In September 1978, three world leaders—Menachem Begin of Israel, Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and U.S. president Jimmy Carter—met at Camp David to broker a peace agreement between the two Middle East nations. During the thirteen-day conference, Begin and Sadat got into screaming matches and had to be physically separated; both attempted to walk away multiple times. Yet, by the end, a treaty had been forged—one that has quietly stood for more than three decades, proving that peace in the Middle East is possible.
Wright combines politics, scripture, and the participants’ personal histories into a compelling narrative of the fragile peace process. Begin was an Orthodox Jew whose parents had perished in the Holocaust; Sadat was a pious Muslim inspired since boyhood by stories of martyrdom; Carter, who knew the Bible by heart, was driven by his faith to pursue a treaty, even as his advisers warned him of the political cost. Wright reveals an extraordinary moment of lifelong enemies working together—and the profound difficulties inherent in the process. Thirteen Days in September is a timely revisiting of this diplomatic triumph and an inside look at how peace is made.
Reviews
Joe Klein, The New York Times Book Review, front page
“A magnificent book… In his minute-by-minute account of the talks Wright intersperses a concise history of Egyptian-Israel relations dating from the story of Exodus. Even more important is Wright's understanding that Sadat, Begin and Carter were not just political leaders, but exemplars of the Holy Land's three internecine religious traditions.”
“A unique moment in history superbly captured. Yet another triumph for Wright.”
Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times
“Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober.”
Jeff Labrecque, Entertainment Weekly
“It is brilliant penetrating scholarship…. Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. By using each man's biography to illuminate the history of his respective nation, he not only chronicles Camp David but elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Meticulously researched… almost nail-bitingly tense… an authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject.”
Roger Cohen, The New York Review of Books
Wright is a deft storyteller.…The characters come to life.