Ilan Benjamin

This book is terrific. I loved it. I'm going to ignore the few editorial mistakes because this was a self-published book. I'm sure they will be edited out with the next printing, making this volume of short stories perfect! The author, Ilan Benjamin, is a talented young writer whose work you will see again. You must.

I like to read stories about soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to try to get a handle on their experiences in the military. This is one aspect of Israeli life I'll show more never be able to fully understand, never having been in that situation nor feeling comfortable talking to Israeli soldiers about what must be a completely foreign experience to outsiders.

This book is an eye-opener which focuses on the American soldier in the IDF whose experience must certainly differ from that of a native Israeli ("sabra"). I certainly agree with the author who says that fiction often speaks truth more clearly that facts. This book brings out the emotions felt by the American soldier. This kind of writing really speaks to me. It's engaging to the point of making me believe the fictitious characters are real.

The idea of the "Lone Soldier" is that the American native who enrolls in the IDF is not completely a part of the in-crowd ("chevrae"). This individual must work harder to reach his goals and to meld into a cohesive unit with fellow IDF soldiers.

I very much enjoyed using the glossary while reading this book. It reinforced concepts I already knew, filled me in on information I should have known, and introduced me to new things I didn't yet know. I particularly liked that many of the glossary words were written in Arabic and Hebrew as well as English. Pronunciations and literal translations were also provided. This was quite nice!

You should read this book not only for it's engaging writing, but for its simple truths, emotions, and humor. I wish the author well in his career to become a screen-writer. I can't wait to see what his further work will be like. This book is a gem. show less