those discussions and the personalities were interesting and informative. An enjoyable read, one I think most readers would like.

This book really kept my attention. I enjoyed the writer's style as well as learning so much the history of the founding of Israel and the tragedy of the Palestinian people. This book is especially relevant today with the continued bloodshed and suffering in Gaza and the West Bank.

An intimate and compelling scene-by-scene look into the negotiations that took place during those tense 13 days with context provided by historical analysis and personal portraits of the principals. A must read for exploring a road to peace where it's achievement did not seem possible.

Very good insights into the Camp David accords. An enjoyable read and interesting tidbits about each of the parties. Did leave you wondering if there was more to the back stories, but we all know there have been big books written about Carter, Begin and Sadat.

Excellent sketch of Israel's historical claim's wrapped around a courageous attempt to define a peace plan between Egypt and Israel. Sadat portrayed as a leader, risk taker and pragmatic peace maker.

Fantastically well written and researched. I've read 7 of Wright's books and this one is my favorite. The background of each of the main interlocutors is fascinating, as is the interplay between the characters and countries. This sheds a lot of light on how the modern Middle East was built and the foundations of the current challenges there.

This was a very informative book. It goes into detail about Jimmy Carter's background and all of the other players in the Peace Treaty, as well as giving details of the agreement and what it took to get the agreement.

This is a very dramatic day to day documentation of the 1978 Camp David conference with President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. This heralded the first treaty in the current Middle East, and its validity stands the test of time with each passing year. If you are at all interested in this historic piece of middle eastern history, I believe this is the most up-to-date complete reference you can buy. Highly recommended.

I was very excited for this book release because there has not been a very comprehensive study on the Camp David Accords to date.

After reading the book I was very Disappointed.

1. Extremely bias towards Begin, even equating him at times to Osama Bin Ladin.
2. Horrible flow, consistently being interrupted by their biographies.
3. Making if Sadat was a saint.
4. Horrible references totally unreliable.

Still waiting for a good honest unbiased account of what happened at camp David