“Shapira’s Israel has many strengths. . . . That go hand in hand with her rapid, suggestive illumination of themes.”—Jewish Review of Books

“A fascinating new one-volume history of Israel by the eminent Israeli historian Anita Shapira explains Arab thinking about partition back in 1947 and the many other unexpected and real events that have comprised Israel’s history from the beginnings of the Zionist movement in the 1890s through the second intifada in 2001. Unlike other histories that often tell Israel’s story by jumping from one war to the next, this one, called “Israel: A History” (Brandeis), captures the nation’s diversity and cultural richness along with its existential struggles.”—Jewish Week

“This is surely a much-needed primer for an English-language audience that is often unaware of the intricacies of the country’s social past, knowing only about the battles and intifadas that seem to make up its history. . . . Shapira’s accessible survey of Israeli history provides a thought-provoking text for those unfamiliar with the Jewish state.”—Jerusalem Post

“Shapira has written what is in many respects an important, exhaustive and richly thoughtful march through the annals of Zionism.”—Financial Times

“The best book in English on Israel’s inner workings... Highly recommended.”—Choice

“Shapira’s opening chapter, on Herzl and the evolution of Zionism, is by itself worth the price of admission... This is what’s best about Israel: A History: Here, we finally have a history that enables the reader to make sense of the arcana of the political and social ideology of the Yishuv, and then of the state... Israel: A History is for everybody: scholar, student, and general reader. The book will be most valuable to those readers who already know something, and some scholars will yearn for more comprehensive annotation. But Shapira has done something that most surveys do not accomplish: Shapira’s “How?” and “Why?” put us right there, in the historical moment, and answer for us not only “How?” and “Why?” but also, “What was it like?”—Forward

"Shapira sustains her readers' interest as she takes them along a road full of twists of destiny that unfold in the miraculous story called Israel."—Jewish Book World