Sharon: The Life of a Leader

From the son and confidant of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon comes an unparalleled look at the life and work of one of the world's most powerful leaders.

From his youth as a soldier to his service in government, Ariel Sharon has personified Israel's unyielding drive for security. He revolutionized the Israel Defense Forces and established the antiterror commando Unit 101. His leadership during the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars made him a national hero and propelled him into the political arena. As terror grew throughout the Middle East, Sharon's commitment to protect and bring peace to his people underscored his election as prime minister in 2001. But within months of his taking office, the 9/11 attacks shook the Western world--thrusting the controversial statesman into the center of international affairs.

Throughout his life but especially as prime minister, Sharon kept a meticulous personal record of events and of the discussions he had with world leaders, including George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin, King Abdullah, Kofi Annan, Gerhard Schroeder, Jacques Chirac, Hosni Mubarak, Mahmoud Abbas, and others. But what the public knew of these interactions often differed dramatically from what went on in private.

Gilad Sharon, the prime minister's youngest son and close confidant, has combed through his father's vast archive--conversations, personal notes, diaries, daybooks, military directives, correspondence, and thousands of other documents--to offer a rare, intimate, and compelling look at one man's evolution into one of the world's most powerful and influential figures.