This thought­ful and com­pre­hen­sive exam­i­na­tion of Shi­mon Peres’s role in Israeli pol­i­tics focus­es on Peres’s achieve­ments abroad, specif­i­cal­ly his con­tri­bu­tions to Israel’s secu­ri­ty and to the ever-chal­leng­ing peace process between Israel and her neigh­bors. Much of the book con­cerns Peres’s lead­ing role in build­ing Israel’s rela­tion­ship with France. In addi­tion, the author expert­ly con­nects the boy to the man he would become, describ­ing how Peres’s expe­ri­ences as an ado­les­cent, before Israel’s found­ing, trans­formed the young social­ist into a well-known politician. 

With his capa­ble writ­ing, Bar-Zohar crafts a dynam­ic his­to­ry drawn from hun­dreds of inter­views with Peres, his fam­i­ly, and his asso­ciates in Israel and abroad. His exten­sive research is appar­ent in every chap­ter, as the many details enhance an already com­pelling sto­ry. Index, notes and ref­er­ences, photography.