Synopses & Reviews
At the age of eighteen, Aaron Cohen left Beverly Hills to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security cadre, akin to the American Green Berets and Navy SEALs. After fifteen months of grueling training designed to break down each individual man and to rebuild him as a warrior, Cohen was offered the only post a non-Israeli can hold in the special forces. In 1996 he joined a top-secret, highly controversial unit that dispatches operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to abduct terrorist leaders and bring them to Israel for interrogation and trial.
Between 1996 and 1998, Aaron Cohen would learn Hebrew and Arabic; become an expert in urban counterterror warfare, the martial art of Krav Maga, and undercover operations; and participate in dozens of life-or-death missions. He would infiltrate a Hamas wedding to seize a wanted terrorist and pose as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle. A propulsive, gripping read, Cohen's story is a rare, fly-on-the-wall view into the shadowy world of "black ops" that redefines invincible strength, true danger, and inviolable security.
Review
“He brings us into the shadowy world of Sayeret Duvdevan, offering details of his missions and his training, throwing in some contemporary and historical context, introducing us to his comrades-in-arms and delivering numerous gory anecdotes.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“The book gives an unvarnished account of life in an elite Israeli counterterrorism unita side of life with which few Israelis and almost no foreigners are familiar.” Washington Jewish Week
Review
“Aaron Cohen has something to say. And he knows what hes talking about. If youre conflicted about how aggressive America should be in the global fight against terrorism, read this book. Cohen knows that national survival aint free. A no-nonsense, riveting read.” General Tommy Franks (ret.)
Review
“Its more than a story of the making of an elite unconventional warfare operativeits a real, in-your-face, and mesmerizing look at the birth of a patriot. You will be inspired, believe me.” Dale Brown
About the Author
A writer and television producer, Aaron Cohen has won fourteen Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for his work at NBC and HBO, and has twice received the Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Writing for his work on the critically acclaimed boxing documentary series 24/7.
Douglas Century has coauthored several national bestsellers including Under and Alone with William Queen, Takedown with Rick Cowan, Street Kingdom: Five Years Inside the Franklin Avenue Posse, and If Not Now, When? with Colonel Jack Jacobs.