Moshe Dayan

WOW, THIS BOOK IS GREAT. HE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MILITARY MINDS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

This is an adequate reference work on Dyan. Sadly, Van Creveld's style depends too much upon pronoun connection and misconnection. But my most significant comment is that after fifteen books, Van Creveld seems to think he has transcended his need for an editor. He has not.

Martin Van Creveld's biography of Moshe Dyan is unlike any military biography I have read. The author is, in my opinion, the best military historian ever. Van Creveld's writing is clear, precise, and very blunt to the point. In addition, his work is very thought provoking. Unlike other biographies, which tend to paint the subject as larger than life heroes, van Creveld paints the life of this extraordinary man in terms that almost anyone can relate to. Not only can the reader get a sense of Dyan's extraordinary exploits, one can also relate to Dyan as a down-to-earth human being. One of the best examples of this quality how the author revealed Dyan's ability to relate (and in some cases sympathize) with his Arab adversaries. I would encourage every young military leader (especially those fighting the Global War on Terror) to read this biography. Many of the qualities of good leadership can be gleaned from Dyan's example. I would also recommend this to any military commanders "recommended reading list".

This is a concise, well-written biography of the Israeli soldier and statesman Moshe Dayan by the well known (and widely read) Israeli historian Martin van Creveld. This is an informative and interesting book, although no new ground is broken. Much (too much in my view) of the text is devoted to Dayan's role in various military campaigns, of which mountains have been written elsewhere. I found the discussions of Dayan's life outside the military sphere to be the most illuminating parts of this book. He had diverse interests outside of his professional life, and complex (turbulant?) relationships with his children. Dayan's interactions with many other Israeli statesmen and military leaders are also detailed. If you are looking for a short summary of Dayan's life with emphasis on military events, I would recommend this book. This is unlikely to be van Creveld's most enduring work, but worth a look.

This book is a wonderful introduction to Moshe Dayan and Israel, unfortunatly it is very short and doesnt detail many parts of his fascinating life. Of great interest is the expose on his affairs and on his tour of vietnam as well as the revelations that his peers felt he might very well be an 'arab' and the interesting stories of his deep friendships with Arabs. Nevertheless the military campaigns are glosssed over and one might be happier reading his own accounts of the Sinai campaign or reading another history of the IDF since this book is slightly weak. Highly recommended as an introduction, and a decent biographical sketch of Israels warrior politician.Seth J. Frantzman