The Glory

The Glory takes up where The Hope ended. Wouk’s second book on the history of Israel begins just after the Six Day War in 1967 and continues until the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981. The characters in The Glory, are the children of those in The Hope. It is the next generation of Israelis, the first generation born in the Jewish State of Israel. This volume is a look at the people who still live in Israel today. And Wouk captures the spirit of the sabra quite well. He did a wonderful job of explaining the country of Israel. As I said about The Hope – if you are at all interested in Israel, Jews, or the Middle East, this is a must read!

After reading these books and then visiting Israel, I can see the characters in the real people there – their spirit, their stubbornness in the face of possible danger, and their love of the land. I can see my in-laws who grew up on Kibbutz Hulda in the story. And on my third day in the country, when I heard the sound of machine gun fire to the south of where I was staying, I felt safe in the knowledge that the current generation of fierce Israeli soldiers was insuring that there would be a Jewish State for as long as there are Jews born in Israel.

Wouk, Herman. (2002). The Glory. Boston: Back Bay Books.

The Hope

In The Hope, Herman Wouk tells the history of Israel - from the creation of the state in 1948 through 1967’s Six Day War. All of the major events in Israel’s history are covered, from the British internment camps and the Jews who had to sneak into the country, to the spirit of the Jews who finally had their own country to fight for and the battle for Jerusalem. Though this is a work of historical-fiction, it is real in spirit. Wouk captures the character of the Israelis.

Zev Barak, a Viennese-born military man, and Yossi Blumenthal, a soon-to-be legendary soldier, and others are representative of the many young men and women who fought and won independence for Israel. Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, and David Ben-Gurion, among other real people, are woven into the story of the fictional characters.

For anyone who is interested in Israel or Middle East politics, this is a good, easy to read overview of the history of Israel. It is fiction, but based in fact. All of the battles and many of the people in the story are real. Wouk weaves fact and fiction seamlessly.

The Hope is one of the best books I have read.

Wouk, Herman. (1993). The Hope. Boston: Back Bay Books.