"Sharp, clear-eyed interpretations of Zionism's winding past and volatile present and the shifting pieces of Israeli society." The New York Times Book Review Tom Segev, Israel's best-known journalist-historian, here confronts cherished assumptions about the country today, in the process tipping a number of sacred cows. Drawing on personal experience as well as all kinds of artifacts from Israeli popular cultureshopping malls, fast food, public art, television, religious kitschhe puts forward his controversial view that the sweeping Americanization of the country, rued by most, has had an extraordinarily beneficial influence, bringing not only McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts but the virtues of pragmatism, tolerance, and individualism. Jumping into the fierce ideological battle over the future of Zionism, Segev welcomes the diffusion of ideology that has taken place in the last decade as the harbinger of a new spirit of compromise and openness. At a time of crisis, as Israelis and Palestinians retreat to their most embattled positions, Segev's sharp, colorful, and provocative book is sparking heated debate. Tom Segevis the author of three now-classic works on Israeli history, includingOne Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate, which received the National Jewish Book Award and aNew York TimesEditors' Choice of 2000. He lives in Jerusalem. In his many works of history, Tom Segev challenged the entrenched understanding of crucial moments in Israel's past, ultimately changing the way that past is remembered.

Now, in a short, sharp, and timely book, Segev has turned his sights from Israeli history to confront some dearly held assumptions about the country today, in the process tipping a number of sacred cows. Drawing on personal experience as well as all kinds of artifacts from Israeli popular cultureshopping malls, fast food, public art, television, religious kitschSegev offers a controversial view: the sweeping Americanization of the country, rued by most, has had an extraordinarily beneficial influence, bringing not only McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts but the virtues of pragmatism, tolerance, and individualism. And jumping into the fierce ideological battle over the future of Zionism, Segev welcomes the diffusion of national identity and ideology that has taken place in the last decade as a harbinger of a new spirit of compromise and openness. "A serious, provocative examination of the Zionist movement that led to the creation of Israel but whose contradictions continue to roil its people and whose timethe author saysmay have passed."Carole Goldberg,The Hartford Courant "Provocative and elegant." Jewish Week "Segev mines his country's declassified documents and emerges with sharp, clear-eyed interpretations of Zionism's winding past and volatile present and the shifting pieces of Israeli society. He navigates the struggles between religion, politics, and culture in elite society and daily life . Segev maintains that Israel's connection to the United States is the engine driving the many changes.

"Tyler D. Johnson,The New York Times Book Review "A serious, provocative examination of the Zionist movement that led to the creation of Israel but whose contradictions continue to roil its people and whose timethe author saysmay have passed."Carole Goldberg,The Hartford Courant "[Segev] deals with certain cultural trends in Israel over the last decade . [He is] a shrewd observer . Of interest not only to professionals in the field of cultural studies but to anyone interested in understand.