Bibi - by Benjamin Netanyahu (Paperback)

About the Book

In Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's sweeping, moving autobiography, one of the most formidable and insightful leaders of our time tells the story of his family, his path to leadership, and his unceasing commitment to defending Israel and securing its future.

Book Synopsis

In Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's "compelling" (The Economist) and "fascinating" (The Wall Street Journal) New York Times bestselling autobiography, the prime minister of Israel tells the story of his family, his path to leadership, and his unceasing commitment to defending his country and securing its future.

From their earliest days, Bibi and his close-knit brothers, Yoni and Iddo, were instilled with purpose. Born in the wake of the Holocaust at the dawn of Israel's independence and raised in a family with a prominent Zionist history, they understood that the Jewish state was a hard-won and still precarious gift. All three studied in American high schools--where they learned to appreciate the United States--before returning to their cherished homeland.

The brothers joined an elite special forces outfit of the Israeli Defense Forces known as "the Unit." At twenty-two, Bibi was wounded while leading his team in the rescue of hostages from a hijacked plane. Four years later, in 1976, Yoni was killed in Entebbe, Uganda, while leading his men in one of the most daring hostage-rescue missions in modern times. Yoni became a legend; Bibi felt he would never recover from his grief. Yet, inspired by Yoni's legacy and guided by the wisdom of his visionary historian father, Bibi thrust himself into the international struggle against terrorism, ultimately becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history--an honor he further cemented by winning reelection in 2022.

In this memoir Bibi weaves together his gripping personal story with the dramatic history of Israel and the Jewish people. Through a host of vivid anecdotes, he narrates his own evolution from soldier to statesman, while providing a unique perspective on leadership, the fraught geopolitics of the Middle East, and his successful efforts to liberate Israel's economy, which helped turn it into a global powerhouse of technological innovation.

Netanyahu gives colorful, detailed, and revealing accounts of his often turbulent relationships and negotiations with Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Trump. With eye-opening candor, he delves into the back channels of high diplomacy--including his struggle against the radical forces that threaten Israel and the world at large, and the decisive events that led to Israel's groundbreaking 2020 peace agreements with four Arab states.

Offering an unflinching account of a life, a family, and a nation, Netanyahu writes from the heart and embraces controversy head-on. Steely and funny, high-tempo and full of verve, this autobiography will stand as a defining testament to the value of political conviction and personal courage.

Review Quotes

"For his admirers and critics alike, he has produced a compelling memoir and an intriguing study of power."
-- The Economist

"Bibi is as polished, argumentative and fascinating as its author, a restless work in progress whose story is that of modern Israel."
-- The Wall Street Journal

"Benjamin Netanyahu's autobiography is one of history's great Zionist texts. Most politicians' autobiographies are turgid affairs . . . Then there is Benjamin Netanyahu's autobiography, which is not a politician's autobiography at all, but an adventure story dressed up as one. It is a Tom Clancy novel written for a Tom Cruise movie adaptation, posing as a normal politician's memoir."
-- Claremont Review of Books

"After a stunning victory, Netanyahu is returning as Israel's next prime minister . . . Now, therefore, is the perfect moment to take a closer look at who Netanyahu really is . . . not your run-of-the-million campaign autobiography, most of which are tedious and boring and not worth the paper they are printed on . . . This is an incredibly well-written, captivating - at times, spell-binding - account of his triumphs and trials. And it is a must read for every Evangelical who loves Israel and prays for the peace of Jerusalem."
-- All Israel News

"In the latest election, Netanyahu accomplished what few of his peers ever could: He won what passes in Israel as a resounding victory, granting him the opportunity to become prime minister for a third time. And rather than reading like a typical self-serving retrospective, a classic bid for immortality, his memoir now becomes a reintroduction to a man who has rarely been out of the public eye for a quarter-century . . . [and] serves as an essential window into his character."
-- The Washington Post

"From a purely literary point of view, this is without doubt the best autobiography written by an Israeli prime minister . . . [Netanyahu] demonstrates Churchillian abilities in the literary field."
-- Literary Review

"Benjamin Netanyahu's new book Bibi: My Story [is] worthy of being added to the shelf in a place of honor . . . the world will understand him and his country better as a result of this book."
-- The Algemeiner

"Bibi: My Story is a surprisingly sentimental and ideologically thoughtful autobiography from a politician known for his cold, hard realism. Unlike other political autobiographies, which mostly serve to obscure their subjects, this one provides us with the tools to understand this signature figure in modern Jewish history . . . a far better book than we had any reason to think it would be."
-- Commentary Magazine

"Netanyahu wrote his memoir longhand. It is not the standard campaign autobiography. It has heft, and not just because it runs to 650 pages. Primed for debate, he conveys his point of view with plenty of notes. He paints in primary colors, not pastels. The canvas is filled with adulation, anger, frustration and dish. Bibi is substantive and barbed. It is interesting. Netanyahu has scores to settle and punches to land."
-- The Guardian

About the Author

Benjamin Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel, having been reelected in 2022 after previously serving from 1996-1999 and 2009-2021. From 1967-1972 he served as a soldier and commander in Sayeret Matkal, an elite special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces. A graduate of MIT, he served as Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984-1988, before being elected to the Israeli parliament as a member of the Likud party in 1988. He has published five previous books on terrorism and Israel's quest for peace and security. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sara.