The Eve of Destruction: The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War

This is one of those history books that are written as if they were novels or theatrical plays. Dialogs abound and it feels like the scenery changes between sections. The author even lists the cast of characters at the beginning of the book like an opera pamphlet.The narrative gets off on a really slow start in the first about 30 pages with an Oprahesque description of how two of the protagonists met and fell in love, all the way through their wedding ceremony, which only got started once Moshe Dayan showed up. Thankfully at about that point the book manages to take off as well, not because of Moshe Dayan.The readers who will make it through the cheesy beginning will be rewarded by a very realistic, well researched, and balanced account of the fighting of that fateful conflict, although at times it is unnecessarily sentimental. I am giving 4 stars but let me say that after the first 30 pages I had a hard time putting it down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this history of the Yom Kippur War. The story of the war is told in a plain manner which is at the same time gripping in its drama. Fascinating day by day history of the combat....imagine Israeli jets blowing up Egyptian tanks in the south and without taking a break flying to the Syrian border to destroy a column of Syrian tanks advancing steadily towards Israeli towns and villages. When all seemed lost, Israel prepared a nuclear strike. Highly recommended.

This is a soldier's book. Yes, there is politics and intrigue included. But in the end it's about soldiers and honor and duty. It's about men who choose to face death for reasons far more heroic than glory. It's about what they will endure to protect what they value most, and about the ambitions of others that make victory hard and costly. Blum is a true journalist. He reveals forest by painting the trees. He writes history by capturing the moment. And his research is relentless.

This book reads like an action- suspense novel with a little intrigue thrown in at the beginning, but it's all true! The author brings you right into the high level meetings where the decisions were made and the plans laid out, and then transports you to the battlefield. You can actually feel the emotions of the participants, empathise with their weaknesses, and admire their strengths. I remember hearing about the Yom Kipur through the news, but reading this book made it seem like I was there! This is storytelling at its best!

Badly written. Full of editorial mistakes. Worst of all, misleading and inaccurate about historical events. It is hard to understand why serious people gave Blum their time for interviews. Blum is taking enormous liberties with the interpretation of feelings and emotions of the people he is writing about. In spite of his claim to have studied a large amount of documents in preparation for this book I find his rendering of events very shallow. I don't understand the subtitle of the book: " The Untold Story of the Yom Kippur War " - when you publish a book about historical events thirty years after the fact and claim to tell facts hitherto "untold" - you best have something of documentary value to write. I have bought the book in the hope of finding out more about Colonel Itzchak ben Shoham, the commander of the 188 armored brigade, especially since he is mentioned as one of the main protagonists in Blum's "cast of characters". I found next to nothing.I was in the IDF in the Yom Kippur War, and I also read a lot about the war. The only "untold story" that I found in Blum's book is the detailed story of Ben Hanan's honeymoon. Given his priorities, I would be very reluctant to invest my time and money in another Blum interpretation of history.

Excellent history of the Yom Kippur War, and how the Israeli's got caught flat footed. As an aside, the origins of the drones as an instrument of war, are described. My only criticism is that once the tide turned, it seemed that the author lost interest. I would have like to see more of the tactics and strategy once the Israelis got their act together. Good companion to The Boats of Cherbourg.

Very well written. All the facts with a generous touch of humanity. Loved it.

A compelling read of a very dangerous time in Israel history. Eventough one knows the outcome, it is very hard to put down this book. The reader feels compelled to discover the real story and the outcomes for the people involved.

Entitled "the untold story" and, fair enough it does tell an untold "story".I would have preferred less "story" more account of the war. Only one map in the entire book. I have to guess the role of the air force was completely understated.