A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion

“The single volume that I recommend is by Tom Segev, an Israeli historian. He’s associated with the so-called ‘New Historians’ of Israel, most of whom have been very critical—in my view, unfairly so—of Israel’s founding. This book is non-partisan and straightforward. It tells you everything about Ben-Gurion and the title expresses the theme of his life, which was to secure a Jewish state no matter what had to be done. That meant no matter what compromises had to be made.” Read more...

The Best Biographies of 20th Century Leaders

Michael Mandelbaum, International Relation