Days of Lead: Defying Death During Israel's War of Independence

by Moshe Rashkes, Arik Rashkes (Preface by), Max Cleland (Foreword by)

Overview

#1 Best Seller - Over 50,000 Copies Sold

Hailed by the likes of Israel’s founder David Ben-Gurion, Days of Lead is a gripping best seller recounting the author’s life on the front line during Israel’s War of Independence and is internationally released for the first time in conjunction with Israel’s 70th birthday.

Exquisitely written with a poetically beautiful touch, Days of Lead is the page-turning true story of a young soldier’s brave escapades during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. This incredible account, an immediate best seller in Israel on its release in 1962 and destined to be celebrated internationally for years to come, is a story of determination and heroism, but also a stinging portrait of life on the battlefield—of looking an enemy soldier, also wide-eyed and only eighteen, in the eyes and knowing that it’s his life or yours, either you take a life or you lose yours. Far from a regular coming-of-age story, this is a firsthand account of a young man trying desperately to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, but watching them taken down one-by-one until he’s the last man alive on his platoon. It’s heartrending, but enthralling.

This new edition of Days of Lead , published in English and internationally released for the first time, provides an up-close view of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv long before they became the bustling cities we know today. It also presents fascinating, never-before-shared context on the making of the book and its enduring relevancy, as Israeli soldiers continue to fight for Israel’s right to exist.

In a personal letter to the author, Israel’s founder and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, one of many well-known celebrators of the book, writes, “I started reviewing your book without the intention of reading to its end, but from the first pages I was captivated and I read it to the end through excitement and astonishment. From where all the sudden pops up such mighty expression, truth telling, and wonderful description? It seems to me that until now I have not read such a precise and true story of combat from the War of Independence. . . . You have contributed a valuable asset . . . to our literature at large.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948062022
Publisher:	Apollo Publishers
Publication date:	04/28/2018
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 1.50(h) x 9.50(d)

About the Author

Moshe Rashkes was a platoon leader in Israel's War of Independence and received a Citation of Valor when he was discharged in 1948 after a serious injury. In 1950, he was named chairman of Israel's Disabled War Veterans Organization, where he was responsible, through 1958, for the rehabilitation of more than six thousand disabled veterans. In 1965, he was named chairman, a position he continues to hold, of Israel's Ilan Center for the Physically Disabled, a world-class rehabilitative sports center. Under his leadership, the center became one of the largest and most successful rehab sports facilities in the world. In addition to being a best-selling author of Days of Lead , Rashkes wrote three other highly acclaimed books and was a journalist who covered the Six-Day War, among other events. He lives in Herzeliya, Israel.

Arik Rashkes, the son of author Moshe Rashkes, grew up in Herzeliya, Israel and served as a lieutenant in the Israeli army for five years. He moved to the United States in 2001, and today lives with his wife and four children in Hoboken, NJ.

Editorial Reviews

I was captivated by this book and I read it to the end, through excitement and astonishment… Until now I have not read such a precise and true story of combat from the War of Independence. I was glad that such a thing finally appeared.”

— David Ben-Gurion, founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, excerpted from a letter from Ben-Gurion to the author available in its entirety in the book

“I read your book with excitement. It was nice to meet a true author, who was revealed in such humane light in a time of battle.”

— Shimon Peres, President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of Israel

“The greatness of this book is to be found in its atmosphere, which enables the readers to identify deeply with the author, as if they themselves were on the battlefield.”

— Max Cleland, Senator from Georgia

“An example of a convincing personal story of war and battle.”

— Ha’aretz

“This is a story of the lonely combat solider, facing one of humankind’s defining experiences: battlefield and the danger of death.”

— Davar

“A war book that if you start reading you won’t be able to put down.”

— Yedioth Ahronoth

From the Publisher