Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces

by Dorit Sasson

Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Publication

She Writes Press (2016), 340 pages

Description

2016 Santa Fe literary awards - finalist 2016 Next Generation Indie Book awards - finalist 2016 USA Best Book Awards - finalist in the memoir category 2016 Author Awards, 2nd place in the memoir category A SheKnows.com and Mind Body and Green Must-Read! Featured in Buzzfeed, Working Mother Magazine, The Reading Room, Brit and Co., Writer's Digest, Style, Huffington Post, Jewish Book Council, and Jewish Values Center. At age nineteen, Dorit Sasson, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was trying to make the status quo work as a college student--until she realized that if she didn't distance herself from her neurotic, worrywart of a mother, she would become just like her.Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces is Sasson's story of how she dropped out of college and volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces in an effort to change her life--and how, in stepping out of her comfort zone and into a war zone, she discovered courage and faith she didn't know she was capable of.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member kathleen.pooler
Accidental Soldier is an engaging, multilayered story of a young woman who finds her voice and her inner strength by challenging herself to step outside her comfort zone and volunteer for the Israel Defense Services. In searching for independence from a controlling, worry-wart mother, she taps into
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a universal theme of the complexities of mother–daughter relationships.

With raw honesty and vivid prose, Sasson brought me so close to her experience I could taste the ethnic food, see the beautiful landscape, and feel the pain of her struggles and the triumph of her growth and transformation. Her characters came alive on the page and her authentic, heartfelt reflections added a deeper dimension to her story. Too much self-disparaging behavior would have been a downer but she balanced it with a fierce determination and perseverance I admire.

The scenic descriptions of Israel are exquisite and the details of the Israeli culture, rich and enlightening. I love a story that not only inspires but also informs me of a world I would not otherwise know. The writing is crisp and flows freely.

Sasson delivers a well-crafted, engaging memoir with a clear theme, a hero’s journey that left me feeling enlightened and inspired. I highly recommend this memoir for anyone who wants to be invited into another culture and into the mind and heart of a young woman trying to find her way on the world.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

5.4 inches

ISBN

1631520350 / 9781631520358

Local notes

Autobiography
Page: 0.3904 seconds