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Ґолда
Ґолда Меїр була першою жінкою — очільницею держави в новітній історії, однією із засновників Ізраїлю, успішною політикинею, справжньою «залізною леді». Її відданість створенню й відстоюванню єврей ської бать- ківщини від лютих ворогів та підступних союзників сформувала політику Близького Сходу на наступні десятиліття. Вона стала «аномальним явищем» для тодішньої патріархальної влади, зокрема через свою залізну рішучість у поєднанні з шармом, доброзичливістю, безкомпромісністю та цілковитою відданістю своїй країні. У цій захопливій біографії авторка знайомить читача з маловідомими фактами життя Ґолди Меїр, пояснюючи її складну мотивацію та ідеали, розповідаючи про особисті перемоги та розчарування легендарної персони. Ґолда була справжньою супержінкою: дещиця від Емми Ґолдман, щось від Нельсона Мандели. Її неймовірна впевненість та сила волі змотивує вас на нові звершення.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published April 29, 2008
103 people are currently reading
536 people want to read
About the author
Elinor Burkett
9 books6 followersElinor Burkett is an American journalist, author, film producer, and documentary director known for her incisive reporting, scholarly work, and filmmaking. A film she produced, Music by Prudence, won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Burkett earned a doctorate in Latin American History from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. She taught history at Frostburg State University for thirteen years before transitioning to journalism, contributing to The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Harper's Bazaar, and serving as chair of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Department of Journalism. She has held Fulbright professorships in Kyrgyzstan and Zimbabwe, where she continues to train journalists. Burkett is the author of numerous books, including A Gospel of Shame, The Gravest Show on Earth, and Golda Meir: A Biography. She has also directed documentaries, including Is It True What They Say About Ann. Burkett divides her time between New York and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, pursuing journalism, filmmaking, and writing.
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January 11, 2022
Цікава політична біографія Голди Меєр - жанр, що вводить життєпис у історичний контекст і водночас дає змогу краще не розуміти політичні рішення завдяки зануренню в характер особистості, що їх приймає. Книжка, крім огляду життя Голди, дає досить непогане уявлення про сіонізм 1920-х, міжвоєнний період британського мандату та розбудову Ізраїлю як держави (принаймні, я дізналася дуже багато нового, можливо, людям, які добре знають цю тему, нічого не додасться).
Авторка, здається, прагнула відновити справедливість щодо Голди, насамперед стосовно її ролі у війні Судного дня та миротворчому процесі 1970-х, бо тій дісталися усі звинувачення через першу і замало визнання за друге. Але - і це мені сподобалося у книжці - вона робить це без ідеалізації. Я навіть не можу сказати, що Голда як персонажа книжки мені симпатична, і авторка прямо пише про її слабкості та недоліки, як, втім, і про сильні сторони.
Що мене особливо вразило - так це те, що Голда очолила країну вже після 70 років, та й узагалі усі її політичні здобутки припали на вік, який прийнято вважати поважним. У неї були дикі проблеми зі здоров'ям (у тому числі лімфома), сложний характер і мінімум підтримки - але (і це, мабуть, мій основний висновок ака рецепт політичного успіху) якщо ти маєш впевненість у власній правоті, баланс між ідеалізмом і прагматизмом і готовність йти вперед, як бульдозер, досягаючи результатів, то ні вік, ні рак, ні бюджетний дефіцит тебе не зупинять)
Авторка, здається, прагнула відновити справедливість щодо Голди, насамперед стосовно її ролі у війні Судного дня та миротворчому процесі 1970-х, бо тій дісталися усі звинувачення через першу і замало визнання за друге. Але - і це мені сподобалося у книжці - вона робить це без ідеалізації. Я навіть не можу сказати, що Голда як персонажа книжки мені симпатична, і авторка прямо пише про її слабкості та недоліки, як, втім, і про сильні сторони.
Що мене особливо вразило - так це те, що Голда очолила країну вже після 70 років, та й узагалі усі її політичні здобутки припали на вік, який прийнято вважати поважним. У неї були дикі проблеми зі здоров'ям (у тому числі лімфома), сложний характер і мінімум підтримки - але (і це, мабуть, мій основний висновок ака рецепт політичного успіху) якщо ти маєш впевненість у власній правоті, баланс між ідеалізмом і прагматизмом і готовність йти вперед, як бульдозер, досягаючи результатів, то ні вік, ні рак, ні бюджетний дефіцит тебе не зупинять)
August 14, 2020
Golda Meir-the redoubtable mother of modern Israel- was a great woman leader in the tradition of the Prophetess Deborah, Boudicca and Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was a great patriot and visionary dedicated to building, serving and defending her nation and people. Elinor Burkett has written a well researched, highly readable and interesting biography.
It's one main flaw however is that the author gives too critical an appraisal of the basis Golda's strong leadership- a determination that never again will Israel fall and the Jewish people be defenseless and at the mercy of their enemies.
When outsiders sneered that Golda had 'the Masada complex' she responded "It is true that we have a Masada complex. We also have a Hitler complex. We also have a pogrom complex".
Israel was re-established in the shadow of the Holocaust, and hundreds of thousands it's first citizens were Holocaust survivors. Israel , fighting for survival since it's rebirth, has always lived in the shadow of genocide and a second Holocaust.
In the last ten years in particular, Israel has been desperately fighting for her life, with so much of the world determined to hound her out of existence. With Israel's six million Jews comprising the world's largest Jewish community, and 40% of world Jewry, Jewish survival is still the issue. Israel's people face a second Holocaust on two fronts. On one front Israel is faced with a nuclear attack by Iran
Israel is also under to pressure to accept into it's borders millions of hate-filled Arabs bent on the destruction of her people, under the fraud of the so-called 'Palestinian right of return' and with this artificially created Arab majority, to accept an imposed one-state Rwanda solution whereby Israel's Jews would be a helpless minority and be subject to Rwanda style massacres.
Golda never wavered in her commitment to Jewish self-determination and independence in the Land of Israel. As she told the workers committee of the Hisdatrut (Israel national workers union) in 1946, after the British government had betrayed pre-state Israel's Jews: "Jewish life is precious but we do not want to be slaves to another nation...not only because every man wants to be free in his own country but because we have learned that for Jews living as a minority in someone else's nation is not real life and in the end in that position we would be killed...We need freedom to be independent".
Golda was the President of the Socialist International for many years. She was more popular during the 1960s and early 1970s in Britain and Europe than any leaders of those countries.
As Foreign minister of Israel in the 1960s Golda headed Israel's development and aid program in Africa. Israel became intimately involved with many of Africa's national liberation movements during the 1960s. Israel-now excoriated with the evil lies from Islamist, nihilist and Stalinist propaganda that it is a 'racist'. 'colonial' and 'apartheid' oppressor- served as a model during late 1950s to early 70s for post colonial Africa. Israel embarked on massive training programs in health, infrastructure, water, communications and education, among other things, and injected massive aid into Africa.
Golda herself despised racism and when visiting Zambia, the tour bus she was on was about to cross over into the then Rhodesia to see the Victoria Falls, the Rhodesian officials requested that only the white people on the bus could disembark, Golda exclaimed that she could do without the Victoria Falls and did not see them.
In 1973, most African countries, under Arab and Soviet pressure broke ties with Israel, in the wake of the cowardly Arab attack on Israel that led to the Yom Kippur War.
Whether leading her people in the struggle against British colonial tyranny, representing her nation diplomatically (she referred in the wake of the Yom Kippur war to the United Nations as 'that high court of injustice'), the fight against terrorism or her commitment to social justice, Golda led with force of character and commitment which is inspiring today!
It's one main flaw however is that the author gives too critical an appraisal of the basis Golda's strong leadership- a determination that never again will Israel fall and the Jewish people be defenseless and at the mercy of their enemies.
When outsiders sneered that Golda had 'the Masada complex' she responded "It is true that we have a Masada complex. We also have a Hitler complex. We also have a pogrom complex".
Israel was re-established in the shadow of the Holocaust, and hundreds of thousands it's first citizens were Holocaust survivors. Israel , fighting for survival since it's rebirth, has always lived in the shadow of genocide and a second Holocaust.
In the last ten years in particular, Israel has been desperately fighting for her life, with so much of the world determined to hound her out of existence. With Israel's six million Jews comprising the world's largest Jewish community, and 40% of world Jewry, Jewish survival is still the issue. Israel's people face a second Holocaust on two fronts. On one front Israel is faced with a nuclear attack by Iran
Israel is also under to pressure to accept into it's borders millions of hate-filled Arabs bent on the destruction of her people, under the fraud of the so-called 'Palestinian right of return' and with this artificially created Arab majority, to accept an imposed one-state Rwanda solution whereby Israel's Jews would be a helpless minority and be subject to Rwanda style massacres.
Golda never wavered in her commitment to Jewish self-determination and independence in the Land of Israel. As she told the workers committee of the Hisdatrut (Israel national workers union) in 1946, after the British government had betrayed pre-state Israel's Jews: "Jewish life is precious but we do not want to be slaves to another nation...not only because every man wants to be free in his own country but because we have learned that for Jews living as a minority in someone else's nation is not real life and in the end in that position we would be killed...We need freedom to be independent".
Golda was the President of the Socialist International for many years. She was more popular during the 1960s and early 1970s in Britain and Europe than any leaders of those countries.
As Foreign minister of Israel in the 1960s Golda headed Israel's development and aid program in Africa. Israel became intimately involved with many of Africa's national liberation movements during the 1960s. Israel-now excoriated with the evil lies from Islamist, nihilist and Stalinist propaganda that it is a 'racist'. 'colonial' and 'apartheid' oppressor- served as a model during late 1950s to early 70s for post colonial Africa. Israel embarked on massive training programs in health, infrastructure, water, communications and education, among other things, and injected massive aid into Africa.
Golda herself despised racism and when visiting Zambia, the tour bus she was on was about to cross over into the then Rhodesia to see the Victoria Falls, the Rhodesian officials requested that only the white people on the bus could disembark, Golda exclaimed that she could do without the Victoria Falls and did not see them.
In 1973, most African countries, under Arab and Soviet pressure broke ties with Israel, in the wake of the cowardly Arab attack on Israel that led to the Yom Kippur War.
Whether leading her people in the struggle against British colonial tyranny, representing her nation diplomatically (she referred in the wake of the Yom Kippur war to the United Nations as 'that high court of injustice'), the fight against terrorism or her commitment to social justice, Golda led with force of character and commitment which is inspiring today!
April 19, 2022
Про діяльність Голди Меїр до прочитання даної книги, я не чула. Книга досить цікава для тих, хто бажає ознайомитись з важким шляхом євреїв до утворення власної держави. Голда зробила величезну роботу для того, щоб Ізраїль існував. В її уявленні Ізраїль був тим місцем, в якому жоден єврей нарешті не зазнає гноблення та цькування. І багато чого для укріплення думки про те, що єврейська держава повинна існувати, зробило здійснення німцями Голокосту.
На жаль, мрії євреїв про безпечну гавань не справдились. Лише з 1948 по 1976 роки ізраїльтяни пережили чотири війни з арабами. Арабські країни заперечували можливість існування Ізраїлю в Палестині і готові були знищити його, натомість, Ізраїль вперто доводив своє право на буття і на полі бою.
Якщо перша частина книги читається досить легко, то про прем'єрство Голди читати важкувато, не достатньо пояснень від автора, який майже весь перебіг подій подає в хронологічному порядку з використанням діалогів, з яких не завжди зрозуміло, що відбувається і якими є мотиви сторін. Хотілося б більшого аналізу подій саме від автора, можливо, якщо попередньо ознайомитися з історією Ізраїлю, було б все зрозуміло.
Для мене ця книга стала стимулом почитати про війну Судного дня і загалом про конфлікти на Близькому Сході в інших джерелах.
Також, читаючи, не можна втриматися від проведення паралелей між Ізраїлем та Україною, яка зараз бореться з переважаючим супротивником за право існувати...
На жаль, мрії євреїв про безпечну гавань не справдились. Лише з 1948 по 1976 роки ізраїльтяни пережили чотири війни з арабами. Арабські країни заперечували можливість існування Ізраїлю в Палестині і готові були знищити його, натомість, Ізраїль вперто доводив своє право на буття і на полі бою.
Якщо перша частина книги читається досить легко, то про прем'єрство Голди читати важкувато, не достатньо пояснень від автора, який майже весь перебіг подій подає в хронологічному порядку з використанням діалогів, з яких не завжди зрозуміло, що відбувається і якими є мотиви сторін. Хотілося б більшого аналізу подій саме від автора, можливо, якщо попередньо ознайомитися з історією Ізраїлю, було б все зрозуміло.
Для мене ця книга стала стимулом почитати про війну Судного дня і загалом про конфлікти на Близькому Сході в інших джерелах.
Також, читаючи, не можна втриматися від проведення паралелей між Ізраїлем та Україною, яка зараз бореться з переважаючим супротивником за право існувати...
February 4, 2026
The story of Golda Meir is one of focus, determination, and sheer will. That of complete dedication to a cause, and the dissolving of the self in its pursuit. And while her name is well known it is often the case that the same cannot be said of the woman who carried it. The book attempts to fill this gap by painting the trajectory of her life, flaw by flaw, and triumph by triumph, in full color.
Golda started from humble beginnings, with the heavy inheritance of generational trauma marked by episodic bouts of pogroms targeting Eastern European Jewish communities, one of which came too close for comfort as it forever froze in her mind the image of her helpless father, powerless in the midst of a Cossack attack. This encounter stayed with her throughout her years as a constant reminder of the price of weakness, dependence, and indecision. She was as much the product of that background as of the social pressures that inadvertently carved her into a creature of pure tenacity and single-mindedness.
She played an important part in the establishment of the Jewish state and dominated its political scene for decades. For a region in which, in order to find a woman in a position of authority overlooking the affairs of both men and state, one is pressed to trek back to pre-Islamic times, to such figures as Zenobia (of Palmyra fame) or al-Kahina (of Berber renown), she became a prime minister whom ordinary Israelis (and the world) celebrated as the first modern female chief of state who owed nothing to the “appendage syndrome” that had brought Sirimavo Bandaranaike to the premiership of Ceylon in the wake her husband’s assassination and Indira Gandhi to office not long after her father’s death.
Golda was in the heart of events during three wars and led a fourth one, where she became not only the national morale booster and weapons procurer, but also Israel’s generalissimo. While her Minister of Defense suffered a psychological breakdown during Yom Kippur, she kept her resolve. Where in politics her party started to splinter as it slowly imploded, she kept it together through her indispensability. An iron lady before there was an iron lady, she confronted an angry populace that demanded retribution for the intelligence failure of the October War, while struggling against infighting within her government, all this in the midst of grueling negotiations with Kissinger over a peace deal with Egypt.
She was the anti-populist, her political instinct a product of a paternalistic, collectivist political culture. She was largely indifferent to political appeal ( while paradoxically enjoying high approval ratings). The irony of Golda Meir is that she ruled through an outdated mode of governance and possessed an anachronistic conception of the state bordering on the utopian, too focused on a collectively minded egalitarian socialist project to notice the changing tides of individualism and personal autonomy. Yet while she was out of sync in this regard, she was ahead of her time on matters of peace, advocating direct negotiations with the Arabs and agreements of coexistence in exchange for lands conquered in 1967, a position that some Israelis disapproved of and no Arab state would tolerate.
Her open arms policy of direct Israeli-Arab face to face negotiation gained momentum after the Yom Kippur War and reached its fruition only after her resignation from political life, when she lived long enough to witness Israel’s first peace deal with an Arab country (Egypt). The seeds of peace with Jordan, which she helped plant through her multiple meetings with Jordanian monarchs spanning decades, later blossomed into the normalization of relations between the two countries (something that sadly eluded her, as she had long been dead by then). It is safe to say that there is a direct line extending from Golda Meir to today’s Abraham Accords, which, in retrospect, she was the godmother of them all.
I’ve enjoyed reading this book, and I found it to be highly informative about Israel’s domestic and international politics during its "heroic period" (1948 to 1973), and about the dynamics within its political class at the time. I also appreciate the insight into how Israelis reacted to the territories gained in the Six-Day War, and the internal debates over how to handle them. I’d recommend this book not only as the story of a remarkable woman and historical figure, but also as an exploration of the era and country she led because universal historical figures inevitably leave part of themselves in the enterprise they govern, and their essence flows into the legacy they create. Hence, to understand Israel, one must also understand Golda.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Golda started from humble beginnings, with the heavy inheritance of generational trauma marked by episodic bouts of pogroms targeting Eastern European Jewish communities, one of which came too close for comfort as it forever froze in her mind the image of her helpless father, powerless in the midst of a Cossack attack. This encounter stayed with her throughout her years as a constant reminder of the price of weakness, dependence, and indecision. She was as much the product of that background as of the social pressures that inadvertently carved her into a creature of pure tenacity and single-mindedness.
She played an important part in the establishment of the Jewish state and dominated its political scene for decades. For a region in which, in order to find a woman in a position of authority overlooking the affairs of both men and state, one is pressed to trek back to pre-Islamic times, to such figures as Zenobia (of Palmyra fame) or al-Kahina (of Berber renown), she became a prime minister whom ordinary Israelis (and the world) celebrated as the first modern female chief of state who owed nothing to the “appendage syndrome” that had brought Sirimavo Bandaranaike to the premiership of Ceylon in the wake her husband’s assassination and Indira Gandhi to office not long after her father’s death.
Golda was in the heart of events during three wars and led a fourth one, where she became not only the national morale booster and weapons procurer, but also Israel’s generalissimo. While her Minister of Defense suffered a psychological breakdown during Yom Kippur, she kept her resolve. Where in politics her party started to splinter as it slowly imploded, she kept it together through her indispensability. An iron lady before there was an iron lady, she confronted an angry populace that demanded retribution for the intelligence failure of the October War, while struggling against infighting within her government, all this in the midst of grueling negotiations with Kissinger over a peace deal with Egypt.
She was the anti-populist, her political instinct a product of a paternalistic, collectivist political culture. She was largely indifferent to political appeal ( while paradoxically enjoying high approval ratings). The irony of Golda Meir is that she ruled through an outdated mode of governance and possessed an anachronistic conception of the state bordering on the utopian, too focused on a collectively minded egalitarian socialist project to notice the changing tides of individualism and personal autonomy. Yet while she was out of sync in this regard, she was ahead of her time on matters of peace, advocating direct negotiations with the Arabs and agreements of coexistence in exchange for lands conquered in 1967, a position that some Israelis disapproved of and no Arab state would tolerate.
Her open arms policy of direct Israeli-Arab face to face negotiation gained momentum after the Yom Kippur War and reached its fruition only after her resignation from political life, when she lived long enough to witness Israel’s first peace deal with an Arab country (Egypt). The seeds of peace with Jordan, which she helped plant through her multiple meetings with Jordanian monarchs spanning decades, later blossomed into the normalization of relations between the two countries (something that sadly eluded her, as she had long been dead by then). It is safe to say that there is a direct line extending from Golda Meir to today’s Abraham Accords, which, in retrospect, she was the godmother of them all.
I’ve enjoyed reading this book, and I found it to be highly informative about Israel’s domestic and international politics during its "heroic period" (1948 to 1973), and about the dynamics within its political class at the time. I also appreciate the insight into how Israelis reacted to the territories gained in the Six-Day War, and the internal debates over how to handle them. I’d recommend this book not only as the story of a remarkable woman and historical figure, but also as an exploration of the era and country she led because universal historical figures inevitably leave part of themselves in the enterprise they govern, and their essence flows into the legacy they create. Hence, to understand Israel, one must also understand Golda.
Rating: 4.5/5.
July 4, 2022
Прочитала половину книжки і виріш��ла не продовжувати. Автор посилається на безліч джерел і цитат, намагається обєктивно висвітлювати дії та події. Але тут відсутній важливий, на мою думку, фактор біографій: коли ти читаєш про когось відомого і цікавого, ти хочеш знати "як" він цього досяг, які були мотиви, сумніви, фактори впливу ззовні. А тут сухий, хоч і підкріплений цитатами з джерел, виклад "що" саме зробила Голда і навіть без особливих подробиць. Якщо би мене цікавили лиш факти, то простіше було б у Вікіпедії почитати окремі статті про кожну подію і дізнатись про них навіть більше. Мені хотілось зрозуміти чому саме відбулось описуване і чому дії Голди були саме такі, а цього нам авторка якраз толком і не розказує. Отже, читаючи книжку, ти спочатку тонеш в іменах сіоністів та знайомих Голди Мейр, потім в назвах різних єврейських рухів, партій, угрупувань, але ця інформація просто перевантажує книжку, а поживи для розуміння ситуацій та вчинків не дає. Сумніви, чи продовжувати читання, закралися у мене ще після перших 5 розділів, але я чесно промордувалась ще 5, щоб з чистим сумлінням сказати собі: годі, пошукаю кращої
December 14, 2022
В історії точно залишаться ті політики, яким небайдуже і які справді все готові покласти на карту заради держави, яку вони очолюють. Оце "все" частенько охоплює коханих, дітей, близьких та друзів. І в житті "поза політикою" вони радше поповнюють когорту тих складних та дуже самотніх. Але кожній країні, особливо в складні моменти та на початку свого шляху, хочеться побажати таких особистостей. І тут неважливо, чи ліві, чи праві. Головне, щоб їм потрібна була країна не для самоствердження, а країна-мрія, в якій захочуть народжувати дітей. Важливо, не прогавити їх появу і не знищити зависокими очікуваннями та бурхливим політичним темпераментом. Попри всі помилки та претензії, Ізраїлю повезло, що у них була Ґолда. Вірю, що колись і нам повезе.
October 27, 2021
I love Golda Meir, I cannot help it. I read everything about her, she's my hero ♥️
February 8, 2025
Біографія цієї жінки – оригінальна суміш сміливості, ораторської майстерності та зустрічей з людьми, які допомогли сформувати її погляди у житті та політиці, а згодом і проявити свої екстраординарні таланти. Книжка написана у форматі белетристики і розповідає про життєвий шлях та персональні погляди пані Меїр з акцентами на суспільно-політичних подіях часу, коли жила героїня.
Цей текст точно стане гарним відкриттям у світ міжнародної політики XX століття та без шаблонів розкаже історію створення держави Ізраїль. Крім того, це й розповідь про роль особистості в історії та про жінку, яка заради реалізації своїх ідей просто вміла «йти напролом». Довести, чому збір грошей на покупку зброї для оборони країни важливий; вміти успішно провести переговори з арабським королем Абдулою та організувати проголошення незалежності – все це Ґолда робила, бо не могла інакше.
Книжка точно непересічна, але все ж думаю, що написана вона для підготовленої (в міжнародних та історичних питаннях) аудиторії. Якщо ви цікавитеся політичними процесами та тим, у яких кабінетах та як формується світова політика, це видання однозначно для вас. Для непідготовленого читача час від часу доведеться користуватися пошуковиком з запитами «трудовий сіонізм» чи «Гістадрут». Теж не зайвими були б і окремі редакторські примітки від видавця про справу Дрейфуса та Британський мандат в Палестині.
Більше написала у огляді для блогу Yakaboo bit.ly/2E6uYEr
Цей текст точно стане гарним відкриттям у світ міжнародної політики XX століття та без шаблонів розкаже історію створення держави Ізраїль. Крім того, це й розповідь про роль особистості в історії та про жінку, яка заради реалізації своїх ідей просто вміла «йти напролом». Довести, чому збір грошей на покупку зброї для оборони країни важливий; вміти успішно провести переговори з арабським королем Абдулою та організувати проголошення незалежності – все це Ґолда робила, бо не могла інакше.
Книжка точно непересічна, але все ж думаю, що написана вона для підготовленої (в міжнародних та історичних питаннях) аудиторії. Якщо ви цікавитеся політичними процесами та тим, у яких кабінетах та як формується світова політика, це видання однозначно для вас. Для непідготовленого читача час від часу доведеться користуватися пошуковиком з запитами «трудовий сіонізм» чи «Гістадрут». Теж не зайвими були б і окремі редакторські примітки від видавця про справу Дрейфуса та Британський мандат в Палестині.
Більше написала у огляді для блогу Yakaboo bit.ly/2E6uYEr
March 19, 2009
Golda Meir was the first female leader of a western country and one strongly admired worldwide; I admired her too. Her grandmotherly candor, sardonic wit and steely personality charmed everyone. She was awfully tough to stand up to and could take the measure of any world leader of her day. There were parts of this book that were interesting but overall it just didn’t grab my attention, lacked cohesion and I was disappointed. The author also frequently sided with Golda’s critics or chided her for her positions.
Unfortunately, this book also brought back the shocking memory of that hooded figure splashed across our TV screens during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich -- Burkett covers it briefly. To me this was the beginning of modern day terrorism. 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage in the Olympic Village and subsequently executed, almost in front of our eyes, by Black September a Palestinian terrorist group. Golda, in her wisdom, comprehended the significance of this grotesque event although her understanding actually came from earlier pogroms she had survived and Hitler’s Holocaust. The author accused Meir of having a Masada complex and so even writing this book in hindsight just didn’t get the picture.
Unfortunately, this book also brought back the shocking memory of that hooded figure splashed across our TV screens during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich -- Burkett covers it briefly. To me this was the beginning of modern day terrorism. 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage in the Olympic Village and subsequently executed, almost in front of our eyes, by Black September a Palestinian terrorist group. Golda, in her wisdom, comprehended the significance of this grotesque event although her understanding actually came from earlier pogroms she had survived and Hitler’s Holocaust. The author accused Meir of having a Masada complex and so even writing this book in hindsight just didn’t get the picture.
November 27, 2020
A good and fair assessment, as far as I know, of Golda Meir's life and work and how it played out in the creation of Israel. A remarkable story.
April 20, 2023
Recommended by a fellow congregant. It is an engaging story. I read her autobiography about a decade ago, so it was good to be reminded of some of the events of her life. Interesting also to compare a biography to an autobiography; the about her versus about me.
I found reading about the runup to the Yom Kippur War fascinating; a lot that I didn't know as a college student in the US at the time. I don't think I realized at the time how close Israel came to not existing. And how little support Israel initially got from the Western world.
I found reading about the runup to the Yom Kippur War fascinating; a lot that I didn't know as a college student in the US at the time. I don't think I realized at the time how close Israel came to not existing. And how little support Israel initially got from the Western world.
November 13, 2016
Warning: this book assumes you have a passing familiarity with all sorts of events from Israeli history, and tends to speed over what doesn't directly involve Golda herself. With that caveat in place, this is a very detailed, warts-and-all account of an extraordinary woman, but one who could be an irritating. narrow-minded demagogue (and, in her personal life, a complete idiot) at the worst possible times. Fascinating is the best adjective for this biography, and for Golda herself.
January 6, 2021
Well written authoritative account of one of the most remarkable leaders the world has ever know. Her name is synonymous with Israel. She aided in its founding and aided in the defeat of Israels enemies in three different wars. Who would have dreamed of a little girl from Milwaukee, Wisconsin rising so far and loved so much by her country and the world. Great biography.
March 27, 2017
An interesting book about an interesting woman.
January 24, 2023
Wow, this was an excellent, rivetingly written biography--I raptly read and absorbed every single word in print, a big feat for me with a huge date-y nonfiction work. I bought it to own in order to be not beholden to library deadlines, and it was my comfort read, regularly beating all sorts of high adventure fantasy novels. I find the trajectory of Golda's life as exciting as Indiana Jones. After having also listened in entirety to the newer Golda biography Lioness by Francine Klagsbrun, and having found that excellent at the time, in comparison that one now seems gossipy and speculative, where this one contains the true substance of Golda's life and the things she really cared about.
Again, the same for both books, because of who they're about, one simply cannot claim to understand anything at all about the nation of Israel without reading a biography of Golda. Golda was Israel. Israel and everything that has happened to it could not have happened without Golda. As all biographers have pointed out, inherent in that fact is that Israel is very flawed. I could have perhaps done without this author's personal opinion, which she withheld all the way until the very end and closed with, which is basically that Golda failed, big time. I would counter that, while Israel does have the huge flaws that the author points out, Golda accomplished her goal and purpose, which was to tell the world: No. We're not doing pogroms anymore. We are going to carve out a place where you can't get us anymore, and we'll defend it with the most military might we can possibly muster. Of course, the problem is that then that allowed Jews to become The Bad Guy, which gets you right back to where you started, at square one, where regular and famous people feel justified and good about anti-Semitism, which you're now seeing today. No one can say what would have happened if there had been no Israel, and the author sort of seems to say that you can, and that it would have been better. Would Jews have become AND remained the eternal martyr of the world with the Holocaust at great cost (incalculably more extreme genocide), the remaining survivors finding safe haven in America, the true Zion (a popular way of thinking for Jews against Israel and Zionism)? Or, would Jews have really just been totally wiped out and continued the forever-cycle of pogroms, with no place on the world stage and no place in the world other than that? The continual running and being killed? Elinor Burkett basically says that Israel was a huge mistake in the end. In terms of the book and its ending, I would have appreciated more biographical ceremony around her death. What about her funeral? No mention. Instead, after reading the incredible, awe-inspiring journey of her life, that life ends in this book with the words "Golda died." Followed by how flawed she/Israel was.
Aside from content-level discussions like these, it was a great, fascinating, readable book about one of the most amazing people of all time, the insane times she lived through, and is necessarily the history of Israel itself.
Again, the same for both books, because of who they're about, one simply cannot claim to understand anything at all about the nation of Israel without reading a biography of Golda. Golda was Israel. Israel and everything that has happened to it could not have happened without Golda. As all biographers have pointed out, inherent in that fact is that Israel is very flawed. I could have perhaps done without this author's personal opinion, which she withheld all the way until the very end and closed with, which is basically that Golda failed, big time. I would counter that, while Israel does have the huge flaws that the author points out, Golda accomplished her goal and purpose, which was to tell the world: No. We're not doing pogroms anymore. We are going to carve out a place where you can't get us anymore, and we'll defend it with the most military might we can possibly muster. Of course, the problem is that then that allowed Jews to become The Bad Guy, which gets you right back to where you started, at square one, where regular and famous people feel justified and good about anti-Semitism, which you're now seeing today. No one can say what would have happened if there had been no Israel, and the author sort of seems to say that you can, and that it would have been better. Would Jews have become AND remained the eternal martyr of the world with the Holocaust at great cost (incalculably more extreme genocide), the remaining survivors finding safe haven in America, the true Zion (a popular way of thinking for Jews against Israel and Zionism)? Or, would Jews have really just been totally wiped out and continued the forever-cycle of pogroms, with no place on the world stage and no place in the world other than that? The continual running and being killed? Elinor Burkett basically says that Israel was a huge mistake in the end. In terms of the book and its ending, I would have appreciated more biographical ceremony around her death. What about her funeral? No mention. Instead, after reading the incredible, awe-inspiring journey of her life, that life ends in this book with the words "Golda died." Followed by how flawed she/Israel was.
Aside from content-level discussions like these, it was a great, fascinating, readable book about one of the most amazing people of all time, the insane times she lived through, and is necessarily the history of Israel itself.
February 14, 2026
What a handful this Golda was!
This book is a biography of Golda Meir that also serves as a compact history of Israel’s state-building — a country forged in a constant state of war, developing institutions, society, and identity in the process. It presents the Arab-Israeli conflict (rather from an Israeli perspective!), moving through the key wars: the post-1947 UN-partition war, the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, showing how each shaped Israel’s security thinking.
Born in Kyiv, raised in the United States, and later among the early settlers in Palestine, Golda’s life reflects the broader Jewish twentieth-century experience — from pogroms in Eastern Europe and the Holocaust to the socialist foundations of early Israel and the political and military realities of statehood.
Golda emerges as an effective, determined politician, which often conflicted with her role as a mother. Her rise to Prime Minister came late, when she was already elderly and battling cancer, which makes her story even more striking. I also appreciated how the book places her in global politics, touching on her dealings with Nixon, Kissinger, and Sadat and situating Israel within Cold War dynamics. It further highlights the crucial role of the United States — especially American Jews — whose political, financial, and cultural support helped stabilize the young state.
In the end, it left me thinking how decisive early nationalism was for Israel’s future, and how complex the conflict remains, shaped by a very different yet deeply rooted Arab-Palestinian perspective.
This book is a biography of Golda Meir that also serves as a compact history of Israel’s state-building — a country forged in a constant state of war, developing institutions, society, and identity in the process. It presents the Arab-Israeli conflict (rather from an Israeli perspective!), moving through the key wars: the post-1947 UN-partition war, the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Six-Day War, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, showing how each shaped Israel’s security thinking.
Born in Kyiv, raised in the United States, and later among the early settlers in Palestine, Golda’s life reflects the broader Jewish twentieth-century experience — from pogroms in Eastern Europe and the Holocaust to the socialist foundations of early Israel and the political and military realities of statehood.
Golda emerges as an effective, determined politician, which often conflicted with her role as a mother. Her rise to Prime Minister came late, when she was already elderly and battling cancer, which makes her story even more striking. I also appreciated how the book places her in global politics, touching on her dealings with Nixon, Kissinger, and Sadat and situating Israel within Cold War dynamics. It further highlights the crucial role of the United States — especially American Jews — whose political, financial, and cultural support helped stabilize the young state.
In the end, it left me thinking how decisive early nationalism was for Israel’s future, and how complex the conflict remains, shaped by a very different yet deeply rooted Arab-Palestinian perspective.
August 3, 2024
Чудова і надзвичайно корисна книга про жінку, яка творила державу. З усіма своїми вадами, непохитністю й негнучкістю, вона була силою в небезпечні часи, завдяки своїй вірі в ідеали й унікальній працьовитості.
В книзі зчитується багато паралелей з сьогоднішньою війною Росії проти України. На жаль, особливо в аспектах політики Штатів й СРСР. Саме тому ця біографія є корисною до прочитання: пояснює певним чином сьогодення (Палестина vs. Ізраїль) й водночас говорить про помилки, яких зараз варто (і можливо) уникати.
«Потім Ніксон додав не дуже завуальовану загрозу:
— Я віддам вас на поталу ООН.
— Цьому суду найвищої несправедливості? — перервала Голда.»
«Кожну її спробу наблизити Ізраїль до миру зупиняла гра між Сполученими Штатами і Радянським Союзом, політичний ландшафт Ізраїлю, а також її власна непоступливість.»
В книзі зчитується багато паралелей з сьогоднішньою війною Росії проти України. На жаль, особливо в аспектах політики Штатів й СРСР. Саме тому ця біографія є корисною до прочитання: пояснює певним чином сьогодення (Палестина vs. Ізраїль) й водночас говорить про помилки, яких зараз варто (і можливо) уникати.
«Потім Ніксон додав не дуже завуальовану загрозу:
— Я віддам вас на поталу ООН.
— Цьому суду найвищої несправедливості? — перервала Голда.»
«Кожну її спробу наблизити Ізраїль до миру зупиняла гра між Сполученими Штатами і Радянським Союзом, політичний ландшафт Ізраїлю, а також її власна непоступливість.»
August 10, 2024
Чи правдиві біографії відомих людей?
Життя Голди Меєр можна дізнатися лише з газетних стетей і згадок очевидців.
Ми, читачі сьогодення, можемо лише читати про неймовірний шарм внутрішніх цінностей якими вона підкорила американський уряд.
І напротивагу цьому, залізну стриманість і чіткі амбіції в арабо-ізраїльському конфлікті.
Оскільки біографію голди незліченну кількість раз редагували, автору залишається лише розказати нам про еволюцію суспільних настроїв. Від людської любові і прихильності до розчарування і ненависті.
Але мабуть так буває з усіма, хто наділений владою і амбіціями. Не залежно від статі і віку усі гонимі за суспільними визнанням.
Життя Голди Меєр можна дізнатися лише з газетних стетей і згадок очевидців.
Ми, читачі сьогодення, можемо лише читати про неймовірний шарм внутрішніх цінностей якими вона підкорила американський уряд.
І напротивагу цьому, залізну стриманість і чіткі амбіції в арабо-ізраїльському конфлікті.
Оскільки біографію голди незліченну кількість раз редагували, автору залишається лише розказати нам про еволюцію суспільних настроїв. Від людської любові і прихильності до розчарування і ненависті.
Але мабуть так буває з усіма, хто наділений владою і амбіціями. Не залежно від статі і віку усі гонимі за суспільними визнанням.
November 20, 2024
An interesting book that gives a good insight into the life of Golda Meir. Overall, I found it pretty good but at times it seemed a bit light on details and analysis, especially on Israeli society at the time.
The author has a clear bias and insists that the Arabs (it doesn't call them Palestinians) who fled in 1948/49 did so voluntarily and even tells a very odd story of how Golda Meir tried to convince them to stay but they refused.
The author has a clear bias and insists that the Arabs (it doesn't call them Palestinians) who fled in 1948/49 did so voluntarily and even tells a very odd story of how Golda Meir tried to convince them to stay but they refused.
February 5, 2024
Brilliantly written biography with a hint of analysis of cultural and political context of newly formed Country. The author looks a lot deeper then just describing the facts of Golda’s life, she looks into reasons and drivers of behaviour of Golda and even analyses the whole nation. I liked the book exactly for that and for dynamic of story.
March 9, 2018
Would Israel be the country it is today without Golda Meir? Would Israel even exist if not for her?
A very readable biography, in spite of heavy on the politics.
Golda is a hero in my book, no matter what the author thinks in her conclusions!
A very readable biography, in spite of heavy on the politics.
Golda is a hero in my book, no matter what the author thinks in her conclusions!
June 12, 2017
An interesting read about a fascinating individual.
December 11, 2017
A nice telling of an extraordinary life. The one reason I had trouble finishing it was that I did not find Golda to be a very nice person.
But she was definitely formidable
But she was definitely formidable
August 14, 2017
I liked it a lot. I have read several Golda books and this was the best. It was well-researched and full of what Golda was really like, not just names and dates.
February 25, 2018
Except from political ramblings this was good read portraying the Iron Lady in her true element.
August 16, 2021
Well researched, overall well written portrait of a woman whom I have admired over the years and who played a strong part in the history of the modern state of Israel.
May 8, 2022
Absolutely phenomenal. What a truly remarkable and engaging story about a woman who lived her life in service to her people. This book is in my Top 10.
May 1, 2025
Necessary.
Read
May 25, 2025I loved this book when I read it, I don’t remember a lot of details but it was definitely gave a strong feminist vibe
March 4, 2017
Fascinating for the accounts of the Yom Kippur war and the subsequent peace efforts. Otherwise, the text is in places overburdened by detail, possibly irrelevant but certainly disruptive, and sometimes slanted to the point where you question how objectively the rest may have been written.
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